Whats a good commuter city next to seattle (Bellevue, Renton: houses, neighborhoods)

[gammerus]

Not looking to live in Seattle (looks a little crowded) So I'm looking at the ones close by. This way I can work in the city, travel there on a whim, but still have a peaceful half acre to myself.

Looking to shy away from prissy, boring areas as well.. If that helps at all.

I was looking at Bellevue before, but it looks like a Washington version of Scottsdale.

[JustCallMeTC]

Originally Posted by gammerus

Looking to shy away from prissy, boring areas as well.. If that helps at all.

I was looking at Bellevue before, but it looks like a Washington version of Scottsdale.

LOLOLOL I can't wait to hear Bellevueguy's response to this.

[jenlion]

Gammerus, the problem is this: Seattle is surrounded by water and mountains. There's not a lot of area that's near enough to commute but far enough to have your half-acre. Where there is, it gets pretty expensive. And traffic gums things up -- cities that LOOK near Seattle might have impossible commute times.

And Belleuve doesn't have much peace to it, anyway. You probably want to consider looking further out if you want peace.

How long are you willing to spend on a commute each day, and what kind of budget do you have??

[Ira500]

So you want a house on 1/2 an acre, close to Seattle, but not prissy and not boring.
I guess it's a matter of which of those is most important. For example, places with half acre lots are going to be a little more boring as far as shopping and entertainment because there's less density...
Woodinville has houses with big lots, but tends to be a bit pricey, and it's not that close to Seattle.
Renton has houses with big lots, especially the eastern section of the area towards Issaquah, and a bit close in around the Earlington neighborhood, but if you care about school districts, Renton's is not considered very good, though it is improving...And Renton's certainly not prissy, but it does have a downtown with some good places to eat and drink..
Issaquah has houses with big lots, and proximity to lots of hiking trails...The main street of Issaquah, Front Street, has insanely bad traffic at times, but it doesn't take long to get from Issaquah to either Seattle or Bellevue...Finally, there are neighborhoods within the City of Seattle that don't feel like the city at all, like parts of Broadview, Upper Rainier Beach, and around Fauntleroy in West Seattle.

[gammerus]

When I say boring I am referring to phoenix, which is the land of concrete and walmart. I just need things to do physically, and a decent view. If I have a decent bike path, and some fairly good parks I am a happy camper

But a big yard isn't everything so long as it is big enough for a large dog, and there are good areas for me to take a walk with the dog. I just want to get away from this

Another question, are there a lot of HOA's in the area?

[gammerus]

Really I don't even know if seattle is right for me (even if I do like the city) I just work in advertising/graphic design, and it looks like that is where the work is at.

[mea-oh]

Having been to both Phoenix and Seattle, Seattle is MUCH LESS boring than Phoenix. Every American city has concrete, big box stores, and suburbia, but Seattle has much more natural beauty than Phoenix...unless you like to stare at Camelback Mtn and cacti all day...which can be nice in January, when it's freezing everywhere else.

Biggest difference: Phoenix is boringly sunny. Seattle can be depressingly rainy, especially in the winter.

[emopoops]

whatever u do, move away from mount rainer.