Anything good about moving to the Seattle Area? Help me please (Spokane: best cities, real estate)

[AZFmly]

Originally Posted by Chelsielea

Do you live in WA now? I live in AZ and am thinking of moving to Spokane.

I live in AZ. We are relocating to WA. What is your reason for relocating to Spokane if I may ask?

[AZFmly]

Originally Posted by nyc4mimi

check into Spokane WA...other side of the mountains, different attitiude

How is it different?

[AZFmly]

I don't have any idea where I will be working yet. I am in the bookkeeping/accountant field. I'm thinking anywhere from Lynnwood to Renton anywhere in between. Well as far as affordability...... We would like to rent in in the $970-1200 range. Don't want to be amongst gangs and crime. Have kids and want a good school district. My husband would like to own eventually in a more rural area rather than city.Commuting by car I guess. I need to be able to get to college after work to complete my degree. Which will be at BCC or Green River only places I found to finish my accounting degree *community college wise* If anyone knows differently any help would be appreciated.

[cspeaker]

I live in Maple Valley (20 minutes South of Renton). Renton is mostly considered undesirable but Maple Valley is turning into family capitol of western WA. More and more affluent people move here every day and that can be good or bad depending on who you are. For me, I don't feel like I fit in at the PTSA meetings anymore so we're moving. But if you like soccer moms and dentists for neighbors, Maple Valley is for you. There are plenty of cul-de-sacs, perfectly manicured lawns and parks that simply look like a Norman Rockwell painting. Families are flocking here because of the excellent public schools, which I must say I will miss!! Most of your conveniences are right here (or 10 minutes away) but you're a short drive from a country setting. For me, too many people are moving here because of the ideal family environment but I like living in a more secluded area.

As far as drugs and alcohol goes, it's here just like anywhere else but very avoidable. My 15 yr old and his friends say they don't feel pressure to do it. The housing prices are high ($300,000 +) but a sound investment as this is a highly desirable area and will continue to be so.

So Maple Valley is a beautiful area with a mix of middle class and upper-middle class people, great schools, conveniences, high real estate values (which are continuing to go up), and very quiet.

[aussiegal]

I'm located in northern Washington. My husband is originally from Tucson where we also lived. I have to say that, having travelled all over the United States, lived in Arizona, North Carolina and Wisconsin as well as living overseas, Washington is the best place I've ever lived. It's all in one's perspective of course, but for us, the climate is perfect. We just returned in May from our son's graduation from university in Texas and the weather both in East Texas and Dallas was very difficult after the coolness of Washington. It did remind me of Tucson.

One of the other things that I love about it here is that the lifestyle is great and yet it's all affordable.

Having said that, whether something is affordable to one person, it might not be to another as I think someone else mentioned in the thread. It's all in one's perspective. Some folks might be willing to spend more to achieve a desired benefit (e.g. the climate here) while to others, that would not be a consideration.

As for real estate, it is definitely cheaper in Texas than it is here in Washington. You can certainly buy more house there than the same amount of money would buy here. There are though definitely parts of northern Washington where real estate is cheaper than other areas. And that's the case where we live.

I also find the people to be very friendly and jobs abound. I don't know what particular job niche you're in but I have a strong feeling you can find it here. A local newspaper's website is HeraldNet - Snohomish County's online news source. There you can search for jobs in a wide variety of industries and locations if this part of the world is appealing to you.

There are some very good school districts up here as well and some very fine schools. However, check out Stillaguamish Valley Academy. It's a government sponsored/private school with a limited intake and therefore a safe environment for your children. Intake is limited to local families first and then out-of-towners next. The students often come from home-schooling families. Perhaps there are others out there like it that other members know about but I can only speak of this one. Scholastically it's excellent.

As for the cost of living, I have to say that it is higher in Washington than the mid-west for example. If you can afford it though, I would recommend living here to anyone who wants to escape the heat of Arizona or any other place that is miserably hot for too much of the year.

[azcallin]

I am thinking of moving the opposite way But my opinion on the Kent / Renton area ... ugh ... Lived in Kent and could not wait for the lease to be up ! Rough town. Renton I have not lived in but visited at night ... Not bad compared to what I witnessed in Kent and had many friends who lived in Renton who loved it. A bit further south are some cheaper areas as well that I have heard are not too bad.

Personally I would go up north on I-405 a bit to Bellevue. Bit more expensive but some reasonable areas still and much nicer and safer for a family. Lived there and loved it.

I would NOT move to Seattle if you paid me to live there. Have relatives there and no way no how do I want to mess with gunshots at night, etc.

[kc2sweet4ne1]

I have to disagree with anything south of Seattle being "bad" or "undesirable". I guess it depends on how far south they meant.

Olympia, Tumwater, Lacey, Chehalis or Centralia are all very nice and affordable. They are about an hour or 2 south of Seattle. Check those out.

[PG77]

Well, if you like rain, then this is definitely the place for you. I am trying to move the opposite of you, from WA to AZ. I have only been here since May (from Florida) and I am suffering from physical problems and depression from this part of the country. I don't know why people seem to think there are jobs here because I do not think the job market is that great here (course that is my opinion). Don't mean to be so negative, just wanted to give you my honest opinion of the area concerning weather and jobs. Good luck to you though.

[JDTD]

Originally Posted by AZFmly

We are scheduled to move from AZ to WA in July. I have heard ALOT of bad things about some of the areas, i.e. Renton, Kent etc. Which is obviously more affordable. I do not know which way to go anymore. I am looking to get out of the heat and call me crazy but I love rain. I don't want my kids around gangs and such and one is in high school and other is 10. Can anyone help me. Seems to be good job market there I just do not want to make a BIG HUGE mistake!!! HELP!!!!! Only other choice is Austin TX and the job market sucks there I think!

Well...you picked ther right place for the rain part, but you didn't pick the right place to get away from crime. We got plenty of both. Be careful what you ask for regarding the rain. I said that I wouldn't mind it too bad when I moved here almost ten years ago (and didn't at first), but it's sucking the life right out of me. Some people deal with it much better and don't seem to mind though.

I'm personally ready to get out of here for several reasons. The traffic here is horrific, and it gets worse and worse every year. If the population increase is what they say it's going to be in the next ten years, I don't see how anything is even going to move. It barely does now at times. The cost of living is getting crazy and crime seems to be getting worse constantly. This place is weird in the crime department due to the Meth problem. Tweakers are very mobile (because they are driving stolen cars). Some of the oddest "stuff" happens out in the country here so it seems. So...it's not like you can move away from the city and expect to get away from it. It's an area that seems to really have no boundaries in that department. Some people may disagree with this assessment, however.

I hate to sound negative about this area. I used to love it, but a lot of little "things" are just making it not what it used to be. If you have to come to WA, try Spokane. The crime might be comparable (although they aren't ranked in the top 100 most violent cities like Tacoma, Everett and Seattle were last year...I don't think/might want to check that???), but the cost of living is much lower, there are four solid seasons, traffic moves better and they have really done a lot with the downtown area. Spokane has actually improved in a lot of aspects whereas a lot of areas in W. WA. has gone backwards due to poor planning.

This is just one persons opinion. I'm not trying to get into a debate with anyone. If you want to say how great it is here, do so (no hate-mail please, ha ha). Some people would strongly disagree and absolutely love it here. In my opinion, these are things to consider. THat's all.

[Sharon06]

I live near Clarkston. On the plus side, crime is low, and you do not have to pay state income tax as long as you live and work in Washington. On the bad, the job market is not so hot here, but prices on homes have remained fairly good.