What Seattle area would best suit our needs? (Vancouver, Kent: for sale, real estate)

[PNW dreaming]

Greetings. I'm looking to move to Seattle sometime in the near future. I first visited Portland in 2008 and fell in love. Last year, my fiancee and I spent a month in the PNW, going from Crater Lake to Vancouver Island with stops in Portland, Forks, Seattle and Vancouver along the way. We had thought about moving to Portland but our introduction to Seattle occurred aboard the Bainbridge-Seattle ferry around dusk one evening and we instantly knew that Seattle was a special place. I was instantly smitten as I'm an avid fisherman and love the water and any type of boating activity, from canoes and kayaks to sailboats and power boats. We're hoping to get back to Seattle sometime this year to explore different areas with the ultimate goal of moving in mind, but we're not sure where to look. I've wanted to live on an island for much of my life so I naturally gravitated towards Vashon and Bainbridge. Whidbey and the San Juans look beautiful, but I think they're too far to realistically commute to Seattle. I've heard different opinions about the commute to and from Bainbridge and Vashon, but it sounds more pleasant than sitting in traffic for the same amount of time. I'm not sure, however, if there's anywhere else I should be looking at. My fiancee is more of a city dweller than I am, but she's flexible. Part of the appeal of the islands to me is what sounds like a fairly rural vibe that exists on Vashon, and perhaps, to a lesser extent, on Bainbridge. I'd like to live on an acre or more. I want to be able to look out of my house and see nature, not other houses. Waterfront would be nice, but I think it's out of our budget ($500+) unless we want a longer commute. It would also be nice to live in a cycling friendly place and even better to have some mountain bike trails nearby, which I understand is the case on Vashon with some old K2 trails. We don't need an active nightlife as we are primarily homebodys and tend to find our joy with each other. I would think that being close to Seattle would be enough to satisfy any cravings we might have for entertainment, although it wouldn't be bad to have some businesses on the island. Are there any other areas we should look at? We don't have to live on an island and anywhere we could have at least about an acre, perhaps with a navigable stream or river nearby where we could canoe or kayak as well as fish, would be ideal. I assume we're going to be working in Seattle as I would think most of the job opportunities exist there, but I'm not certain. She is an excellent cook and has worked in the restaurant business for some time, but she really wants to act, and has done so off and on for many years. She doesn't need to see her name in lights, she just loves theater, whether it's big or small, so some place with an active community theater or with easy access to the Seattle theater scene, wherever it is, would be wonderful. I own and manage a handful of rental properties here in Texas, but I refuse to be tied down here. I own them outright as well as some land out of state, so I have some equity and was thinking about selling them off one by one sometime in the future and shifting my rental property business to Seattle, but I'm not sure with Seattle real estate prices being what they are. Either way, we'll make it work. Any thoughts on where we should look for a home or look to invest in rental properties to get a foot in the door? Thanks.

[SuburbanMama]

I will be tough to find that sized lot within your budget anywhere near Seattle. Maybe south near Olympia/Bremerton area or if you are lucky you can find something in North Bend. Good luck!

[Inkpoe]

For starters, outside of Seattle proper, you have nature everywhere-- biking and hiking trails included. With water closeby as well.

I'd suggest maybe: Carnation (Highlands), Duvall, Woodinville, Covington/Maple Valley, Lake Tapps (which is close to Mt. Rainier, beautiful view). You might be able to find something in Sammamish/Issaquah, Redmond Snoqualmie and North Bend-- but problem is, with that much acreage and budget (under 500K), the houses might be dumpy. It doesn't hurt to look.

[Ira500]

Looking at the currently available homes for sale on acre plus sized lots and under 500 thousand, there are currently 12 in Bainbridge and 11 on Vashon. There's a big concentration in the Kent/Covington/Maple valley/Issaquah corridor, some of which might have nearby creeks or lakes.