Bothell...Just applied for jobs there (Seattle, Pacific: transplants, apartment complexes, rental)

[mrspink]

I applied for two teaching jobs in Bothell online. I live in Ohio, so making the trip out there to do it in person is....a little unrealistic for me at the time. My husband (who is also a teacher) still needs to apply for jobs. We also have a 5 1/2 month old daughter. It's far from where we live now, but we have to go where the jobs are and if that means Washington, then it means moving from Ohio to the Pacific NW.

Can anyone tell me a little about Bothell? I've done some research but would like an insiders opinion. Mostly I want to know c.o.l. for a 2br (rental) and about crime in the area. We also wouldn't mind commuting 20 min. or so if that makes a difference.

I just think it is responsible to have information on a place when you apply for a job there! From what I've read it seems relatively safe and somewhat expensive to live there. Are these assumptions correct?

[sofia76]

Bothell isn't super expensive. I suppose that's all relative, though. I've found the Seattle and Portland areas to be more expensive than many towns in the mid-west. So I guess it depends on what you're accustomed to.

Out this way there are a lot of apartment complexes that you can live in. So you could easily find a good sized (900-1000 sq ft) 2-bedroom apartment in Bothell in the $750-900 range. If you want to pay more, you'll have even more options.

From all what I've heard, Bothell is safe.

[Redline]

Bothell is safe, boring, old. I'm not even sure what the "bad area" of Bothell is.

[CarlB328]

It's a great area to live in. Your not real far from Seattle for events, and the mountains aren't that far either.

[mrspink]

Thanks for the comments! I appreciate it. It really doesn't bother me if Bothell is "safe, boring and old". I'm from a small Ohio town (two stoplights) so it's not hard for there to be more to do there (for us at least) than here. We live in a pretty neutral location from some major Ohio and out of state cities...2 hours from Columbus, Cincy, 2 1/2 from Cleveland, 4 from Indy, 5 from Chicago...so being about 30 minutes away from Seattle would seem pretty nice!

That rental price would be right up our alley! Good to hear!

Can anyone give me some of your own personal pros/cons of living in that area? I know the weather can be...challenging, so I'm aware of that, and it's not like we have no experience with rain or snow. But I was just wondering on your own personal thoughts on this.

[sofia76]

That area has a lot of transplants (people not from Bothell), so if you are from a small town, it might feel generic and impersonal. But as with all places, you can get involved in local community organizations and get to know people. If you've never lived outside of Ohio, you may be blown away by the scenery.

[mrspink]

Well, the change of scenery would be great! I must say cornfields are not too impressive year after year. My husband and I would try to be involved in the community. We are really into sports and would go to any school sporting events and at least in Ohio that is a pretty good way to meet people in the area. We also like being outdoors...walking, biking, swimming so while we may get caught in the rain sometimes, we do enjoy quite a few activities.

I'll have to check out the photos...I don't look at pictures when I apply somewhere. I wouldn't want to fall in love with a place and THEN apply. I check out safety, housing etc., apply, then checkout the scenery of an area.

[CarlB328]

The traffic is probably a lot heavier than where you're from. We have lots of land use regulations, so don't start cutting down all your trees or anything.

[Ira500]

Bothell has good walking/bicycling trails and a cute old downtown area.

[mrspink]

Traffic doesn't bother us too much. We've driven in the Ohio cities...though I'm not entirely sure how they compare to Seattle.

Does anyone have any pics from the area? I searched the pic thread on here and came up empty. I suppose I can always google, but sometimes those are not even of the area you are looking for.

Any any pros/cons of the area or PacNW in general would be nice. All my family is in Ohio and my husband has a brother in Colorado and another in NYC so that's a con for us. I was just wondering what you all view as pros and cons.