Oak Harbor, Anacortes, Burlington, or Mt. Vernon? (Bellevue, Freeland: crime rate, vacation home)

[romerokc]

We have to relocate with four young kids. The job is in Oak Harbor, but I'm worried about the air noise. Any suggestions about the best schools, places to raise kids between these four cities? Thanks

[the dufferz]

If I had my choice I would choose Burlington / Mt. Vernon. Both are on the main land, on I-5 and not a military town. You will probably find that the schools are more population stable there compared to Oak Harbor.

I've heard some say the jet noise is really bad in Oak Harbor, others say it is not so bad. Potato, Potatoe, I guess it's all in how you preceive the noise.

Anacortes is the middle ground between the two general locations, smaller in size, retirement heavy, shorter commute but I hear is expensive to buy housing there.

The difference between Mt. Vernon and Burlington is spelling and map location for the most part. If you decide to go in that direction, either town will probably meet your needs.

Expect about a 45 minute commute from Mt. Vernon to Oak Harbor.

Hope this helps out.

[cutedeedle]

Yes, ditto what dufferz said. Oak Harbor will drive you nuts with the jet noise. Anacortes will be very expensive to find a place to live and it's more of a retirement community. Mt. Vernon and Burlington will be your best bet for family life, civilized amenities, shopping, etc. because they're on the mainland.

[atvone]

Between MtVernon or Burlington related to schools, pick Burlington. You might also consider Sedro Woolley which is very close to Burlington. Housing a little less and a great area to live.

[Taranis17]

The air noise around here, despite what you're told above, is minimal, and overblown in the above posts. There are plenty of young military families here with kids who don't even notice the jets after the first few weeks.

Oak Harbor schools SUCK, there's no better word for it. The teachers are inept at best and the cirriculms fair little better - Burlington school districts are much better funded it seems, and do much better therefore.

However I believe Oak Harbor is a much better place to raise your kids than Burlington/Mt Vernon, especially given the crime rate there and the more relaxed lifesyle of the island.

[RodFarlee]

Originally Posted by Taranis17

...Oak Harbor schools SUCK, there's no better word for it. The teachers are inept at best and the cirriculms fair little better - Burlington school districts are much better funded it seems, and do much better therefore.

WASL test scores and per-student expenditures of the Burlington-Edison and Oak Harbor School Districts are virtually identical.
Both Anacortes and Mt. Vernon spend more per student; Anacortes gets slightly better results, while Mt. Vernon has significantly lower scores and a higher dropout rate.
See their state public instruction school report cards for all the details: http://reportcard.ospi.k12.wa.us/

p.s. I don't live in any of these districts, and have no axe to grind here. Just for the purposes of discussion, on the basis of all the test results, I'll offer these district grades, scaled on the state average C, and Bellevue A:
Oak Harbor C+, Burlington-Edison C+, Anacortes B-, Mt. Vernon D.
Please feel free to disagree, but please give some reasons.

[texasdude]

The jet noise is minimal in Oak Harbor and usually unnoticed. I would recommend the schools and the area is a great place to raise a family.

[HelloNY]

There is nothing wrong with Mt. Vernon schools. If your kid is high end or wanting the highest college prep, Mt. Vernon is the only choice in the valley. However, they do have the highest amount of at-risk population (below poverty line) and far more ESL kids. This is why their WASL scores are lower. If your kid is planning on prepping to be a Doctor, Lawyer, or engineer, Mt. Vernon is the best choice and has decades of these types of graduates.

As an aside, Sedro Woolley schools seem to have really improved in the last decade. They were probably some of the worst in the state 30 years ago, but have really turned it around.

[jojo7]

I don't know how the schools are since we are looking for a vacation home, but La Conner is a very nice area which is probably about a 40 minute ride from Oak Harbor. I have heard the school system is good but I don't know for sure. We went researching areas just recently and I thought La Conner and Anacortes are the nicest within less than an hour from Oak Harbor. Everyone is going to have there own opinion so you are better off checking it out yourself. I personally did not like Oak Harbor, even for a vacation home, but others will tell you they like it. I have heard the school system is not good but you can easily check the schools in all areas of interest at www.greatschools.com. Not an overall picture of the school but it gives you a general idea of how the school is rated. Good luck. It's difficult finding just the right place but I would recommend a visit and go with the place that feels right and feels like home. If you check out La Conner, check into Shelter Bay. Homes run from $265,000 and up. Great area to raise a family. Private beach, marina, tennis courts, pool and small golf course.

[brightcopperkettles]

I thought Oak Harbor was kind of dismal looking compared to Langley (just south on the island), or you might try Freeland, also south. Either is a short commute (less than 30 minutes) to Oak Harbor, and quite, quite beautiful.