Cedarhome/Stanwood OR Sultan - up to date info on Sultan appreciated (Seattle: real estate)

[naramsin]

Hi all,
My husband, two toddlers and I are relocating to the Puget Sound region from Long Island. I lived in Seattle during my grad school years.

We are looking for a home on acreage in order to have a small hobby farm. My husband will commute to Seattle but his commute is early - he starts work at 7 AM.

We've found houses we like in Stanwood (really Cedarhome) and in Sultan. We've driven the commute from both places and believe it to be doable. (He currently drives 1.5 to 2 hours each way, so one hour is not onerous.) I know Sultan has a heavy dose of poverty and I know it's had it's troubles, but it seems like it might be on the upswing. Can someone give me up to date info on these two areas? I know they're very different. I am particularly concerned to find out whether Sultan is a reasonable place to raise a family. We'd prefer its proximity to the mountains, trails, rivers and skiing, but don't want to let that cloud our judgment to the point that we wind up somewhere where we are concerned for our kids' well-being and education....I'm also curious whether I am overlooking wonderful scenery/ outdoor recreational opportunities in the Cedarhome area. We did not get much time to look around there and I've never been to Camano Island.

Thanks for any guidance you can provide.

[naramsin]

Bump - No one has an opinion on Stanwood or Sultan? Anyone? Anyone? ;-)

[NW Crow]

Stanwood seems like a pretty good place to my brief review and driving thru acquaintance. I am not familar with Cedarhome per se but I am assuming it is similar

Sultan is a pretty good real estate value for the region, now and into the future. I don't know it well either but I'd say it changing for the better but it still just the early stage of change. With young kids, I'd think you could be fine with the schools. If they were high school age right now it might be tougher call. The town will probably be bigger in 10 years and the upper schools might be bigger and perhaps better / with more options by then.

Sultan has a higher average income than Stanwood, skewed by having twice the percentage of households with incomes over $100,000 as Stanwood and half the number under $35K. They are about equal on middle incomes.

But Stanwood reportedly has a higher, maybe considerably higher % of college educated residents. They apparently spend about the same on schools per pupil but this service suggests Stanwood schools might be better:

Stanwood Schools - Stanwood Washington School Ratings - Public and Private
Sultan Schools - Sultan Washington School Ratings - Public and Private
Interpretations will vary.
Both places are above national average on % of households with children.

Part of the choice is whether you prefer the forest & mountain over the water access. Either option are available from either place on weekends with a bit of a drive. Each would have an advantage for weekend access to one type of recreational area.

Sultan being closer to the mountains gets about 1/3rd more precipitation.

Looks like crime has been trending up over time in Sultan, down over time in Stanwood.

I'd think either would work out. The better choice depends on how you weight various factors.

[naramsin]

Thanks for your thoughts!