Are there good parts of Lakewood? (Olympia, Lacey: real estate, rent, crime)

[d_thomcat2000]

I am sure this question has been asked before.

We are a military family. We will be stationed at Fort Lewis. We have never been to Washington. I have been looking at real estate in the area. I have found some beautiful homes in the Lakewood area, specifically the Lakewood side of Lake Stellacoom (Waverly Drive). The houses are beautiful, the pictures of the area look beautiful and the prices are right.

I keep hearing horrible things about Lakewood: gangs, shootings, burglary. The list goes on.

I have also heard parts of Lakewood are OK. The Waverly Drive area I am looking at, according to the map, is only 5 miles from Fort Lewis. The short distance commuting factor is very tempting.

We think Olympia and Lacey are nice too but farther away. For bang for the buck and beautiful houses the Lakewood side of Stellacoom lake is tempting.

We will visit the area before we buy but if Lakewood is so bad I will eliminate it from my list of prospects.

Can anyone enlighten me?

[Scotty Dosent Know]

I would have to say that most people that will tell you lakewood is ok probably don't know any thing else and have lived there most of their lives. I personally would never move south of seattle but being military obviously you dont have that choice. Its best to just explore the area and spend time talking to people that live there. Maybe ask a police officer where he spands the least amount of time lol

[d_thomcat2000]

Thanks for answering. ....Your answer doesn't tell me much but you are right, the only way to know is to check it out myself.

[Jake840]

There are nice parts of Lakewood. Lakewood has the richest of the rich and the poorest of the poor more so than probably any city in Washington. Generally the further east you go from I-5 the better and around the lakes. Houses around the lakes are usually getting towards million dollar + houses. Maybe try an area around Lake City.

[Ira500]

Yes, Lakewood has some nice areas. I wouldn't rule out a place because it has a Lakewood address. The area around Lakwold Gardens is very nice, and there are nice, normal middle class people who live in Lakewood. The part of Lakewood closest to Ft. Lewis right along I-5 is pretty nasty.

[Sandy Nelson]

Hi Thomcat,

Lakewood is a mixed bag with pockets of pristine neighborhoods and some pretty bad areas.
I agree with Ira that the area right off Gravelly Lake Dr, and Nyanza (near Lakewold Gardens) is very nice. Many of the nicer neighborhoods are gated communities, such as Madera or Crosswater.
I've have helped several military clients find very nice homes homes in Lakewood and they love it there.
Part of the bad reputation Lakewood has stems from the numerous television episodes of the show "Cops" that take place in Lakewood.
You should definitely visit the area beforehand and get a tour of homes and neighborhoods. If you have school aged children you'll also want to compare the Lakewood schools (Clover Park school district) with the other school districts in the area. Here is a good website that lets you compare schools side by side: Washington State Report Card

Sandy

[Scotty Dosent Know]

Originally Posted by Sandy Nelson

Many of the nicer neighborhoods are gated communities,

Sorry I just found this kind of funny because you say its not that bad but then say the nice neighbor hoods are gated, what are the gates for?


Honestly I have little experience with lakewood so im sure there are great areas, its a big place and maybe you should rent for a little bit so you are sure to get a house in a place that you really like. That will give you time to figure out just what and where you like.

The last experience I have had there was going to go buy a car and the guy that owned the car was having a laugh at me because I "over payed" for a house in Bothell......as he was saying this I was looking out the bar covered window of his house at the military jet that was landing in his back yard lol I just smiled and nodded

[d_thomcat2000]

I am in the unique position of having an innocent prospective.

Having lived most of my life on a tiny island in the middle of the Pacific ocean, Kauai. Think Mayberry in a hula skirt. Gangs? not here. People trying to screw each other over? Not here. Freeways? Not here.

My point? I have no idea what is over there.

[Scotty Dosent Know]

Put it this way for the most part in the city if you are an average joe that has a wife and 2 kids and goes to work, soccer games etc. you are never going to run into any bad stuff. You will learn the areas to stay out of and the type of people to avoid and you will be just fine. If you are single and like to go out to bars, night life, hanging around pool halls etc. you are going to be around people that are not the best in an area like that. Is there a higher chance your house could get robbed or you could get mugged in lakewood compared to other areas? Yes. Will you? Prob not. Just take the extra precautions like I said stay away from bad areas/elements, lock your doors and get an alarm. Other than that im sure you will be fine.

oh and PS people here dont drive with aloha lol

[Bladeflap]

If you take a flashlight and shine it on a burglar what does he do! He runs!! The problem is not the city that you live in, the problem is the people in the city that won't do anything about crime. Be a proactive American where ever you live. Take your flashlight and shine it on the people that won't do anything about crime, there the real criminals! If you're the 60% that won't do anything about crime, then here's a link for you to check out crime against any two cites in Washington State. Moderator cut: link removed, linking to competitor sites is not allowed