More Questions on Possibly Moving to the Tacoma Area (Seattle: apartments, rentals)

[LostAndConfused]

I'm sorry new to this and don't know how to post my own message so had to go into another person's that is kinda in the same situation as me and post. I'm tired of these searches for rentals. I'm in Southern CA and relocating to WA by late Nov. The stats for Tacoma, Seattle and Spokane weren't what I expected. I have never been to WA and I'm disabled, female, will be living alone, and so that combo requires me asking where the heck in Tacoma is the safest places...saw on COPS that King County seems icky, especially like Lakewood and Steilacoom, (yes I've done that much researching and calling for almost 2mos.) Think Seattle is too pricy for my family to help pay for me...our max is $500. I know that doesn't give much but Spokane has some however I don't know if I still want to do that move, ppl are saying up there that I won't like it cuz it's very different from San Diego. Also, Tacoma's crime scared me away, but now I gotta look into it after all again....where is best please???

[Vagus]

I suspect that a $500 maximum limit is going to translate into a not-great apartment in a not-great part of Tacoma.

You're looking at a very expensive part of the world, so that raises the question of "why Seattle" -- especially if you've never even been there? If your main goal is "getting out of southern california" there are plenty of cheaper places to move than the Seattle area.

[cobolt]

W WA is too expensive in general. I'd steer you away as even 600-700 dollars per month doesn't get you a good apartment---I had to shell out bigger $$ to get in a nicer area. BTW, Lakewood and Steilacoom are in Pierce county, not King. Lakewood is the pits. You will find 500 dollar apartments but I wouldn't live in them. Steilacoom is a actually a really nice community---higher cost of living, lots of retired and military and so forth. I'd live in Steilacoom over Lakewood or just about anywhere in Tacoma anyday.

If you're set on WA, I'd consider the tri-cities area---lower cost of living and certainly not the crime-infested area that south puget sound seems to be.