Need advice: comparison between Tumwater or Indianola (Olympia, Lacey: house, public school)

[Gardenia67]

Hi,

We are relocating to the Puget Sound area this summer and could use some input. Our daughter will be in 10th grade and will be attending public school. My husband and I both work from home and will only need to fly out a couple of times a year to "check in" at the office, so traffic is a non-issue.

We prefer quiet for the most part, but would like to be close enough to a place that offers martial arts classes. Both Tumwater High School and Kingston High School looked like they were decent. I did read where the air quality is quite lower in Kingston/Indianola that it is in Olympia/Tumwater/Lacey and I have asthma, so how bad is it in practical terms?

If you had a nice, boring family who was friendly but not much into night life or the music scene, which would you recommend? The house we are considering is in SE Indianola a few blocks from the beach and comes with private access, while the property in Maytown/South of Tumwater has lots of trees and some mountain views.

My kid is a homebody who would like walking through the woods, listening to the water, and reading a book out on the porch so anything "boring" would work great for the 3 of us

Any suggestions on which would be the best place for us? We *hope* this will be our last move

[prosin]

Tumwater has better air than Indianola? That surprises me; the Olympia area gets more rain, so I guess I was thinking South Sound would have much more molds, pollen, etc. We don't have asthma in our family, so I can't speak that issue.

Indianola is a lot more remote than Tumwater. There is a small grocery store and a post office, but you would have to drive at least 10 minutes to get to Kingston, 20 minutes to Poulsbo, or 25 minutes to Bainbridge for any other services. Life there is very quiet. The kids there hang out at the dock and the store. The views are certainly beautiful! In contrast, Tumwater is part of the larger Olympia urban area, which could be an attraction or detraction.

The closest martial arts places are in Poulsbo and Silverdale. My child attends Kitsap Judo Club in Silverdale.

Another option is Kingston Wrestling Academy (KWA). The Lady Outlaws just came back from a tournament in Vegas. Two of KWA's wrestlers are WA state high school champions--one male, one female. In an ironic twist, a Tumwater HS student and a River Ridge HS student attend KWA (yes, they travel 1.5 hours in each direction just to train with KWA's coaches). Kingston High School has the only girls wrestling team in the West Sound. Just a thought.

[lady fern]

I've never even heard of Indianola but I lived 15 minutes from Tumwater. Tumwater has been growing over the past decade but its roots are as a small semi-agricultural area. Maytown is on the southern side of Tumwater so you will find it more rural yet an easy commute to Tumwater center or Olympia for any shopping. As far as air quality, I imagine most of the pollutants will come in the form of wood smoke. I don't know how the moist air will affect your asthma. You shouldn't have any issue finding a dojo in the area. My friend has taken aikido for years in downtown Olympia and she never had a hard time finding a class that fit her work schedule. I've seen plenty of other dojos scattered all over the greater Olympia, Lacey, Tumwater area.

[fishbrains]

Air quality in Tumwater is fine. I don't really know much about asthma, but my east coast allergies virtually disappeared when I moved here.