Move to Washington? (Seattle, Tacoma, Bellevue: employment, neighborhoods, schools)

[Not Iowa]

I am a 26 year old single mother of one and am scowering the country for a city that meets my wish list. I hear all good things about Washington (& Oregon), such as how green & liberal the state is, but have not been there yet.

I am looking for opportunity/education/culture/safety/etc.

However, living as a single mother is much different than living as a single person. Any advice on neighborhoods that meet my needs as a family, but are also liberal enough areas to accept that I am at the moment not married? (I am living in Iowa now and feel very ostracized).

Your advice is appreciated!

[kc2sweet4ne1]

I live in Lewis County Washington and I think Centralia/Chehalis are good towns to raise kids. I have an 8 and 4 year old. The cost of living here is less than a lot of places, the schools are good and there are many jobs to pick from. If you are willing to work, there is a job for you! We are about 2 hours away from the beach and in the opposite directions, the mountains are about 2 hours away. We are centrally located between Seattle and Portland, OR.

Any questions, I'd be happy to help!

[Xenobion]

Anything in Western Oregon or Washington will be green. Liberal and Green minded people will typically be found in Portland, and the Seattle Metro Area (Olympia, Tacoma, Seattle, Everett) and even Bellingham. REAL liberal and Green areas are Olympia and Bellingham. I don't think I've looked twice at someone that might be a single parent as the state has an above average divorce rate and frankly I'm not one to get into people's business. That small town mentality is a bit harder to find in the populated parts of Washington if not a lot of places in the lesser populated areas.

Opportunity exists in populated areas like Portland and Seattle.
Education is better in Washington than Oregon as Washington budgets more for it and do better on many standardized tests (if that's the measure we are using)
Culture is more exciting in Portland. The city is weird in a good way. Olympia, WA is sort of interesting for a smaller city.
Safety like many cities exist in the smaller ones. I'd look at city data on crime.

[allforcats]

...liberal enough areas to accept that I am at the moment not married?

When I read this, I cringed, wondering what Iowa must be like if you "feel ostracized"!

Xenobion's advise is excellent. I would just add that you should be exploring employment possibilities first, as that might determine a general area, depending on what you do. If you're interested in anything in the Seattle area (which includes vast geography outside of Seattle), here's something to peruse which provides all kinds of useful classifieds information:
NWsource: Classified listings for used furniture, antiques, computers, electronics, household items, pets, garage sales, estate sales, services, announcements and much more in Seattle, Bellevue, Everett, Tacoma and the Puget Sound.
For the area around Olympia, Thurston County's Homepage - The Olympian - Olympia, Washington
For the area around Everett, HeraldNet - Snohomish County's Online News Source

[Not Iowa]

Thank you everyone for your replies!

[xboxmas]

Originally Posted by Not Iowa

I am a 26 year old single mother of one and am scowering the country for a city that meets my wish list. I hear all good things about Washington (& Oregon), such as how green & liberal the state is, but have not been there yet.

Since being liberal must be a good thing.

[Not Iowa]

Originally Posted by xboxmas

Since being liberal must be a good thing.

Yes, liberal, i.e. "free from prejudice or bigotry; tolerant: a liberal attitude toward foreigners. "

I'm not really concerned with who you vote for - reading the word "liberal" within the context of my question rather as an independent clause unto itself up there, may have made the meaning come through to you little more clearly.

But on the other hand, if you are prejudice or a bigot, please let me know as this is not the type of environment I feel is appropriate to raise children in.

[byrd13]

Bellingham is a great place to raise children, it's easy to get around and the people are friendly.

[ness]

The areas I've spent time in in WA DO seem to be quite liberal, which I think is a very good thing. The areas are Gig Harbor, Port Townsend, Olympia mainly. I don't know anything about eastern WA. I have grown up in Santa Cruz and Southern Calif. and wouldn't really be comfortable in super conservative areas.

[Moving lightly]

I too am a single mother and looking to relocate to Bermerton, WA. I am however wondering if this town is open to multi-racial families. Were I currently live, this is not an issue yet my children know that they are not just one race. I think that the term "liberal" is apporiate to use in seeking an environment that provides equal education, friendliness, and a strong believe in family and faith.