Commuting to Fort Lewis and Seattle (Tacoma, Lakewood: for rent, houses, neighborhoods)

[kobbur]

Hi, my husband will be stationed in Fort Lewis this summer and I will be starting school in Seattle. We will be looking for a place to live that is good for the both of us to get to work and school respectively. I don't mind living closer to Fort Lewis for the sake of my husband since it seems that the traffic is horrible inbetween Seattle and Fort Lewis. I also don't mind taking public transportation since getting into Seattle seems even worse after reading multiple forums. It seems like Sound Transit would also be a good alternative to driving into Seattle so perhaps living in a town/area with access to a train station would be good? We are definitely wanting to live in a nice area with good neighborhoods that are close to parks/lakes/shopping centres. Any thoughts from natives to the area or those that have dealt with the same circumstances? Thanks!

[Tac-Sea]

I'd live in Tacoma if I were you. Close to Ft. Lewis (it's called JBLM now Joint Base Lewis McChord), low cost of living, lot's of restauraunts and activities but not as hectic as Seattle, and you can catch a train to Seattle OR, a really nice greyhound style bus with reclining seats, AC, reading light, etc. every couple minutes practically during commute hours, or every 15 min other times.

Most service members here live in Tacoma or Lakewood. Lakewood has a bus to Seattle too, but it doesn't run as often. No train to Seattle in Lakewood. In any case, stay away from Tacomas Hilltop or East Side. Big time ghettos/gang territory.

[kobbur]

Originally Posted by Tac-Sea

I'd live in Tacoma if I were you. Close to Ft. Lewis (it's called JBLM now Joint Base Lewis McChord), low cost of living, lot's of restauraunts and activities but not as hectic as Seattle, and you can catch a train to Seattle OR, a really nice greyhound style bus with reclining seats, AC, reading light, etc. every couple minutes practically during commute hours, or every 15 min other times.

Most service members here live in Tacoma or Lakewood. Lakewood has a bus to Seattle too, but it doesn't run as often. No train to Seattle in Lakewood. In any case, stay away from Tacomas Hilltop or East Side. Big time ghettos/gang territory.

Thanks a lot for your response! I had heard both good and bad things about Tacoma so I wasn't sure if I wanted to try and look for places in that area. It's good to know the places that I should at least avoid in the city. I will be starting some research on houses/duplexes available for rent next week so Thanks again!