Two Fargo Natives looking for a new home (Seattle, Spokane: real estate, high crime)

[Macdonni]

Hi everyone! My name is Nicole and my boyfriend and I were thinking of leaving our city of Fargo, ND for Washington State. I have never been there personally but Erik, my boyfriend, traveled through on the way to Cochella last year. He is absolutly in love with the beauty of Washington State and it is now his dream to live there. I have been researching for days about the state and good cities but I honestly don't know what to look for. We are both 20 and working at a powder coating company in Fargo. He does labor work and powder coating and has several years of experience. I am the Office Administrator for the company and have worked here for about 6 months. We want to move out in about a year or two when we have more financing and work experience. Neither of us attended college. I guess I was just looking for advice on a city we could move to in Washington that would be affordable, safe, and fun (hopefully with jobs similar to what we have now). I have been looking at Bellingham, Bremerton, Olympia, Richland, Bellevue, Spokane, Tacoma, and Yakima. I was hoping some of you would have advice on which would be best. We are young and still looking to have fun but we don't want to be in poverty at the same time. I've read a lot about crime in the area and I was wondering if the crime is really as bad as they say. I guess I just want as much information as possible so we can make a good decision. Thanks for any help!

[Haakon]

Compared to Fargo just about no where in Wa is going to be affordable, especially in King County where the average home price is around $400,000. Unless you have a sizeable nest egg I would do whatever I could to have a job before making the move. You might find this info helpful: Affordable Housing: Annual Bulletin Tracking Housing Costs in King County (http://www.metrokc.gov/budget/affhsg/00/affhsg00.htm - broken link) keep in mind the numbers are nearly 8 years old, things have only gotten more expensive out here.
Also King County, Washington detailed profile - houses, real estate, agriculture, wages, work, ancestries, and more

Yakima is substantially cheaper, but is also very different than the west side of the state. If your boyfriend fell in love with the Seattle area, Yakima isn't likely to satisfy the dream.

It's VERY different here than Fargo, you should come out to visit yourself, in more than one season, before making such a big change and make sure that you want to move here too, not just your boyfriend.

[vnodak]

I grew up in Fargo and this is a whole nother world from that. The Seattle area is very costly and probably way out of your range. Bellevue is at the top so mark that off. Tacoma has a high crime rate--stay away. Yakama is a whole different area. So I would suggest that you check out all the areas you think you might like. Stay in a small town as that is cheaper. Their are alot of people from the midwest that have come to live in Washington. Personally, I am planning on moving in a couple years to Colorado---it is cheaper than here. I live however, in the greater Eastside area and it is spendy. You really need to visit first and check out the areas. Another suggestion is to check out Oregon. We lived there for forty years and it is cheaper and the weather is somewhat similar. Their are alot of small towns that are really great so check that out too. It in general is cheaper than Washington. Check out all the stats on city-data to see for yourself. If I can be of any help please feel free to email me at vnodak@msn.com.

[bellabella2]

I am not sure if you would like living in Seattle or Tacoma. There is a highly educated work pool there and without any sort of post seundary education your prospects for a job above minimum wage are very limited. Maybe in some sectors you can have a chance but to work as an administrator or even administrative assistant out here you will need to have some sort of education to even get an interview.. just my opinion.

Also you state that you only have 6 months as an office administrator at your current employment. I am not sure I would venture out with less than two years in that position..

Anyways, Why don't you get some sort of training that will allow you to qualify for more opportunities before you make the move? You are young and no children then there is no excuse not to do it. There are so many options. Go to your nearest community college or university and speak to a counselor.

There are also online programs from reputable universities if attending class is an issue...
Just not let time pass you by...We are not young forever..

[Macdonni]

Thanks for the responses! I think we are leaning towards Spokane now. I will definately be visiting several times before I agree to the move. I believe we plan on staying around Fargo for at least 2 more years but up to 4 so I'll have that much more experience. Thanks for letting me know that post education is a big thing. I'll definately take in some schooling before I move to insure that a job won't be impossible. We are hoping to franchise PowderCoat Professionals (where we work) when we move so that we have a company (it is owned by his father). I was being foolish in thinking everywhere is like Fargo and I could just pick up and make it just fine somewhere else. Thank you for a reality check! Lol. Does anyone know if there is a big market for Powder coating in the Spokane area?

[sean98125]

Go to school. Get a job at the Microsoft campus in Fargo. Transfer later.

[Macdonni]

Would an Associates degree in Accounting and Business be enough to get a decent job in the Spokane area?

[kena]

Originally Posted by Macdonni

Would an Associates degree in Accounting and Business be enough to get a decent job in the Spokane area?

It is tough to say because it depends on so many factors. Having the degree can't hurt and Spokane's economy has been growing steadily over the past few years. Spokane, generally, tends to grow more slowly (few boom times) but also tends to not experience severe drops when the national economy slows (fewer busts). Your move sounds like it is still a few years away so its difficult to say. Since you have time, you might want to look around at various job postings that fit what you're looking for and see the qualifications the employer is looking for. I would think about contacting employers to get more info on a given position, even if you're not looking to take it right away.

[bellabella2]

Originally Posted by Macdonni

Would an Associates degree in Accounting and Business be enough to get a decent job in the Spokane area?

an Associates degree is better than none...
Not sure what the demand is for that in Spokane but follow the suggestions of the prior post. Call around to see what is the demand there. Also check the following USAjobs.gov since many times I have seen jobs advertised for Spokane area..

It is difficult to get a job with the federal goverment anywhere but they tend to count experience in lieu of education for many jobs. But obviously having an education puts you on the top of applicants. Right now there are thousands and thousands of federal employees meeting retirement age...which means good prospects for available jobs. I would look at that option. Look at the types of jobs there that you would like to do...and do a search for Washington to see what pups up. Then research the qualifications for the jobs... that way you can prepare via education and some key courses for your future job.

Good luck!!

[larrykcragun]

Don't worry about crime. Affordability, work, where you like are more pertinent.