Need serious advice. Family considering moving to Seattle from Chicago IL area. (Bellevue: apartment, car insurance)
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We just moved to Washington from North Carolina, but we grew up in northern Indiana. We had talked about moving for a year before we actually made the move. We came out for a week in January (hubby was here a couple weeks before that) to tour schools in Seattle, Olympia, and Vancouver/ Camas. We all loved Seattle but even with strong incomes it would not have been easy. In the end, hubby's job changed and he got an offer for a job in near Vancouver. The housing market here can be tough, but it's not as bad as Seattle. We love it here so far.
Good luck! I'm sure you can make it work, but it might not be easy. I'd start with looking for jobs and go from there.
Thank you so much for your advice. I will start looking into areas beyond the ones i stated in original post.
Im not going to argue. You're absolutely right. Thank you for your advice. It was taken to heart and i will begin researching the areas mentioned.
If anyone has any info on good medical centers, specifically in endocrinology, please let me know.
Also, i guess when i asked about housing for $1500-2000 it seemed like that was our budget. Realistically, our budget is around $2500 a month, so that we have wiggle room. Id like to spend less then that, so we can continue to save money for our children. 2500 a month would be max budget. Living with rent at $750 has allowed us to save a very good amount over the last 2 years.
If anyone has any info on transportion, that would be appreciated. We are not sure if we need all 4 vehicles. Are the buses, ferries, trains etc affordable or would it be easier to commute via car. My brother and i are keeping our options open for jobs, so we may have to travel. In our area it is typical for everyone to drive, our public transportation is lacking. But traveling with 4 cars seems like a pain, if we wont need them.
If i came off as ungrateful, i truly apologize. This is very stressful for me, as this whole move has fallen onto my shoulders. Trying to relocate 7 people, 1,962 miles away is rough. I am very aware that our education isnt much, but we are young and have plenty of time to focus on our education after we get settled and out of this place.
The Bellevue School District is generally considered the best in the state.
Also look at NorKirk (North Kirkland) and Juanita to the north, and Renton Highlands and Newcastle to the south. There are houses in North Seattle for that budget, but the commute to Bellevue will be harder or more expensive (around the Lake or across a toll bridge).
Seattle is building light rail, but so far has just two lines - to the airport and to UW - but is scheduled to reach Bellevue/Redmond in 2023. If working in Downtown Seattle, you'll likely be commuting by bus. Getting around by transit is quite doable. Buses here are generally quite safe. Pretty much everybody rides transit here (our traffic is horrible), not just the poor.
Note: King County Metro Transit is looking for part-time bus drivers:
Endocrinologists...we have really great healthcare here, lots of hospitals & clinics. Seattle Children's Hospital is top-notch. Your insurance may limit your options to their preferred in-network providers, but regardless I think you'll find excellent care for your child. Seattle Children's may have satellite clinics on the East side, and lots of clinic docs also are involved at UW (the big local state university) and Children's.
As for the other comments you made -- No one is knocking your education level or thinks less of you in any way. References to education level were made to highlight how competitive this place can be economically. I personally respect all moms who are seeking a better life for their kids, period. You sound like an intelligent, kind & adventurous person, and Seattle would be lucky to have you. I and others were just trying to explain how difficult this place can be for families to live. The traffic and prices really cut into quality of life, but if you are ambitious & eager, you can carve a life for yourself & family. Best wishes.
Last edited by west seattle gal; 10-05-2016 at 09:34 PM..
To some of the locals here warning about the cost of living... where ARE service people living around there? One thing affluent areas do use, are indeed "services". I mean, I'm sure the folks in the nicer areas have house cleaners, go out to dinner at restaurants, need trash pick up, etc. etc. where DO the working class live?
My hubby and I tinker with moving up that way sometimes... we also know a few people in Lynnwood and I have a cousin in Shoreline.
My husband is in tech, has a good job here in So. California that he likes a lot (so we're not looking for the immediate future) however, he married lil ol' me, and I do NOT have a degree in anything, mostly worked part time in restaurants while raising 2 boys from my first marriage. (all grown up now)
So he has the professional job, while I'm the lower skilled worker, but we're doing okay... no keeping up with the Jones's here... we both grew up on the humble side of the tracks so to us, what we have is actually quite nice.
We live in a pretty expensive area, but we live in an older apartment building with other more blue collar and Spanish speaking people. Being on a street with a lot of lower income renters there's some petty crime stuff around our neighborhood that I've heard of, but we haven't had any trouble. Over all though, we live in one of the safest areas in California! Anywhere else our income would be pretty good, but these days you need two professional incomes for one of those swanky new luxury apartments 'round here!
...But back to the OP... I commend your determination to create a better life for your kids!
Sounds like it would be a challenge, and maybe you wouldn't end up in the exact place you thought initially, but if you're willing to make sacrifices, and have realistic expectations, I'd say nothing is impossible. I'm wondering if maybe your other relatives, since they ARE adults, might try to find living arrangements on their own? It might make it easier to find a place.
Also wondering, have you guys ever visited Seattle or the surrounding areas? It is truly beautiful!
The traffic is no joke though... last time we were up we wanted to pick up my cousin's son from his job at Microsoft (no car, cause he's just starting out with his career and takes public transportation from West Seattle) and the traffic from downtown Seattle to Redmond was KRAZY! In some ways it was worse than where I live and it's pretty bad!
Anyway, good luck to you! If your husband becomes a police officer I'd imagine there'd be opportunities in many areas.
To some of the locals here warning about the cost of living... where ARE service people living around there? One thing affluent areas do use, are indeed "services". I mean, I'm sure the folks in the nicer areas have house cleaners, go out to dinner at restaurants, need trash pick up, etc. etc. where DO the working class live?
Service people? Tacoma area (JBLM), Everett (Naval Base), Bremerton/Silverdale (Naval Shipyard/Bangor), Oak Harbor/Coupeville/Langley (Naval Air Station Whidbey Island).
Working class/service workers? Many remain in the core high-density neighborhoods (Capitol Hill, First Hill, Belltown, Lower Queen Anne, University District, Ballard, etc., either qualifying for subsidized rents or mitigating higher rents through renting rooms, studios, micro-apartments, apodments, etc. Some are living with parents, others on couches/floors or in shelters or tents. A higher minimum wage in Seattle is partly designed to allow service workers to afford to live in Seattle rather than being forced to move out to the 'skirts.
Others have moved further out, but still within Seattle proper: north: Northgate, Lake City, north Greenwood, Bitter/Haller Lake; south: South Delridge, South Park, South Beacon Hill, Rainier Valley, Rainier Beach. Outside of Seattle: north: Lynnwood, Mill Creek; south: White Center, Skyway, Renton, Kent, Auburn, Federal Way.
Garbage collectors are unionized around here, so more likely to be middle class. Wait staff at Seattle's better restaurants can also earn significant income from tips. Some restaurants have gone straight to $15/hour, while making tipping optional, with price hikes and/or added gratuities covering the additional costs.
Last edited by CrazyDonkey; 10-06-2016 at 12:44 PM..
Service people? Tacoma area (JBLM), Bremerton/Silverdale (Naval Shipyard/Bangor), Oak Harbor/Coupeville/Langley (Naval Air Station Whidbey Island).
Working class/service workers? Many remain in the core high-density neighborhoods (Capitol Hill, First Hill, Belltown, Lower Queen Anne, University District, Ballard, etc., either qualifying for subsidized rents or mitigating higher rents through renting rooms, studios, micro-apartments, apodments, etc. Some are living with parents, others on couches/floors or in shelters or tents. A higher minimum wage in Seattle is partly designed to allow service workers to afford to live in Seattle rather than being forced to move out to the 'skirts.
Others have moved further out, but still within Seattle proper: north: Northgate, Lake City, north Greenwood, Bitter/Haller Lake; south: South Delridge, South Park, South Beacon Hill, Rainier Valley, Rainier Beach. Outside of Seattle: north: Lynnwood, Mill Creek; south: White Center, Skyway, Renton, Kent, Auburn, Federal Way.
Garbage collectors are unionized around here, so more likely to be middle class. Wait staff at Seattle's better restaurants can also earn significant income from tips. Some restaurants have gone straight to $15/hour, while making tipping optional, with price hikes and/or added gratuities covering the additional costs.
And don't forget, many bought or established themselves in their living situation before all this growth occurred. We were growing before but not like now.
And don't forget, many bought or established themselves in their living situation before all this growth occurred. We were growing before but not like now.
I'm seeing this is pretty true in many areas. We were all ready to buy a a little condo about 4 or 5 years ago down here, however we were nervous, (how many times during the mid 2000 bubble did people hear from agents that "now would be a good time to buy"?) and sought the advice of a financial planner who told to save more for a down, and generally get in better "financial shape" with a bigger emergency fund etc. even if our score was in the high 700's and we'd already been pre approved by a lender! He confidently told us that "prices would be bouncing along the bottom for yeeaaarrrss"... by the time we were ready to look again the following year, the prices skyrocketed! Doh! Proves once again that no one has a crystal ball! Wish we had been a little more "reckless" Oh well... at least now our 401K looks better!
Service people? Tacoma area (JBLM), Everett (Naval Base), Bremerton/Silverdale (Naval Shipyard/Bangor), Oak Harbor/Coupeville/Langley (Naval Air Station Whidbey Island).
Working class/service workers? Many remain in the core high-density neighborhoods (Capitol Hill, First Hill, Belltown, Lower Queen Anne, University District, Ballard, etc., either qualifying for subsidized rents or mitigating higher rents through renting rooms, studios, micro-apartments, apodments, etc. Some are living with parents, others on couches/floors or in shelters or tents. A higher minimum wage in Seattle is partly designed to allow service workers to afford to live in Seattle rather than being forced to move out to the 'skirts.
Others have moved further out, but still within Seattle proper: north: Northgate, Lake City, north Greenwood, Bitter/Haller Lake; south: South Delridge, South Park, South Beacon Hill, Rainier Valley, Rainier Beach. Outside of Seattle: north: Lynnwood, Mill Creek; south: White Center, Skyway, Renton, Kent, Auburn, Federal Way.
Garbage collectors are unionized around here, so more likely to be middle class. Wait staff at Seattle's better restaurants can also earn significant income from tips. Some restaurants have gone straight to $15/hour, while making tipping optional, with price hikes and/or added gratuities covering the additional costs.
Thanks! Yeah, this all makes sense. In our pricey area there are small pockets where we live in South Orange county, and our apartment takes section 8 so there's that.
A little further north, I don't think it's a coincidence that the sanctuary city of Santa Ana is pretty much next door to Irvine and Newport Beach, 2 of the most expensive cities in southern California!
Restaurant work on average even with good tips usually don't equal a good paying professional job of course, but it is one of the best paying jobs out there that doesn't require more than a high school degree.
Once older it gets harder, but for those who do not go on in education or other career opportunities, there's management.
So... for the OP, (and perhaps for me one day) how IS the opportunity for service jobs? Do you happen to know if they're they hard to come by? Is there a lot of competition for them, or are "help wanted" signs often seen around town?
It's hard to know what to suggest about your car situation. That probably depends on where you end up living in relation to where you all work, how the public transportation is between those areas, and what your work across schedules are.
I work from home, and the kids usually ride the bus to/from school. Theoretically we could probably get by with one vehicle, but the kids have us going in so many different directions after school that would be tough. It might not be as difficult if we were in Seattle but it's tough to say. I'd probably bring at least two, but parking could be an issue if you bring more than that.
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Just out of curiosity...
Oh well... at least now our 401K looks better! 
