Rochester a good place to live? (Olympia, Lacey: relocation, real estate, for sale)

[HammBugga]

Hi, I am new here My family and I are looking into areas in and around Olympia. I have found some nice homes on land in Rochester and am wondering about the area. We are moving from the San Fransisco bay area. I am looking for a family friendly town with good schools and fun things to do for young children. I have two small boys. I am also wondering about shopping there. What kind of grocery stores are there, how far to the mall, Target? Walmart? Etc. Any info and feedback appreciated. Thanks.

[allforcats]

Hi, HammBugga. Welcome to the idea of moving to western Washington! It's a beautiful place to raise a family.

I'm sure you've already done internet research on Rochester, so you know that it's a very small town (pop. ~1800) close to the border of the Chehalis Indian Reservation. This is the statistical info from City-Data on Rochester:
Rochester, Washington (WA) Detailed Profile - relocation, real estate, travel, jobs, hospitals, schools, crime, news, sex offenders

We usually advise on this forum that someone who doesn't know Washington should RENT FIRST for 6 months or more -- or at least spend a vacation here -- to learn about the area they have in mind. Many things about the Pacific Northwest are very different from other parts of the U.S., in cost of living, climate, density of population, distance to and from everything, for starters.

The school district's website:
Home Page - Rochester School District
You should know that posters on City-Data agree that the Olympia school district (which is separate from Rochester's) is an excellent one. You might want to seriously consider living within the Olympia district to get very good schools for your children. This is their website:
OSD: Home

Rochester is, of course, too small to have its own Chamber of Commerce. This site says: "This website is designed as a central place where you will find information about items of interest to residents of Rochester, Washington.":
The Community of Rochester, Washington

The closest Target is in Olympia. The closest WalMart is north in Lacey or south in Chehalis.
I Googled grocery stores for you; here are the results:
grocery stores rochester wa - Google Search
They appear to be small stores. Major supermarkets would be in Olympia and Chehalis.

"The Olympian" is the newspaper you'll want to consult for rentals and real estate for Rochester.
Thurston County's Homepage - The Olympian - Olympia, Washington
Homes.com has listings for sale in Thurston County, where Rochester is. Here's their link for Rochester:
Rochester Homes for Sale. Real Estate in Rochester, Washington

I hope this info helps your planning!

[Prple]

Sounds like Boston Harbor and Cooper Point in Olympia are places that might interest you... Good schools and not too far from downtown Olympia which boasts the Hands on Children's Museum, theatres, shopping, etc.

[chris]

Rochester is a one store town, nothing really there except an elementary school. Plenty of land though, I'd looked at the area myself, it's very nice if you're specifically looking for land (although it's obviously getting harder to come by).

I believe the closest grocery shopping will be in Tumwater (Fred Meyer,Costco,Albertsons,MegaFoods), about 10-15 minutes away depending on where in Rochester you are.

[HammBugga]

Thank you all for your replies. I do think we are going to go ahead and rent first. I don't want to buy blind or even in one weekend. I would like to be closer to shopping and nicer schools so thank you for that info. My sister will be attending Evergreen and living with us so it is important to be near Olympia.