Washington quaint towns (Seattle, Spokane, Tacoma: apartments, rental homes, how much)

[Amberyl]

I live in Mesa, Arizona and I am considering moving to Washington because I have been without the four seasons for too long. I really want to live somewhere where each season gets equal time share.

I also have two small children (5+6) who will both be starting school this year, so I want to move before school starts so they will not have to switch schools later on. I need to move somewhere that has great education either in the town, or very nearby, so we could commute.

I am looking for a quaint town, much like the town of Stars Hollow in Gilmore Girls. I want to live somewhere where everyone knows everyone else.

I would like to be close enough to at least one larger city. And close enough to a decent college.

I am planning for this to be my last move. I want to settle down and raise my family. Can anyone please suggest a town that sounds like what I am looking for?

[fy10fyr]

Sounds like you might like Cheney. Good schools from what I've heard, 4 distinct seasons, close to a larger city, and close to a large number of colleges.

Another one might be Millwood. It's a small, incorporated town in the valley, not isolated, but it has a very different feel than the surrounding area, which is suburban sprawl. Millwood is full of older homes, streets lined with old-growth hardwood trees, very small town feel, but you're in the middle of the Spokane Metro area. Not sure on the schools out there, but like Cheney, 4 seasons, close to a large urban area, and colleges.

Good luck!

[scirocco22]

It sounds like you want a town with a population smaller than 10,000 which is what the fictional Stars Hollow was, correct?

A town of 10,000 is too large to know everybody in town. You'll need to start looking at town with less than 500 to do that ...or so I'd assume.

[bigtrees]

In my opinion, your #1 thing to consider is jobs and cost of housing unless your indepently wealthy. Quaint towns are often popular places to live, which drives up the cost of housing, and touristy, which drives down the payscale for the jobs in the area.

Another big question is what you want to see in scenery. In Mesa, it's a desert environment - do you like that? Or do you want to see lots of vegetation and greenery? Much of eastern Washington is dry and considered by some to be a desert environment, although I don't think it meets the definition of a desert. You'll see lots of scrub brush, tumbleweed, and the like over there. In Western Washington, you'll see lots of greenery but it looks very messy over here. I moved to Seattle from Chandler, AZ and it has taken me two years to get used to how green everything it is and how fast it grows.

Anyways, just my thoughts....

[CFiona]

Lynden, WA - even has a windmill!! But close to Bellingham which has a few colleges and a mall.

La Connor, WA - home of the Tuplip Festival

Oak Harbor, WA or Anacortes for that matter - on Whidbey Island

Carnation, WA - use to be quaint, but I think might be growing?

Levenworth! Totally quaint!! But I'm not sure about how many people actually LIVE there, its a desination spot...so no clue about public schools, etc.

[Deborah.Case]

Gig Harbor - the definition of quaint, and yet with lots of CONTROLED growth letting larger business in. One of the best school districts "Peninsula School District" however, within the school district there are large disparities on kids test scores on National tests...it is very intra-district specific. We have several EXCELLENT elementaries, TWO EXCELLENT middle schools, one Ok middle school, and one middle school I'd move away from so as not to have my kids attend. We have two high schools. One is more focused on the 4-year college bound kids, the other a mixture of 4 year college kid types and everyone else. your kids are young, so choose your elementary school very carefefully whereever you may land, it will make a difference in 9th & 10th grade...my kids' ages.

housing can be expensive, but there are lovely apartments and some rental homes for $1000-1200 a month, so it is all choice. I love the small waterfront quaintness of community, everyone smiles and nods a hello as many many people walk the waterfront for exercise with kids and dogs. It is a great 'small' town, but only 8 miles to Tacoma and all the large town services you might ever want.

Best wishes...

[Sandy Nelson]

You might like Centralia. It's a small town with lots of charm.

Sandy

[StealthRabbit]

WA has such a diverse climate, job availability, commute issues, home prices, and political leaning that you need to be more specific in your desires. Only good education and nice small town stand out on your list (both are important).

for Wet... I'd look to Lynden (conservative, but wet, great community and schools), Friday Harbor, Oak Harbor, Poulsbo.

for dry... (east side of Cascades, except for Olympic rain shadow on west side / Sequim area)
Leavenworth,
Walla Walla,
Waitsburg
Rockford,
Kettle Falls
(+ many others I don't know about I'm sure)

[Amberyl]

Thank you all for your responses. I have looked into all those towns.

The first thing i have been looking at is schools. So far, the best schools are in:
Cheney
Anacortes
Leavenworth
Lynden
Gig Harbor
Rockford

Another main concern of mine is... does it snow in these towns? I am really looking to move to somewhere that gets snow for at least 3 months out of the year.

Also, how much does it rain? And how much sun?

[Amberyl]

Oh and thank you Bigtrees for your perspective.

I do want to see green! I don't like living in the desert.