Best city for young family seeking employment

[retiredboomers]

I keep reading that Tacoma smells and is dangerous.

[StealthRabbit]

Originally Posted by retiredboomers

I keep reading that Tacoma smells and is dangerous.

You must use discernment and be careful what you read and how you interpret it...

such as my previous comment... "Steer clear of Grays Harbor and Longview (low housing costs / high(er) crime / drug problems)"

All places have exceptions, and you need to find specifics before you jump into a LONG term housing purchase. I have friends who happily reside in Grays Harbor, Longview, and Tacoma.

[CrazyDonkey]

Originally Posted by retiredboomers

I keep reading that Tacoma smells and is dangerous.

The old shibboleths, "The Aroma from Tacoma" and "The Smell by the Bay", no longer really apply, althoiugh some, especially gleefully prodding Seattleites, still enjoy repeating them.

Generally, north and west are good, south and east less so. Middle-income Seattleites have been pushed south in search of more affordable housing, many moving to Tacoma's Northend and Westside. Many Seattle artists have relocated to Tacoma, for instance. With more affluent families moving in, school scores have gone up. While prices/rents have gone up, they are still much more reasonable than in Seattle, Bellevue, etc.

I'm assuming your son's family will be renting initially, until they can both get jobs/income and replenish their savings. Tacoma/Puyallup are the best places to do that, especially in IT, in that they'll have the option of commuting via Sounder commuter rail. Further north, in Seattle, they'll burn through their savings; further south, in Olympia, they could struggle to generate sufficient income.

Post-Covid-19, the Seattle-area economy will bounce back first. On the other hand, the Olympia area could suffer from state job-cuts, due to collapsing tax revenues due to the pandemic, and the reluctance of the Trump administration and red-state Republicans, who control the Senate, to fill the gap.

Other options: Vancouver, Tri-Cities, and Spokane areas.

If they can both work remotely, maybe look at Las Vegas, where housing is dirt-cheap.