Looking for a good place to raise a family (Seattle: apartment, lease)

[CaliforniaCouple]

My husband and I are both in our young 20s and we currently live in California. We have quite a few problems with where we live now including the cost and also fears of having to raise a family in an apartment. We're both looking for a place to settle in where we can start a family in a couple years and not have to worry about our kids' schools or our neighbors for that matter. We're looking for a place where we can find "nice" people. We are looking for people like us, who would go out of their way to do things for others and who are focused on family and friends. The area in California that we live in is REALLY superficial and even though it's one of the safest cities here, we know in the future we're not going to be able to give our kids the lives that we want for them if we stay here. Is Washington a good place for this? Are there cities that are especially focues on the family and safer? We're crossing our fingers here because we took a trip to Colorado recently thinking we would find the place we're looking for and we were pretty disapointed. Thank you so much for responding if you do, we're pretty desperate to start our new lives in a better place.

[Chels823]

Well, if you're trying to get away from being superficial, I'd reccomend somewhere on the Olympic Peninsula. It's a lot safer there than in certain parts of California. Just be prepared for a lot less sun and a lot more rain.

[Ira500]

Except for the Port Townsend/Sequim area, which gets 1/2 the rain of Seattle.

[Patmos]

The state capital is very nice.

[Prple]

Originally Posted by Patmos

The state capital is very nice.

Yes, I was going to suggest Olympia or Bellingham.

[mthomson]

Gig Harbor is great, with a nice small community feel and very highly rated schools. Cost may be an issue as it's not the cheapest place in WA, but depending on what part of CA you're from may be a lot cheaper (median home is about $415k).

[Freebird2007]

I hear Switzerland is pretty good

[StealthRabbit]

From your criteria (especially "go out of their way to do things for others") WA will be a challenge; note the threads "Seattle Freeze", "Making friends in PNW". This area was settled by independent pioneers and there is plenty of that still here.

From my 25 yrs in WA and same in CO with side trips to live in Asia, Europe, and Canada ... I can say that personally I find folks are congenial in PNW but will not go out of their way to help, it is often not in their nature. Much different than my years on the prairie and Mtns of Colorado, WY, and NE. (I haven't lived in much 'urban' space in USA). I was used to helping neighbors with farming and building projects and having the whole community turn out for school, community, and church fund raisers, despite any differences. That hasn't happened in my multiple western WA locations, most of my neighbors in PNW have unlisted phone numbers !! much different than growing up with a 'party line' with several families sharing one phone line. but... your mileage may vary.

I would look to small *(under 15,000) rural, non-suburbia, farm intensive communities. I find ag and private forestry folks more socially caring; Federal forestry (from leased land) is a different animal, and logging specific is usually very independent and more than a tad polarized. Thus you should find plenty of places on the east side of mountains, but few on the westside (tho possible). For a larger spot of your tastes you can look to Lynden on the west side. I have friends that like Royal City, Rockford, Fairfield, Waitsburg, Dayton, and Pomeroy (east side). For a bigger city on the east side, Walla Walla has some nice qualities. There is more ethnic diversity on the east side, which can be good and bad. Yakima has been used as an example of 'not-so-good'. WA seems a bit more congenial than OR, but not so different in rural farm areas.

FWIW... with your criteria I would look to non-suburb parts of Loveland, Berthoud, and Ft. Collins, CO. If you can handle a bit more remote and tad colder, look to Powell, Lander, Greybull, Newcastle, or Torrington, WY.

For a person who has done a PNW > WY transplant with a young family, contact Kristynwy, her experiences with social differences of the two areas are quite stark, she has found WY very welcoming and supportive. It is income tax free, has great schools and solid funding. Be careful with WY as they are currently in an energy boom and housing is scarce. These are cyclical and before long some areas will be very cheap and depressed (not the areas I mentioned, as they are more ag centric)

[StealthRabbit]

Originally Posted by Freebird2007

I hear Switzerland is pretty good

That is for sure... it is a joy to stay in private homes there. People are very helpful and healthy too (they walk (climb) a lot).

We really enjoy hosting Swiss and Austrians in our home, and have met many in international travel that have become great longterm friends. History has a way of 'changing your perspective' about caring for others (and in recognizing some terrible misdeeds to fellow man). The USA is a 'newcomer' in terms of history. Of course it is also a 'tad' shallow in world history education

Or maybe its the 2-3 hr Swiss lunch breaks where the whole family comes home and enjoys a meal TOGETHER , or the schools where the teachers follow the class to next grade, rather than pass it off each year (think of the implications of actually being held accountable for several years of building relationships and providing a comprehensive education )

[mrkool]

Originally Posted by Freebird2007

I hear Switzerland is pretty good

You're pretty funny (but looks aren't everything).