Moving and Extremely Scared.. (Tacoma, Puyallup: apartment, rentals, houses)

[Sexy and Educated]

Hello All,

My family and I are moving to Fort Lewis, Wa in January. We have concerns about temporary lodging, rentals (houses, if possible) that are in close proximity to a good school district, a good medical facility, shopping. We also have concerns about driving conditions and weather.

Temporary lodging concerns us, as (this is our first PCS) I have been told that the Army will pay for up to 10 days. This is no time for a family of 6 to find adequate housing. Which is why I thought that I would get a headstart by looking at rentals online. The homes that I have found that seems suitable are in Lacey, Pullayab, Dupont, and Tacoma. Tacoma seems to be the cheapest area, with Dupont running on the high. Any ideas of where to rent that has shopping, great schools (children are in honors classes), a good medical facility nearby, and is reasonably priced.
Yes, I know (especially in today's times) that the more you want the more you pay. I just wanted to keep it reasonable and $1700 is not reasonable, not for a 3 bedroom.

The driving conditions are another because we are orginally from Florida. No snow there. Unsure if we need to buy snow tires (whatever those are) or other helpful things to get accustomed to driving in the area. We ran out and bought big jackets, mittens, scarfs, ear muffs, and big quilts to try to be prepared for 30 degrees and below weather. In Fort Lauderdale/Miami area, the coldest we ever expect is 58. I hope that we cut the mustard and are as prepared as we need to be.

[kc2sweet4ne1]

I don't know much about housing up in those area, as I am from a little further south that that. I will leave that to someone else.

As for snow tires..... I have lived here my entire life and have NEVER had to buy snow tires. If you are going to stay in the western part of Washington, it is a complete waste of money to buy snow tires. We don't generally get enough snow here to warrant such a purchase. IF it does snow here that bad, it doesn't last but for a day or two and the towns shut down because we don't know how to handle too much snow. A couple of years ago, we had about 8 inches of snow and everyone stayed home. As for 30 degrees, it's not near as cold as it sounds. A sweatshirt and coat is fine unless you are working outside. In this case, buy some thermals.

[mthomson]

Although it's expensive, I'd encourage you to stay around Lacey and Dupont. A little cleaner and a little better school system on the whole than Tacoma. Puyallup's okay, but had some issues the past few years in schools.
Don't worry about the weather. You'll see snow for 4-10 days, and it's rarely more than 2 inches. We don't get below freezing very often.
The biggest issue is the rain...the spray from the rain can make it tough to see. Normal temps in the winter will be high 30's low 40's. Buy some good rain gear (Gortex if you can afford it). A good rain coat and nice waterproof shoes will go a long ways in making you comfortable.
Hope that helps some.

[Ira500]

You also might want to look at the town of Steilacoom, just north of Ft. Lewis. Steilacoom has a very well regarded school district.

[allforcats]

Welcome to your fascinating plan to move to western Washington! You would do yourself and your family a lot of good by Googling information, such as climate. You will find that this is not Wisconsin or North Dakota...

The cold states' weather comes from Canada and the Arctic. Our weather comes from the gentle Pacific (which means "gentle") Ocean. Take the earmuffs, mittens and scarves back to the store and get refunds. Use the refund money to buy the best-quality windshield wipers for your car. I don't know what you mean by "big jackets", but if they're meant for North Dakota winter weather, take them back too and get refunds. By "quilts" do you mean those thick comforters? They will be too hot to sleep with as residences here do have sufficient heating, so you might want to take the comforters back too and get refunds. When you're here, if you ever find that you'd like to have a lovely patchwork or applique' quilt, or even a comforter or electric blanket, we have stores here. You might want to use a bit of those refunds for a folding umbrella for each person, although it doesn't rain here so much as it drizzles and many people here don't even own umbrellas because the drizzle is so gentle.

There is very little wind here. Breezes all year, light breezes. Hardly ever "wind" like North Dakota. You'll find also there's no muggy, sticky humidity at any time of the year such as there is on the eastern seaboard.

Snow tires are tires with deeper and more complex-patterned tread than usual. You will never need them where you will be living here. If you drive into the mountains here during the winter, you will often be required by the state department of transportation to put cables (light-weight tire chains) on your two rear tires in order to increase the traction of your tires while driving on snow-covered and icy mountain roads.

In nicer areas here, $1700 is a low price for a 3-bedroom apartment or house. Especially if you want an area with good schools.

Being "scared" is, you know, a choice. You have other choices that are much more fun!... What are you most interested to find out about?

Have fun planning!

[Sexy and Educated]

Lol.. I bought the stuff early so that I wouldn't have to run out and purchase stuff in the middle of the night. I am quite sure that the area has stores. I wasn't talking ill of WA; just naive to the weather, especially when my family has never dealt with anything lower than 55. Just wanted to be more safe than sorry.

The schools/medical facility is most important. We will pay whatever it takes to make sure that their education and medical conditions are top priorities. I have noticed that some areas in western Washington have junior high schools, instead of the middle schools that we are accustomed to. Which means that my 9th grader will go to a junior high - instead of a high school, and most of her classes are 10/11 grade courses.

[kc2sweet4ne1]

You'll love it here. Just don't stress too much. It's beautiful here and like they said.... the weather is mild. We don't have deep freezes and we don't have hot, muggy, humid, unbearable summers either. What we do have is the ocean and the mountains in our back yards. Weather shouldn't be anything to worry about!

Concentrate on your schools and medical facilities. There are many to choose from. You just have to find what fits your needs.

[Geechie North]

Originally Posted by Sexy and Educated

Hello All,

My family and I are moving to Fort Lewis, Wa in January. We have concerns about temporary lodging, rentals (houses, if possible) that are in close proximity to a good school district, a good medical facility, shopping. We also have concerns about driving conditions and weather.

Temporary lodging concerns us, as (this is our first PCS) I have been told that the Army will pay for up to 10 days. This is no time for a family of 6 to find adequate housing. Which is why I thought that I would get a headstart by looking at rentals online. The homes that I have found that seems suitable are in Lacey, Pullayab, Dupont, and Tacoma. Tacoma seems to be the cheapest area, with Dupont running on the high. Any ideas of where to rent that has shopping, great schools (children are in honors classes), a good medical facility nearby, and is reasonably priced.
Yes, I know (especially in today's times) that the more you want the more you pay. I just wanted to keep it reasonable and $1700 is not reasonable, not for a 3 bedroom.

The driving conditions are another because we are orginally from Florida. No snow there. Unsure if we need to buy snow tires (whatever those are) or other helpful things to get accustomed to driving in the area. We ran out and bought big jackets, mittens, scarfs, ear muffs, and big quilts to try to be prepared for 30 degrees and below weather. In Fort Lauderdale/Miami area, the coldest we ever expect is 58. I hope that we cut the mustard and are as prepared as we need to be.

.

If you can handle the "winter" in Atlanta, you can handle Tacoma.

[StealthRabbit]

Originally Posted by Sexy and Educated

.... I have noticed that some areas in western Washington have junior high schools, instead of the middle schools that we are accustomed to. Which means that my 9th grader will go to a junior high - instead of a high school, and most of her classes are 10/11 grade courses.

You will be be fine with weather without snow tires, tho the trip between FL and WA could be tricky, you just need to plan your route, and WAIT if the weather get terrible in COLO / WY / UT (which can happen, but only lasts a few days). You will need good windshield wipers. And you will learn to do everything you normally do in the perpetual drizzle. I think you will be able to find a place in 10 days. We had to do it in 3 on our last move (which was not fun either).

If you will be in WA when your kids are in grade 11 & 12 they can go to college instead of HS - FREE (except for books) program is called "Running Start" and they must test into it in grade 10. (need to pass college entrance, or take remedial reading and math (on your nickel)). It is a very good program, and I know lots of kids who have benefited, including mine. (they only had to pay for 2 yrs of college, as they entered as full jr's following Running Start program) Student can get a HS diploma from the college, or from their local HS, tho it is 'fluff' since they will probably get an AA degree too.

[Luke9686]

I'll second Steilacoom. It's close to Lewis and nice. Lacey is nice but kind of expensive. Puyallup is nice, and probably in your price range. I'd stay away from Tacoma. The areas worth living in are going to be a tough commute. I live in North Tacoma, which is very nice. It would be a nightmare if I had to commute to Ft. Lewis.

It doesn't get too cold here (although I'm from Iowa). You won't need snow tires either. It doesn't snow much.