Relocating - Everett and Edmonds?

[jwb123]

My pleasure!

[ElphinKnight]

Hi there again. We have no kids at this point, and are probably 3-5 years from having one. Right now, our priority is finding a place to go. I have been eyeing Marysville as a possibility too. Thanks!

[noplacelikeWA]

With no kids then you have no reason not to consider Lynnwood according to Jenbar's opinion of the school system. The best asset Lynnwood has is its geographic location, everything is at your fingertips. Lynnwood is right next door to Mukilteo and Edmonds but offers a good savings over waterfront living for a couple just getting started. If you stay near 44th Street and 196th and you'll have easy access commuting north, south, or east. The mall is right there and you can get to the Edmonds Pier or Mukilteo's Picnic Point area in just 10 minutes. Shopping, banking, recreation, new and old housing, great resell value, you really should give Lynnwood a closer look. BTW... For a start-up business it is a great area for that too.

[jwb123]

I concede, if you don't have kids - then check it out - but I still don't prefer it for the "look" of it. Like I said - it's kind of dirty, older and depressed. Compare the area to that of Redmond or Issaquah... it's just not as.... I don't know the word I am looking for.

Alderwood Mall has improved the area a bit. There are some "nice" developments - but it just has a different "climate" or "feel" to it than some other areas.

I guess I am just an eastside or Seattle girl... that's where my preference remains.

[WestCoastDiva]

Jenbar, you're just an eastside girl. Nothin' wrong with that!

[AppleButter]

As a Snohomish County native (20 years in Everett and the last 4 in Marysville), I'd like to add to my previous post.

First, avoid Marysville. It seems like the perfect solution to many, but it takes as long to get between Everett and Marysville as it does to get from Seattle to Everett - the commute is one hour on a good day, and up to three hours in bad weather. Also, if you have kids, you DO NOT WANT THEM IN MARYSVILLE. The schools are overcrowded/old/falling apart and voters WILL NOT approve measures to improve things. We are the worst district in the state for taxpayer support. AND - the colleges take points off of MPHS graduates gpa's, so your kids will be at a disadvantage because of the weak district. If I could do it over again, I would not have bought here. We will be putting our son in a private high school when he gets old enough.

Second, Silver Lake is *not* a city - it is a region/neighborhood in SE Everett. It is a wonderful neighborhood. There are also other nice pockets of South Everett, like Eastmont. Don't let anyone convince you to move North of the mall, the traffic just is NOT worth it.

I hope that helps some!

[brightcopperkettles]

Having lived in both Bothell and on Whidbey Island and now back home in Kitsap County, I have to say that I think Kitsap County wins hands down. Home prices here are better than anything you can get "on the other side" as is traffic. You can still catch a ferry from Bremerton to Seattle for a day's fun in the big city then you're back on the ferry and home that night. Or you can drive up to Suquamish casino for a night's fun (that's on the Kitsap side as well). Or you can drive across the Hood Canal bridge for a day (or even a weekend) in Port Townsend. The neat thing about Kitsap County is it's easy to drive in all its towns, including Bremerton, Silverdale, Poulsbo, Port Orchard, Seabeck, and Kingston. The only time there is ever any traffic congestion is when the navy yard closes down at 3 p.m. every afternoon and folks are going home, and that only lasts for a little while and congestion is only around the base. My pick of the above towns would have to be Seabeck, which is where I live, but it's way out in the country (well, still only 10 miles to Silverdale, which takes about 20 minutes). Poulsbo is gorgeous and has a very nice downtown area. There is a little town close to Silverdale called Tracyton that has some gorgeous homes, and it is right on the water; well, everything is right on the water, come to think of it. That's the thing you want to remember; when you live in Kitsap County, you will never be a straight shot anywhere; you will always be traveling around water. The plus side of this is you have pretty things to look at when you drive. But the biggest thing is you still CAN drive on this side. Good luck!

[ElphinKnight]

I have looked at Bremerton a little. I have only been concerned about the economy there, but some business mag (I can't recall which) recently named Bremerton one of the fastest growing cities in the country, so it must be doing reasonably well. It seems to rain a good bit more there, though... Is it really that much more rainy than Seattle? Other than those concerns, Bremerton and Paulsbo look really good.

[brightcopperkettles]

Kitsap County IS growing, and if you want a home over on this side before the prices skyrocket as they have on the other side (Seattle, Tacoma, Everett, Snohomish, Bothell, etc.), you want to buy over here pretty quickly. Now would be a good time, as it is a buyer's market (so I hear).

As far as where over here to live, I strongly suggest Seabeck (a lot of the doctors live over here), Poulsbo (downtown is gorgeous), Silverdale (main shopping area of the county), or Port Orchard (closer to Tacoma). If you are looking to live in Bremerton, you need to look in East Bremerton, particularly the Manette area. Downtown Bremerton continues to undergo development/renewal. The waterfront downtown is so much better than it used to be even 10 years ago. There is a little place called Tracyton, which right next to Silverdale, and there are some lovely homes there, but kind of pricey; just thought I'd mention that.

As far as the rain is concerned, it does not rain in Kitsap County more than Seattle. The skies are gray here from Oct/Nov until May/June (my husband swears until the fourth of July, and honestly that's close to true).

If you like snow, you will want to live in Seabeck. We get more snow in Kitsap County than anyone else, and Kitsap definitely gets more than Seattle does. And if you work at home and/or live in the country (we live on 4.4 acres out here), do not move into your home unless you have a working generator. We bought our home in November 2001 and bought a generator (my husband complained the whole time, but I insisted) the next week. The day after we bought the generator, it dumped snow all over us. Needless to say, we lost power, and he fired up the generator. I just smiled and didn't say a word. Husband has really appreciated having the generator since then.

Hope this helped you, Elphinknight.

[hsparrow1]

I'd say Mukilteo is one of the best areas, the school district is an added bonus of living in Mukilteo. I just moved here from Marysville, and I think it is way nicer. Don't bother living in Marysville, it's not worth it.