Tell me about Washington!

[sandralarson1]

I live in Bremerton, which is a very large Navy community, we have 2 bases here. The shipyard employs a huge amount of people from this area as well as from Seattle, most ride the ferry over. The housing is definitely more affordable than seattle or most of the outlying areas and the community is a decent community to raise kids in. Lots of good areas to visit over here and close to the city for that "night life".
I have experienced living in seattle and the outlying areas and would not go back. I was born and raised in Bellevue and have lived in Renton, Issaquah, Bothell, and Seattle. Hated the traffic and would not go back.

[coffeebeans]

Originally Posted by Jenbar

Ha! You make it all sound so easy.

"JUST" a 30 minute drive to work? I suppose, if you work in off hours...

Kent? Pretty? Friendly? QUAINT???

I say quaint because of Kent's downtown area. It's cute! Little shops set up in old buildings, with flower baskets & trees all over. That's cute. And there are parks all over Kent! My husband & I like to grab lattes & stroll through the parks, most of which have some sort of stream or pond. There's a japanese style park set up near the downtown library in honor of Kent's sister city, if you're any sort of book worm you might like to sit in the grass & read there. That one, like a few other parks in the area include a duck pond. For city living, I think it's 'quaint'. Plus they just added an outdoor mall area... it's connected to the train station. Lots of dining & coffee drinking options, shops & a new theatre... plus there's an outdoor firepit where people tend to mingle @ night.
(oh yeah, if you move to Kent, look for a place not too close to the tracks... it's much cheaper rent, but I can't imagine being woken up at night with a train whisle! We live 1/2 way up East Hill, and the train is just a very faint background noise, we only ever hear it @ night when there are no other sounds in the house.)

This may sound a bit rosy, but that's been my experience. And I've only had good experiences with the people. In general everyone I've encountered has been very friendly.

And I may make it sound easy, but that's because it kinda is. We have a 755 sq foot, 1 bdrm apt with fireplace, balcony, & stack wash/dryer for $655. It's easy to drive up to Seattle on a day off. Living just south of the city is the best of both worlds for me. I feel like I live in a small town with the city at my beck & call.

I don't think it can be argued that this local isn't pretty! There are trees everywhere! That's all I see from my balcony. The parks are full of them, the city has planted them all along the roads, and there are still uncut woods between the residential areas.

K, i'll get off it already. gl where ever you decide to move! I guess it just depends on what you're looking for.

Edit: btw- My commute time is 20 minutes, but as I said I work in Seatac, not Seattle. I'm sure the downtown Seattle commute would be longer... but then again I live on the far end of Kent from my work, I have co-workers who live in the same city with shorter commutes because they're right near I5. I just like to be tucked back in the woods a bit, not right on major roads, jmo. A few of my co-workers in Seatac also have jobs &/or go to school in downtown Seattle & their commute isn't something that upsets them. And I take a dance class twice a week in North Seattle (Ballard), the drive isn't bad. In traffic up there it's about 40 minutes, 30 on the way back.

[noplacelikeWA]

I think Jenbar's measurement for a good life and a decent city may be specific to her taste. I happen to think the OP could definately afford to enjoy a "safe and good life" in western Washington.

[jgood]

I live in Auburn and there are tons of jobs here within commuting distance, i think the College next to my house has a 4 year program for Nursing and is very affordable, i don't know if you have to pay extra or not for being a new resident but you should check it out, there are two apartment complexes near by you can get a nice apartment for $800 or less and as far as i know you cannot beat the tuition prices.
I think you could get a good paying waitress job in Auburn there are two casinos (easy to get on with) and they make good tips and provide health insurance as far as i know the employees are happy there so they must be doing something right. RNs make good money in Western WA and i think we have a shortage of them, we used to anyway, my friends mom made $60.00s an hour as a RN. As far as crime it is OK we have plenty of thefts, auto theft shoplifting things like that but that said i don't think you can beat the jobs available here. Two people i know that are nurses lived here in Auburn and drove to Tacoma to work they pay more in Tacoma i guess but to get your degree and work i think you would make more money here and get just as good of tuition prices, you can always check that out. Call Green River Community college for info, i like Auburn better than Federal way and Kent all three of the towns are subarbs of Seattle. Crime in Seattle would be worse i would not go there and the East side is Expensive.
Groceries are expensive but if you work in the food service industry you may get a meal or two at a discount, my son and his friends worked at both
Casinos here and made plenty of money and the one casino paid for one meal, pretty good deal for a young college student. I think you could get a job in two weeks and there are plenty of temp places to work until you get your full time job. You will get sick of the rain eventually but with your nusing degree you can work elsewhere and if your in school and working you won't have time to care, good luck,Jgood

[kburton]

Thank you for all the help, Like I said before, I'm looking for the right place for me. I made it in Socal for 8 years, paying 2000 in rent plus all my bills....I just want a nice home,friends,place for my pups to have fun....and so on...i'm weighing all my options..and hopefully ..i'll find the right choice!I'll be looking into the Vancouver area for sure...thanks agin...anymore insight will be helpful....k

[kburton]

jgood and coffeebeans...thanks for being so positive! will look into all of this!

[Pcghost]

Spokane is out if you don't like heat. It gets warmer in the Spokane area than virtually anywhere else in Washington, except maybe the Tri-Cities. Jobs are around, but not too many, and while things are way cheaper here, the pay sucks. I know people who have lived (and are living) on waitress wages. It is possible, just not easy as I am sure you know already. There are much cheaper rentals in Spokane than anywhere on the West-side.