Thoughts about Gig Harbor? (Seattle, Tacoma: crime rate, new home, neighborhoods)

[MO Fun in Philly]

Hello: we're moving to the area, and had originally wanted to find a place between Tacoma and Seattle, so we'll be looking at Federal Way, Burien, and Normandy Park. However, we're not too much into older construction or pockets surrounded by sketchy areas, so we'll have to see what some places in these areas are like when we visit.

We may start considering Gig Harbor, which would be less convenient (I'll work in Tacoma, my wife in Seattle). Can any of you shed some light on what it is like to live in Gig Harbor? Anyone commute to Seattle on a daily basis and know what that's like? And any thoughts on raising kids there (ours is a little toddler) would be helpful, too.

Thanks!

[Ira500]

Gig Harbor is really nice. People do commute to Seattle, but it's at least 50 minutes or an hour on a good day.
Mthomson is the city-data resident Gig Harbor guru. Hopefully he'll pop by and weigh in.

[Prple]

Originally Posted by MO Fun in Philly

Hello: we're moving to the area, and had originally wanted to find a place between Tacoma and Seattle, so we'll be looking at Federal Way, Burien, and Normandy Park. However, we're not too much into older construction or pockets surrounded by sketchy areas, so we'll have to see what some places in these areas are like when we visit.

We may start considering Gig Harbor, which would be less convenient (I'll work in Tacoma, my wife in Seattle). Can any of you shed some light on what it is like to live in Gig Harbor? Anyone commute to Seattle on a daily basis and know what that's like? And any thoughts on raising kids there (ours is a little toddler) would be helpful, too.

Thanks!

Gig Harbor is nice and has a good reputation. I thought of a couple other places to consider in additon to your list...Snoqualmie Ridge and Maple Valley Snoqualmie Ridge - New Home Master-Planned Community from Murray Franklyn FOC and Quadrant Homes Snoqualmie Ridge - Shopping and Services http://www.city-data.com/forum/seatt...inion-may.html. Snoqualmie Ridge is about 30 minutes east of downtown Seattle (with very minimal traffic along I-90) and Im guessing about 40 minutes to Tacoma via Hwy 18. (Might want to mapquest it though) Anyway, it is a nice place for families with good schools, safe, and a cute little downtown area. Thought it was worth mentioning. Good luck!

[mthomson]

Gig Harbor is a great place to live and raise a toddler (our 19-mo old seems pretty happy thus far!). Schools are very solid, there are private school options as well, several parks, an incredible YMCA with fantastic kids programs (our daughter LOVES the pool and her tumbling class). Lots of new construction that is very affordable now (contrary to most opinions). Tons of conveniences with the YMCA, Costco, Target, etc. Several great community activities and places to walk as a family.
Overall, we LOVE it here and can't think of a better place to live.
That being said...we don't work in Seattle. Working in Tacoma is not a problem at all. I have a client who does the daily Seattle commute, and he doesn't mind at all. He does a vanpool through Pierce Transit or you can do the bus or train with Sound Transit and it's not a big deal. Car pool lane the whole way and he's not driving.
Bottom line, I love Gig Harbor and wouldn't want to live anywhere else, but I wouldn't want to commute to Seattle each day. My client doesn't mind it at all, but it'd be hard for me.

[ashergill]

We're moving to the area this summer as well. I'll be working in Federal Way, and my wife is staying home. We have 2 children, one of whom will be ready for elementary school shortly. We've considered the entire region pretty thoroughly, and were looking for some of the same things as you, ie, a nice new community, and not pockets surrounded by sketchy areas. We've settled on the Lakeland Hills area in Auburn, and have recently put an offer for a house. Lots of new construction there, and many homes are quite a bargain these days. Lakeland Hills elementary is a new school, and rated quite well according to several school rating websites I checked out. Your commute to Tacoma should be quite easy from there, but the commute to Seattle will be worse (but still not quite as bad as from Gig Harbor.)

Good Luck!

We're moving to the area this summer as well. I'll be working in Federal Way, and my wife is staying home. We have 2 children, one of whom will be ready for elementary school shortly.

[offwego-herewecome]

Are there any areas in Gig Harbor to stay clear of? Crime wise? Schools?

[cabocurtis]

I one day will be moving to Gig Harbor and keep my company in Seattle. I met an associate who lives in Gig Harbor and takes the sound transit bus from Gig to Seattle daily and he said its a modern bus in carpool lane and efficient. Also there is the train option which has wi fi. Finally you can reverse commute to southworth ferry park and walk on and pick up the foot ferry to downtown seattle.

[mthomson]

Offwego--
The crime rate in Gig Harbor is extremely low. You'll hear talk of folks saying to avoid the Key Peninsula, which has higher crime than Gig Harbor proper, but in regards to most places, even KP is a great place to live. There's nowhere in Gig Harbor I wouldn't feel safe.
Some schools are more sought after than others, but that's mostly word of mouth reputation, not anything concrete. If you check out their stats on the district site, you'll see that in terms of test scores, class sizes, etc, all of the Peninsula Schools are very good.
Like anywhere, we have our problems, but overall this is a community that takes great care of our neighborhoods, schools, and each other.

[dancingirisheyes]

Hi everyone! We're seriously considering a move to Gig Harbor as well. We have 3 little girls (ages 5, 3 and 1) and own our own business that we run from home. Gig Harbor seems ideal for raising our family. We'll be taking a vacation there over 4th of July weekend so we can see the town first-hand. Does anyone know if there are any community-sponsored events on the 4th of July? Some fireworks or a parade maybe?

cabocurtis - Can you tell me where I can find more info on the train option for commuting to Seattle? My husband is still looking for work and if he does end up with a Seattle job, I think a commute with wi-fi is probably the only thing that would keep him sane!

mthomson - Could you please tell me what problems GH has? Because I have researched this place like no other and I keep telling my husband that I have yet to find a drawback! I'm the kind of person who likes to be fully informed so I'm not caught off-guard. I'd love to know any cons of living in GH so I can process them and make my peace!

Finally, if I *have* read of any drawbacks, it would be that I recently read that its not uncommon for wildlife to wander into yards. Is that true? That would concern me since I have small children.

Thanks for sharing your thoughts!

[offwego-herewecome]

Thank for the reply Mthomson . Looks like we'll be relocating quicker than we thought - I'll be up for another visit in about 2-3 weeks.

P.S Dancingisrisheyes, we may be right behind you in the move with a 4 1/2 year old and 1 year old...if I hear of anything, I'll pass it along.