Where in WA should we move? (Also considering OR) (Seattle: real estate, apartment)

[littleirishmama]

Hello
We are looking at relocating in the next 2 years and would like to get some opinions first.
We currently live in Arizona...and hate it. Not enough rain, greenery, or water for our liking. We lived in Grand Rapids Michigan prior to AZ, and didn't like the 6 months of ridiculous snow either.

We are planning a trip to Seattle next summer to check out some towns, so hopefully you can give us some good suggestions. We are thinking of also driving into Oregon during that visit so any town suggestions there are welcome too.

We want something that's family oriented, but close enough to universities so I can continue my degree. My husband plays piano and would love to be near a good art/music scene.

Homes in the $200k price range would be perfect. We want to be near water...lakes/ocean/etc. And definitely prefer to have all 4 seasons.

I am a teacher so a good educational system is important (especially because we have 2 school-aged kiddos...which is the main reason we wanted to move cuz AZ is no place to raise kids!).

Thanks for your help!!

[trix4u]

Bellingham Washington is wonderful. I just moved here from Arizona this past February. It is a great place and we like it alot. We have two young children and we feel like it is a great place for our family. There is water everywhere out here and it is just gorgeous scenery.

[StealthRabbit]

Trout Lake (schools) / White Salmon if dry weather is necessary. Columbia River has adequate water, especially if you kite board. there are many great white water areas nearby. Beautiful OR coast is 2 hrs west.

San Juan Island (Friday Harbor, WA) would be a good choice too (Schools and weather)

[Jimrob1]

Im not from this region originally but I have noticed this. When you move to the Northwest and live in Portland you learn about both Oregon and Washington. Washington just seems to have its act together more than Oregon does.

It is very noticeable and no secret that Washington funds its Police Dept's and School systems much more than Oregon does. Oregon makes no secret it has problems funding both. Many residents of Portland have moved into Washington for years, due to the poor school funding in Oregon.

I think unless one is attracted to the very different politics that Oregon has especially the Portland area, then Washington is the better choice. Washington just seems more stable both financially and emotionally. I think it is a better choice for a new family to the region raising children.

Now, thats my view and evidently a number of others considering the numbers of Portlanders, that have moved across the river to Vancouver due to poor school funding in this city.


I think the best way is when you visit the region, try making your visit so you were not playing tourist. Make the visit a definite observation as to what life would be like if you lived here.

I also have heard good things about Bellingham , it definitely is a area you should check out.

Best of Luck.

[marlisk]

Originally Posted by StealthRabbit

Trout Lake (schools) / White Salmon if dry weather is necessary. Columbia River has adequate water, especially if you kite board. there are many great white water areas nearby. Beautiful OR coast is 2 hrs west.

San Juan Island (Friday Harbor, WA) would be a good choice too (Schools and weather)

I am a San Juan Islander and I heartily agree with Stealth Rabbit. However, you will not even get close to finding something in the $200's here unless you want a mobile home in a park. However, many like it here so much they are willing to be renters. It is a wonderful place for families and one of the safest places I know on Earth. There is a surprisingly good extension campus of Skagit Valley Community College here, but no 4-year universities, though I know several people who have completed their degrees through Washington State University online, or commuted a few days per week to Bellingham (not easy but doable).

I have also lived in Bellingham and loved it there as well. Again, though Real Estate there is less expensive than the San Juans, something in the $200's would be rare. One area that I really love that is just a little south of Bellingham is Bow-Edison. I hear great things about Edison Elementary, which is K-8 and it's close enough to Bellingham to attend Western Washington University.

We visited McMinnville, Oregon and loved it, but I don't know about schools. Same goes for Forest Grove, Oregon.

We are keeping our San Juan Island house and moving to Walla Walla for a period of time. So far, we love Walla Walla as a family town but I know we will miss the ocean. Besides proximity to my husband's job, we were looking for a family-friendly small(ish) college town with just a hint of urban flavor, a main street with a good amount of walkability, parks and nice people. We were able to buy a beautiful home on the historic register for $250k, so we were very happy about that.

Good luck on your search!

[RobE]

You could definitely move to Lacey or maybe Olympia for somewhere in the 200k range. However, the nearest four year school is at least half an hour away. Washington University, which is probably the best of the lot in this state, would be around 75-90 minutes from Lacey. It is mostly a bedroom community with a bunch of strip malls. There is a Costco there, though.

[SmithFamilyFour]

Originally Posted by littleirishmama

Hello
We are looking at relocating in the next 2 years and would like to get some opinions first.
We currently live in Arizona...and hate it. Not enough rain, greenery, or water for our liking. We lived in Grand Rapids Michigan prior to AZ, and didn't like the 6 months of ridiculous snow either.

We are planning a trip to Seattle next summer to check out some towns, so hopefully you can give us some good suggestions. We are thinking of also driving into Oregon during that visit so any town suggestions there are welcome too.

We want something that's family oriented, but close enough to universities so I can continue my degree. My husband plays piano and would love to be near a good art/music scene.

Homes in the $200k price range would be perfect. We want to be near water...lakes/ocean/etc. And definitely prefer to have all 4 seasons.

I am a teacher so a good educational system is important (especially because we have 2 school-aged kiddos...which is the main reason we wanted to move cuz AZ is no place to raise kids!).

Thanks for your help!!

Hi!
I would suggest Bellingham or Spokane for your family.

I grew up in Oregon and although I wouldn't change my childhood, Oregon isn't what it used to be. The economy has especially tanked there.

I have family in the Lynden and Bellingham areas and it is very pretty, nice community feel and more affordable housing than King or Snohomish counties.

I'm not sure about the public schools in Bellingham but my uncle works for WWU and I have heard good things about that university.

On to Spokane. My husband and I just re-located to Spokane because the Seattle/Everett areas were too expensive for us. My husband is a well-paid IT professional and we still could afford only a crappy condo for 200,000+. Here in Spokane we are looking at a gorgeous craftsman in the perfect family neighborhood right by a gorgeous park for less than 200,000. Nature is pretty much out your back door here. We are three miles from Riverside State park which is a popular hiking/biking area with big trees, nice trails and of course the spectacular Spokane River.

The community feel here in Spokane is wonderful. We have neighbors who actually talk to us and the general feel of Spokane is sometimes compared to "southern hospitality."

The schools in Spokane are great and I've heard that the Mead school district is one of the best in the state.

As far as colleges go, there are so many universities, colleges and community colleges here that I can't count them all.

The arts scene in Spokane isn't as good as Seattle, that's for sure, but they still do pretty well. We have a great symphony and lots of indie musicians in coffee shops.

Good luck on your hunt for a new home town! We had very similar desires for our family. We were not happy in the Seattle area and found Spokane to be exactly what we were looking for. I hope you find what you want too.

[TheRef]

Hmm, I'd even venture a suggestion that you look at Tri-cities or Ellensburg. You get more of the "4 seasons" weather out that way, although it tends to be colder than Western WA in the winter.

[StealthRabbit]

Camas, WA might be another choice, as you will have bunches of Portland options (20-30 minutes away) for continuing ed, as well as music scene. Schools are rated high in Camas.

For an island home the $200k would be a problem, I always advocate finding a trashed mobile home on small acreage and building a shop with an apartment to keep taxes low and indoor play area high. That too would be a stretch, and living on an island is not cheap, BUT the schools are great. As kids age, you may want to be near a community college, so they can attend 'Running Start' (College instead of High School; saves 2 yrs tuition as you can enter U as full Jr, if you are diligent during RS)

Look at Wenatchee / Cashmere too, nice area.
As mentioned in previous post, give Oregon a look, but BE CAREFUL; they have poor financing for schools, and weird politics and a pretty aggressive 'social agenda' (group think)

[littleirishmama]

Thank you all so much for the great ideas. We are getting more and more excited about seeing these places in person next summer. =)

(p.s. We have officially ruled out Oregon. Seems like it would be suicide heading out there as a new teacher. Maybe when we retire..? =) )