Mountlake Terrace? (Seattle, Bellevue, Everett: renting, condos, low crime)

[ShadowXOR]

Right now I'm looking at renting in the area above Seattle. I would love to live in Bellevue but going to Seattle via the scary bridge from the east side makes me nervous...I may move their anyway since it seems the nicest but I'm researching places north of Seattle right now.

Everett has a shockingly high crime rate. Bothell, Snohomish, and Lynnwood seem to have a decent amount of info.

However I can't find any info on Mountlake Terrace. It appears to have a low crime rate but I can't find any pictures of the place and I've seen few, if any people comment on it. Any comments or pictures?

[Redline]

My coworker has a husband that works in law enforcement in Montlake Terrace and all I can say is he is busy. It's weird how Edmonds, Mukilteo and Mill Creek are close by but do not have as high a crime rate as Montlake and similar neighborhoods also in that area.

[scirocco22]

It's me again, Shadow.

I was going to cast my negative opinion on Mountlake Terrace because I've never been impressed with the area but after looking at the crime statistics you mentioned, I have a little better impression. In fact, it really surprised me that the crime stats are so low.

It's a lower- to middle-, working-class neighborhood. Definitely not upscale or trendy. There's no real "scenery" there other than possible pockets where you might get a peek at the Cascades so there's a possibility that even if somebody were to post pictures, it wouldn't impress you that much.

It's located right up against the county line in Snohomish county so your property taxes should tend to be a bit lower than in King county; consequently rents "may" be correspondingly lower.

As I said, I was going to discourage you from the area but considering the crime stats even being favorable to a place like Issaquah --which is still REALLY difficult for me to believe-- I'd urge you to take a closer look.





--'rocco



edit: I didn't read what Redline posted before submitting my post but that sounds MORE like it ...and probably a better indication of what crime is really like. As I keep saying, it's really difficult for me to believe those low statistics.

[noplacelikeWA]

IMO, Mountlake Terrace is boring, old and generally not good. They have a decent recreation center (their indoor pool gets a lot of action) and there is also a gymnastics training center but other than that I see nothing for you in Mountlake Terrace, especially compared to Bellevue. If your willing to go north of Seattle and can afford it, go towards the water, Edmonds is beautiful and you may already have read my opinion about Lynnwood, (a good runner-up to Edmonds with a weak school system.) You will save some money if you can get something in Snohomish County. (BTW... Lynnwood has been dubbed "the new Bellevue" thanks to the upgrades to the mall, a new conference center and new "mcmansion" developments popping up all over.)

[ShadowXOR]

Thank you for your comments. I have crossed it off my list.

This leaves Bothell and Snohomish in the north as my two living options (unless anyone can think of a nice town close to those that doesn't have much crime) and the eastside.

If you know any bad news about Bothell and Snohomish (they had good crime ratings as well, hope they aren't incorrect) please tell me!

I was looking at Lynnwood (and my friend lives there) but it appears to have a high crime-rate and I haven't heard much positive discussion regarding it.

Does anyone have any thoughts on it?

I haven't heard much mention of Edmonds either.

[noplacelikeWA]

Where are you getting your crime information? My husband is a crazy about crime rates and is always raving about how great the crime rate was in Lynnwood compared to the national average. Other than some property crime issues from time to time I never felt unsafe in Lynnwood. We lived less than 1 mile from the police department and fire station and IMO the activity was nothing out of ordinary.

[mlv311]

I just wanted to caution you not to discount parts of Lynnwood because of its zip code. We lived for 4 years in an unincorporated part of Snohomish County (very close to Alderwood Mall) and it had a Lynnwood zip code. The neighborhood was a very nice and safe and accessible to shopping, amenities, etc. Less than a mile from us, the homes were also newer and they have a Bothell zip code.

I agree that Mountlake Terrace may not be the most appealing in "looks," but the rec center and library offered many good options for children. Edmonds is nice although the homes tend to be more expensive. Good luck.

[noplacelikeWA]

I just checked my source for crime rates and they have more current data than I was using before, while Lynnwood was up it is still below the national average (100) and is lower than Snohomish, greater than Bothell.

City/Personal/Property/Total Risk
Lynnwood(98037) 44/100/87
Snohomish (98290) 44/105/90
Bothell (98012) 36/49/54

I would not move to Snohomish unless you are talking about the very southwest side, either way the commute is awful, and Bothell is a wash but a bit old and too far from the Sound IMO.

[ShadowXOR]

Originally Posted by noplacelikeWA

Where are you getting your crime information? My husband is a crazy about crime rates and is always raving about how great the crime rate was in Lynnwood compared to the national average. Other than some property crime issues from time to time I never felt unsafe in Lynnwood. We lived less than 1 mile from the police department and fire station and IMO the activity was nothing out of ordinary.

From our very own city-data.com!

http://www.city-data.com/city/Lynnwood-Washington.html

Check the crime rates for 2005 in Lynnwood (score is over 500) compared to the national average (around 325). Unless I'm reading something incorrectly?

I do not like property crime but my main concern is murder/assault/rape/armed robbery.

[noplacelikeWA]

I forgot you asked about Edmonds...

1. Voted "most friendly neighborhood in western WA" 5+years running
2. Really nice homes/condos with views of the Sound and the Olympic Pennisula
3. Ferry access to Kingston
4. Crime rate is low, 34/70/66 (personal/property/total risk, national avg 100)
5. Overall really sweet town with little shops, parks, and restaurants