Thinking of Moving Thanks in advance (Seattle, Kent: real estate, house, unemployment rate)

[odenthall1]

Hello all,

First of all let me give you a little back ground, for the past 12 years my wife, 2 children and myself have been living with my parents in a pretty expensive county in California. It worked out perfect they had the 3 extra rooms they weren’t using so we moved in. My intentions were to buy the house when they retired. Last year my father was diagnosed with leukemia and both of my parents decided to retire ( 5 years early). My wife has been out of work for more than 3 years due to an on the job injury. Currently she is going back to school to finish her dream of becoming a teacher…

Well after 3 years of trying to convince my wife maybe some where else would be better to set our roots. She finally agreed to move as long as I can make about the same amount of money and it does not snow ( she’s afraid to drive in the snow). Rain is not a problem, and fog is not an issue we live in a valley right off the coast so we get a lot of fog.

We prefer small towns 50,000 and less with big cities being within an hour drive. We are very active in our community both my boys play sports all year round. I have been coaching there baseball teams for the past 5 years. She PTA’s and is on the board for our baseball league.

If anyone has any info or links to City’s or County’s that meet this criteria We would really appreciate it. I have a pretty well rounded work history ( Construction, Office Work, Security, Federal Govt., City Govt.). Currently I am in airport operations which I would like to stick with but not Necessary. We are looking at either Oregon or Washington not to picky.

Thanks for reading this, sorry it’s so long. And hopefully in the next year or so we will be able to become a member of the Oregon or Washington community and greeted with open arms.

Robert

[RobE]

Olympia is about an hour from Sea-Tac Airport. It only snows one or two days a year on average (last year being a very bizarro exception). Lacey is to the north of Olympia and is largely a bedroom community. There is also an Amtrak station there and you can take the train to the Mariners games. Homes in Lacey are in the low to mid-200,000 range and Olympia probably isn't that much more expensive.

The jobs picture here isn't that hot and neither are the wages that are paid, but there is also no income tax (sales and property taxes, though, are high). My advice to you would be to come up here and have a look around and see what suits you. Real estate prices are falling, though not like they are in CA. And our unemployment rate isn't as bad as Oregon's.

[nfdsouza2001]

There are towns that are closer to Seatac that should fit you price range. Kent,Covington,Auburn,Puyallup and Renton are close to Seattle and offer a semi central location. There is an Air Traffic facility in Auburn and the regional airport is pretty busy.

[nwcountrygal]

I vote again on South end. Get close to Freeway.. Sea Tac has openings at this time I believe. Teachers are well needed I belive not sure. Not so much snow but last year sucked. The nice thing is that many employers do not require people to drive in snow. Cheaper down here and the traffic isn't much worse... expect around Fort Lewis in peak times. You can go around depending where you live/ if you want "town" to extremes go up north.

[People Helper Robin]

Thurston County is a wonderful alternative. Try looking at www.ThurstonChamber.com for more information about our wonderful community. Yes, you will get some snow but not usually very much or for very long. Last year was just odd. There are fantastic school systems here, several colleges, great places to visit within an hour or so drive. I highly recommend giving this area a try. I've helped many people from California relocate up here and they have been very happy. Let me know if the link helps.