Got stationed at McChord...now what? :) (Tacoma, Olympia: for sale, how much, houses)

[Lindsey67]

My husband and I just got orders for McChord AFB and we're moving there in January. We're coming from Northwest Florida, so it's going to be a bit of a change! Unfortunately, neither of us are familiar with Washington...at all.

I guess my question is - what cities are good, and what cities are not so great? I plan on flying out to look at houses next month, and I want to at least narrow some things down. We've been looking at homes online, and the cities that pop up the most are Puyallup, DuPont, Olympia, etc.
Are these good places to live? Safe? Somewhat close to base? Good shopping/restaurants? ... I have a lot of questions. Hah

Also - I want a place that would be safe for outdoor activities - I want a safe neighborhood where I could have my morning run, walk the dog, etc.

Does anyone have any suggestions?? Right now, (from what I can see online) I am in love with this house that is in Puyallup -in a neighborhood called "Morningview Ridge" - any comments??

Any information at all would be greatly appreciated!! Thanks!

[nfdsouza2001]

Originally Posted by Lindsey67

My husband and I just got orders for McChord AFB and we're moving there in January. We're coming from Northwest Florida, so it's going to be a bit of a change! Unfortunately, neither of us are familiar with Washington...at all.

I guess my question is - what cities are good, and what cities are not so great? I plan on flying out to look at houses next month, and I want to at least narrow some things down. We've been looking at homes online, and the cities that pop up the most are Puyallup, DuPont, Olympia, etc.
Are these good places to live? Safe? Somewhat close to base? Good shopping/restaurants? ... I have a lot of questions. Hah

Also - I want a place that would be safe for outdoor activities - I want a safe neighborhood where I could have my morning run, walk the dog, etc.

Does anyone have any suggestions?? Right now, (from what I can see online) I am in love with this house that is in Puyallup -in a neighborhood called "Morningview Ridge" - any comments??

Any information at all would be greatly appreciated!! Thanks!

Lindsey,

That home is sold. However there are 11 in that neighborhood for sale. The neighborhood is a nice and safe. The streets are good and with plenty of walking trails and sidewalks for walking both for you and the dogs. I like the location because the prices are reasonable and access to Mcchord is quick either on 176th which Sunrise east of Meridian. There is Fred Meyer grocery store on the corner of Merdian/ 176 th. There is also 2 super Walmarts. Traffic on Meridian can be bad but you have at least cross arterials between Puyallup & Tacoma where Mc chord is located Dupont and Olympia are nice areas to be in too but the traffic on I 5 can be a pain. Hope this helps

[Lindsey67]

Thank you so much for your input!! I'm not doubting your information, but how do you know that the house I'm looking at is sold when you said there are 11 houses in the same neighborhood for sale?? Haha...did you mean there are 11 houses for sale in Puyallup period? I'm just a little confused.
Thanks again for the info!

[nfdsouza2001]

I looked at the MLS listing for the house you mentioned What I meant was that particular house has sold but is pending closing, contingencies ( financing,inspection among others) . There 11 other houses in that vicinity that are still for sale.I hope this info helps.

[Sandy Nelson]

Lindsey,

Although moving here from Florida will mean major climate adjustments, Washington is a gorgeous place to live and you're lucky to get this assignment to McChord. It beats North Dakota
If you're considering a 30 minute commute or less, the towns of Gig Harbor, Puyallup, Dupont, Lacey and Olympia are all possibilities. Many military families like to live in Dupont, as it's just 10 minutes from McChord and you will have the least amount of traffic headaches to contend with. Dupont is a planned community with 1/3 of the space for residential use, 1/3 for commercial use and 1/3 for parks and trails. The community is connected with bike paths, sidewalks and trails and has a quaint and vibrant downtown core with cafes and restaurants. The drawback to living in Dupont is that the homes tend to be close together and the back yards tend to be small, but in turn there are lots of parks and trails. The shopping in Dupont is limited. The nearest box stores are in Lacey, about 10 minutes south.
Puyallup is also a very nice town. The community is much larger and spread out. Looking on a map, it looks like it's a short commute to McChord, but if you have to drive down Meridian in the morning, or from 3-5 p.m. it will be a slow and long process. As far as shopping and restaurants, you'll have everything in Puyallup you'll want.
I always recommend choosing a community first, and then looking at houses in that community, rather than letting a house you fall in love with determine where you live.
Good luck with your move.

Sandy

[Lindsey67]

Thank you for the info, Sandy! Your post was very helpful. Most of the homes I am finding online in Dupont look like they are over $300,000...and $300k is the highest that we would like to pay for right now. Do you know of any homes that are right below or right at $300k? And how about Olympia?? I'm assuming it's bigger? How far is it from McChord? Thanks for the help!

[nfdsouza2001]

I agree with Sandy. Check out the neighborhood first. I am familiar aith Puyallup, worked up and down Meridian for about 6 years. Meridian can be a drag I have gotten from 176 to 512 in about 20-25 minutes. That is why I mentioned about the east west arterials.

[Sandy Nelson]

Lindsey,

The drive from Olympia to MCChord is around 25 or 30 minutes. It all depends how close you live to I-5.
The price of the homes depend on how many bedrooms you're looking for and how much acreage. It should be no problem to get a nice 3 bedroom home in either Olympia, Lacey, or Dupont for under $300,000; there are plenty on the MLS.

Sandy