RELO to Washington from Massachusetts (Seattle, Tacoma: sales, 2009, houses)

[kalderfer]

My fiance and I are looking to relocate to Washington. We are in the very beginning stage of our research, and I was hoping to find some help on here to help narrow down the process. We are interested in learning "local" takes on the housing and job markets, and which cities/towns rate desirable on the "places to live and places to work." I'm an Operations Manager and he is in sales/sales management, mostly in the financial sector. We currently live about 45 minutes west of Boston, MA. We like being close enough to head downtown, but far enough away to enjoy a house with a yard, and a small to mid-size town feel. We're expecting our first baby this April, so schools, saftey, healthcare facility options will all be at the top of our priority list. I know that my fiance is interested in the western part of Washington, but we would be open to hearing about other places. Any suggestions are greatly appreciated. Thanks for you help, and looking forward to hearing what you have to say!!

[Ira500]

Most of the jobs around here will either be in Seattle proper or on the eastside ( Bellevue, Kirkland, Redmond), with some south ( Renton, Kent)....There are plenty of areas with good schools and small to midsize town feel. North of Seattle, a few nice towns include Edmonds and Mukilteo ( both on the water). Eastside towns that are nice Kirkland( on Lake Washington), Issaquah ( on Lake Sammamish and with lots of hiking trails, Cascade mountain foothills), Newcastle ( hiking trails) and Bellevue ( getting to be a big city, but many houses with yards, etc.)...southeast of Seattle, Maple Valley is a bit more rural but also with a good school district.

[mthomson]

Gig Harbor is my answer of choice for most folks looking to move to the area. Schools are great. Small town. Sense of community is fantastic. YMCA and new Boys and Girls Club are great places for kids and families. Scenery is unmatched. Great parks, places to walk/run/bike.
Job market in Gig Harbor is pretty much non-existent. You're 15 min from Tacoma, 45min to Olympia, 60 or so with traffic to Seattle (but there's a great bus/train system as well). Housing market is more expensive than some parts, cheaper than most of King County. Our median sales price is about $387k right now. If you don't mind a little commute, Gig Harbor will be tough to beat.