Family looking for home (Seattle, Olympia: employment, purchasing, schools)

[geoindigo]

My husband and I are looking for a small to mid-sized city that is progressive, liberal, and family friendly with decent employment prospects. Quality schools are important since we have a 6 and 8 year old. We currently live in Central Oregon in a small, conservative town that offers hardly any culture (unless your a cowboy/girl). We have been here almost two years, and it's just not feeling like home. I'm also tired of the dust. I like what I am seeing about Olympia, but wanted to get some other opinions. Please, let me know your views of Olympia or any other Washington city you might feel would be a good fit.

[wamamma]

Why a Washington City? Corvalis/Albany area of Oregon or Eugene Oregon would offer some of what your looking for. We lived in Albany for a few months and it was great!

[geoindigo]

I haven't ruled out the cities you mentioned in Oregon. We considered a move to Bend one hour away, but we really feel our dollar will go further elsewhere. A quality school is my number one priority followed by decent employment prospects.

Any opinions on the quality of Washington schools compared with Oregon schools? I've looked at some of the other threads and have gotten a general sense that Washington schools are better than Oregon schools, although I know quality can vary from district to district. Can anyone give some additional input?

We are also very tempted by a town that offers decent public transportation and is easy to bike and walk around. We have considered purchasing a home within the heart of a city so that we keep commuting down to a minimum. However, I don't want to be in a large city like Portland or Seattle. We are thinking a population of under 100,000, and maybe closer to 50,000, would be right for us.

I know, it's impossible to find that city that offers all the things you really want.