Moving to Seattle (Bellevue, Pacific: to rent, how much, house)

[thompsonclan1]

Heres the deal.....

Lived in AZ for 30 yrs in Gilbert and Northern AZ areas. Wanted to move out of AZ so my husband took a job that landed us in Newberg, Oregon. I love Oregon but am finding out the cost of living is high and the job market is low. My husband hates it here to many hippies I think but I am not sure of his reasoning. We are now currently look for jobs in AZ and WA job markets are much better in those states as compared to Oregon. Its very possible he has a great job opportunity in Seattle, which is great because I don't want to go back to AZ (but in AZ you do get a lot more bang for your buck) I have fallen in love with the Pacific Northwest. I have been to seattle once. We are use to open acre farm house living. But I was thinking it might be cool to live in a nice city that we can get rid of the cars and have a cultural experience for our 8 yr old son. We also have a dog who is a big part of our family and heard that Seattle is very pet friendly. My son also has always attended a catholic school and we would like him to attend one in Seattle. What are some good neigborhoods to live in that are in the city but very family/pet friendly? Also his new job will be around central Seattle with some stores also in the Northwest and Southwest side of Seattle.

Thanks!

[Ira500]

The Alaska Junction neighborhood in West Seattle is a fun neighborhood with stuff to do, all the urban amenities ( shops, restaurants, stores, bakeries, etc) while still being pretty safe, not too far from the water and Schmitz Park ( great for dogs) a short car ride away from West Seattle's offleash dog park, and an easy walk to Holy Rosary church and school. Pretty easy trip into downtown Seattle too.

[TedO]

Downtown Seattle is definitely not kid-friendly. Hardly ever see any kids in the city proper. (It's shocking when you do see them...) Mainly a place for singles. That said, there are some decent neighborhoods around Seattle, but that would not give you the urban feel you say you are looking for.

I agree that West Seattle is a good option if you want to be near the city (though West Seattle is about 8 miles away from downtown). The views in West Seattle are absolutely amazing.

Make sure you are familiar with and ok with the politics in the area. It's one of the most liberal cities in America. If you a liberal, you will love it in Seattle.. if not, you won't know whether to laugh or cry.

[IanandJeretta]

The Green Lake neighborhood has a very nice park like feel around the lake (3 miles around). Lots of dogwalking, jogging around the lake etc. Lots of families with young children that play in the parks activities - tennis, pool, climbing gyms and lots of open spaces to play. It is about 15 minutes to downtown Seattle with good public transport. Close to library,cafes, shops and organic markets (PPC). Wholefoods is about 10 minutes away.

[seattlefanatic]

Just so you know: if you think Oregon has a high cost of living, then Seattle is going to be mindnumbingly expensive on all fronts. Also, I disagree with TedO. I see kids downtown all the time, like literally all the time. I went downtown all of the time when I was in high school, and some of my best memories with my parents took place in downtown Seattle, so I think it's a kid friendly place indeed. Granted however, Seattle has the second lowest amount of kids within the city other than San Francisco, so there aren't that many kids on the entire city to begin with, but, I digress.

[eskercurve]

One of the good things about Seattle is you can have farm or very open land and still be relatively close to Seattle and urban life. Same can be said for suburban areas.

COL will be a HUGE sticker shock to you if you think Portland and OR are expensive.

And your husband will probably hate it more. However, he should learn a lesson from us left-wing nutjobs and just take it easy, relax, and let bygones be bygones. While most people here are liberal leaning (with significant pockets of conservative neighborhoods), they don't push it in your face like they do in San Fransisco (e.g. you won't be called a "breeder" here for just having kids, people here love kids and dogs). And he should avoid reading some of the more progressive publications, like Seattle Weekly. It will blow his mind.

And, just from a general perspective, you may want to rent a house for a year first before deciding that an urban lifestyle is right for you. IF you like it, then you can move on, and if not, you can move out. Going from country living to urban living is a big step, and it's good to know what you want to get into. It is also very diverse, so for example, you will get a different experience living in Fremont versus Ballard versus Green Lake (the hippy artist, the young hip person, and the outdoorsy person of the neighborhoods).

[movingwiththewind]

Originally Posted by seattlefanatic

I disagree with TedO. I see kids downtown all the time, like literally all the time. I went downtown all of the time when I was in high school, and some of my best memories with my parents took place in downtown Seattle, so I think it's a kid friendly place indeed. Granted however, Seattle has the second lowest amount of kids within the city other than San Francisco, so there aren't that many kids on the entire city to begin with, but, I digress.

Happy New Year!

I see a lot of kids in downtown Seattle all the time, as well. You surely talking about street kids?

[seattlefanatic]

Originally Posted by movingwiththewind

Happy New Year!

I see a lot of kids in downtown Seattle all the time, as well. You surely talking about street kids?

Nope!

[Xanathos]

Originally Posted by thompsonclan1

Heres the deal.....

Lived in AZ for 30 yrs in Gilbert and Northern AZ areas. Wanted to move out of AZ so my husband took a job that landed us in Newberg, Oregon. I love Oregon but am finding out the cost of living is high and the job market is low. My husband hates it here to many hippies I think but I am not sure of his reasoning.

I know EXACTLY how he feels! I just escaped from Oregon for the exact same reason, except I was in Portland where they had clustered into a huge grouping of them and taken over a mid-major city.

But I was thinking it might be cool to live in a nice city that we can get rid of the cars and have a cultural experience for our 8 yr old son.

Well, getting rid of your cars probably isn't going to happen. This is a sprawling area, and the transit system is behind the times. There are some who do it, but they're typically the hippies your husband hates :P, or else young naive urbanites that are living in the core of the city.

We also have a dog who is a big part of our family and heard that Seattle is very pet friendly. My son also has always attended a catholic school and we would like him to attend one in Seattle. What are some good neigborhoods to live in that are in the city but very family/pet friendly? Also his new job will be around central Seattle with some stores also in the Northwest and Southwest side of Seattle.

Thanks!

The city is very pet friendly. I can't help you about Catholic schools. I know of private schools in the area, but they aren't religious. As to where to live? I mean, stay out of the South side and it's almost all good. And some parts of that are fine, too. A question you didn't answer is: Are you aiming to move into the suburbs, or are you wanting to live in the city itself?

[Xanathos]

Originally Posted by eskercurve

sticker shock to you if you think Portland and OR are expensive.

And your husband will probably hate it more. However, he should learn a lesson from us left-wing nutjobs and just take it easy, relax, and let bygones be bygones.

You don't understand what it's like to be surrounded by the Oregon hippies until you live there. There's a difference between just leaning left and adopting a philosophy of "we're going to change the entire world, and we don't care how much of YOUR money we have to spend to do it or how much we have to stick our noses in your business as we pass by and see you doing something we don't like."
.

While most people here are liberal leaning (with significant pockets of conservative neighborhoods),

This part is true. And if it's an issue to you and your husband, might I recommend the East side? The suburbs over on this side of the water are a bit more grounded in reality and centrist in their views. Which is why a significant amount of businesses are leaving the Seattle city limits and setting up in Bellevue.