Is Sammamish too remote from everything? (Seattle, Bellevue: Home Depot, YMCA, schools)

[madaboutmad]

We are coming from Irvine (southern california) my husband will be working in bellevue right off the 90. I had my heart set on either issaquah or bellevue but the inventory is so low and I can't find anything I like. We like a home in "The Woods at Beaver Lake" but I'm concerned Its too remote. How far is trader joes' costco, things to do with kids etc? I don't know the area at all. I've been to the area many years ago and its beautiful.

[Inkpoe]

Its about a 15 mins or so drive to Trader Joe's, Costco, et c ... personally I don't feel its remote at all. 228th can be pretty busy and there's a QFC on it as well. Its close to schools, other families, YMCA and many parks.

[Hemlock140]

We've been here almost 20 years, and the only down side is that we may get snow up here 1-2 more times than people in the lowlands. We are about in the middle of the plateau and it's almost exactly 6 miles to shopping in either Issaquah or Redmond, take your choice. We normally prefer the Redmond TJs as it's bigger. Costco is in Issaquah about 15 minute away as Inkpoe said, same for Lowe's, Home Depot and Target, the last two also in Redmond the same distance. As for the kids there are parks, trails, and lakes, the usual soccer, baseball and softball, and a skateboard park. The teenagers always claim to be bored until they can drive but that's the same everywhere.

[tobester]

One thing .. in Washington, it's "I90", not "the 90" - prefacing with "the" shows your California heritage.

[texastrigirl]

I can be in downtown Issaquah in 10-15 minutes tops from South Sammamish so that's where the shopping is. If you like gorgeous freshwater lakes for fishing, swimming, kayaking, etc. then you are 3 minutes away from either Pine Lake or Beaver Lake in that location, and about 8 from the Lake Sammamish boat launch. Parks - some of the best are in Sammamish - Ebright Creek, Pine Lake, Soaring Eagle to name a few. Schools are terrific, some of the best hiking can be done starting right in Issaquah, the air is clean, the eagles soar and it's safe. We are 18 miles from the Seattle waterfront. In mid-day traffic I can be down to meet my husband for lunch in under 25 minutes. Remote? Not in my opinion. Fantastic place to live and raise kids, and one of the most beautiful cities on the Eastside? Absolutely! But you're not going to find any inventory out here either. Seattle is rated #4 on a list of a major cities with the lowest housing inventory right now and Sammamish is no exception. When the schools are as good as they are out here, it's where people look as you get a little more for your $, plus more natural beauty and less congestion.

[Ira500]

I think how remote a place seems depends on where you're coming from. To a person from New York City or Capitol Hill in Seattle, Sammamish would feel like the end of the earth. But isn't Southern California a place where people get in their cars a lot, and a 15-20 minute drive seems like nothing?
Sammamish is a little far from seattle, but people make the commute all the time. To Redmond, Bellevue, or Issaquah, it's pretty easy. My own personal preference is for something a little more urban, but I know a bunch of people who live in Sammamish, and it seems like everybody who lives there really likes it.

[VeronikaW]

Having grown up in Irvine (Woodbridge), the first time we moved to WA we lived in the Issaquah Highlands, because it reminded me more of Irvine than anywhere else I saw in WA.

If you move to Sammamish you're not going to have the walkability of lots of close strip malls, like you do in Irvine, but you'll have much prettier natural surroundings and tons of parks and outdoor activities.

I liked Issaquah, because coming from Irvine, I was very use to hopping right onto the freeway, and Issaquah is like that.

I think Sammamish has a ton going for it. It's one of the areas we considered when we moved back. I know it's considered one of the most desirable suburbs around Seattle.

Good luck!

V. =)

[MaikeerinWA]

We seriously considered Sammamish when househunting recently, but for us it really was too remote, but mainly from a work commute standpoint. My wife and I work in different cities (Renton and Seattle) and Newcastle was a much better compromise for us.

Aside from the distance from some employers, Sammamish doesn't lack for activities and amenities, as others have noted. It's a really nice place.

Best Places to Live 2011 - Top 100: Town details: Sammamish, WA - from MONEY Magazine

Best Places to Live 2011 - Top 100: Town details: Newcastle, WA - from MONEY Magazine