Considering a move to South Seattle (Federal Way, Renton: rental, crime, house)

[mabinogi]

Hubby and I (and bun in the oven) currently live in a lovely neighborhood in north Seattle, but are contemplating moving further south to be closer to his job in Federal Way. More specifically, we are looking at a house just off Rainier Ave South, almost at the southern tip of Lake Washington. The cross streets are 84th Ave S and 112th Street. I've never spent any time in south Seattle, and am hoping that someone can give me some insight into this part of town. I think this still qualifies as Seattle, at least according to Google maps, although it looks to me like it's practically in Renton.

This would be a rental, so even though we're expecting a baby I'm not too concerned about school districts just yet. I'm more concerned about safety, the feel of the neighborhood, access to things to do, traffic, etc. Any input would be much appreciated!

[Hemlock140]

Because it's so close to the lake, that's a nice neighborhood. On the other hand, getting there can be interesting, as it's so close to Skyway, South Park & Tukwila which are higher crime areas.

[Inkpoe]

Isn't that the Bryn-Mawr area? IRA definitely know, DM him.

[Ira500]

Yup, that's Bryn Mawr.It's not near South Park at all, not too far from Tukwila , and maybe 24 blocks from the heart of Skyway, with whom it shares a zip code. It's just a few blocks from the north end of Renton airport, and has nice lake views.
There are pluses and minuses to the area. I live in the zip code a couple of miles away in Earlington. It's a pretty area, but because it's been under the county's juridiction, it's lacking things like sidewalks on a lot of streets. But a lot of the streets are quiet and don't really need them. 84th's a little busy, and has some spectacular views going down the hill to the lake. But there's not much to Bryn Mawr. Downtown Renton's a couple of miles away, which would have the nearest supermarkets and some good restaurants.
Bryn Mawr has a restaurant or two on Rainier Avenue, Changs Mongolian and the Lakeside Bistro. Just up the road past Lakeridge is a really good Neopolitan pizza place. Rainier Beach isn't all that far, but is mostly a place worth avoiding. Bryn Mawr isn't terribly far from Seward Park, which is my favorite in Seattle, and Lakeridge Park/Taylor Creek/Deadhorse Canyon has some beutiful trails in the woods not too far from Bryn Mawr.

[mabinogi]

Thanks, all! I really appreciate your input. We went and checked out the house yesterday and the neighborhood seemed just fine. However, the house itself wasn't that great so I think we're going to pass on it. Next up, a rental on southwest Seattle, just north of White Center. Cross streets are SW Henderson and 11th Avenue SW, a few blocks west of Westcrest Park. I've heard some bad things about White Center, but have also heard that it's gotten much better in recent years. I'm hoping, anyway, that this house is far enough north of White Center for that not to be an issue. Any thoughts on this neighborhood? Thank you!

[Ira500]

I don't think of 11th and Henderson as quite as nice as Bryn Mawr..That's the Highland Park neighborhood. The best thing about the neighorhood is Westcrest Park, especially if you have a dog( they have a nice off leash area within the park).
Around 9th and Henderson is a good place for BBQ sandwiches, the Morningstar Market. And White Center is only 5-6 blocks away, something I see as a good thing. You may not want to live right in White Center, but it has some awesome places to eat and drink at. There's a Mexican roasted chicken place, a Peruvian roasted chicken place, a good BBQ joint, a good pizzeria, a bakery that specializes in pies, a Salvadorean bakery, a decent place for breakfast, a microbrewery, and a home made ice cream place. White Center is definitely an emerging hip neighborhood

[mabinogi]

Awesome, Ira. Thank you! You are a font of wisdom.

[Ira500]

Originally Posted by mabinogi

Awesome, Ira. Thank you! You are a font of wisdom.

I was involved, around 15 years ago, with opening up Westcrest as an off leash dog area. Some other neighborhoods were fighting off leash areas. The neighborhood near Westcrest requested an off leash area. It needed it. It's a big park, 300 acres. It was a pretty skanky place then, with drug deals going on, public drinking, and the parking lot used as a pick up area for men to have sex in the bushes. Dogs running loose with lots of people( dog owners) around can have an effect on things. It's brought more "legitimite" users to the non offleash part of the park, they've also built a playground . It's cleaned up a lot, and there are nice trails through the woods.