Maple Valley named best place to raise kids in Washington State (Bellevue: real estate, 2013)

[Boxkicker]

According to Bloomberg Business Week magazine..

The Best Places to Raise Kids 2013 - Finding the Best in Small Towns - Businessweek

[tahoeskier]

We moved here two years ago for this very reasoning. We heard such good things about raising kids in Maple Valley, and as we are about to have our first baby due in March, we are now not so sure.

The local development activities were seen as quite positive when we first arrived, but recent decisions, such as the construction of a Grocery Outlet which the mayor claims the city did not want are very odd. With a median family income over $104,000, one really has to wonder why another grocery store, particularly one with bargain prices is required. The initial proposed plan, and rumors of a Trader Joe's or PCC were very appealing to many residents, and clearly the income is here to support such a store.

Our bigger concern however is related to the schools, which are experiencing overcrowding at a rapid rate. Two years ago, residents decided to vote down a bond measure that would have provided funding for additional elementary school construction. Due to this decision, children who live within a mile of a school are being told they may be bussed to another school in the district, or even to another district altogether. This is definitely frustrating, and of concern for a district that has performed so well in the past.

I really do hope that the city government is able to fix some of the issues that seem to be getting bigger and bigger, and that residents make their concerns known.

As of now, we are very strongly considering a move to Issaquah, and we know others considering the same thing.

What are the thoughts from other MV residents?

[Hemlock140]

Being named a best place is sort of a curse. People flock there making it grow too fast and soon what made it best no longer exists. The few people I know that love there are still perfectly happy but are in rural areas off of highway 18 and their kids are grown.

[mkarch]

This is interesting. Back in the middle of the last decade I heard real estate agents touting MV as "the next Bothell". This comparison I found really odd and not necessarily complimentary given how Bothell has turned into an ugly disjointed sprawl all the way up to Mill Creek.

Did that happen?

[Inkpoe]

Originally Posted by mkarch

This is interesting. Back in the middle of the last decade I heard real estate agents touting MV as "the next Bothell". This comparison I found really odd and not necessarily complimentary given how Bothell has turned into an ugly disjointed sprawl all the way up to Mill Creek.

Did that happen?

Maple Valley definitely has become sprawl-y and a lot more trafficky. I would say compared to Bothell, it's done a better job of preserving their wilderness which gives MV a more of a (faux) rural feel. And like Bothell, MV has a highly ranked school district, Tahoma SD which is right up there along the likes of Bellevue SD, Issaquah SD, et. c. And like Bothell, it's "affordable". So I guess those RE agents were pretty much correct (though there are some differences, for sure).

One of my bestest and long time friend's mother who moved to MV back in the early 90s (so back when it was real country) now complains about how its become too crowded, and a real traffic mess, especially during rush. She never thought it would become like this and that was why she originally chose to live over in MV. Consequently she's now longing to move to a small (BFE) town in Montana where she knows it'll never ever grow.

[flyingsaucermom]

We love Issaquah and parents really seem to support measures positively affecting schools. That said, some of those overcrowding issues you mentioned are happening here, especially (though perhaps exclusively) in the Issaquah Highlands. We have least 150+ kids who live within a block or two of Grand Ridge Elementary that will be bussed to other schools (specifically, Clark Elementary), aside from all the full-time kinders that already are. I believe this absolutely has to do with the sheer volume of newly constructed family housing and the attraction of families with young children to the Issaquah school system, not the lack of support for the schools themselves. Just some information to consider.

[Hemlock140]

Issaquah was notorious for it's failure to require sufficient developer fees for new schools, while approving developments that appealed to families with kids. While that has been corrected since it's too late and that means overcrowding. The District seems to be doing a decent job handling it, however and the schools are still good.

[CarawayDJ]

Whenever someone talks about a great place to raise kids I have to investigate. However, when I drive through Maple Valley on Google Street View, it looks like where I live now in SoCal, only green. I have vowed never to live in another cookie cutter subdivision again. Is it all like that there?

[angelenogirl]

Originally Posted by CarawayDJ

Whenever someone talks about a great place to raise kids I have to investigate. However, when I drive through Maple Valley on Google Street View, it looks like where I live now in SoCal, only green. I have vowed never to live in another cookie cutter subdivision again. Is it all like that there?

From what I've seen, yes. Visited a friend there who lives in an entire community of identical houses. Lots of new construction, but none of it looked particularly appealing to me.

[Hemlock140]

The new developments are that way, but there are still many homes on acreage with long private driveways.