Tacoma to Seattle commute? (Federal Way, Lakewood: apartment, rent, house)

[thesoulwithin]

Hi guys,

I recently took a job at Mary Bridge Hospital in Tacoma, which I am thrilled about! The job starts in 3 months and I am completely new to the PNW, so I'm looking for help from you. I don't know much about either Seattle or Tacoma, but I happen to have a few high school and college friends who live in Seattle (um, Queen Anne and West Seattle, I think) and would love to live close-ish to them, as I don't know anyone else in the area. That having been said, is that a crazy idea? Would that be a ridiculous commute, would traffic make it impossible? If the commute is in fact possible, where in Seattle should I look for a place? What would be reasonable, distance wise? I'm 27, single and could swing about $1500 a month for a studio/1-bedroom. I'm not looking for anything fancy, just safe and clean and near some nice parks or the water, as I've got a dog I like to take running.

Also, I work 4 days a week, one of them is a weekend day, and I think I'd be willing to drive about 45 minutes each way MAX.

Any suggestions?

Thanks!

[mkarch]

Since you'd have a reverse commute, it is possible to get from parts of West Seattle down to Tacoma in 45 minutes. The problem you'll face is the return commute - evenings heading north - can be highly variable due to stadium traffic. On many days it will be reasonably clear, and on others traffic will back up 15+ miles from downtown depending on whether there's a Seahawks or Mariners game. On weekends, if the express lanes are heading south, northbound can be very congested. If you're in west seattle, you have the option of using 99/509 to avoid I-5 much of the way so that will help on all but the worst days.

[southking500]

Have you calculated the gas cost? Distance is about 35 miles, so 280 per 4 day week, say 1200 a month, if you get 20 mpg that is over $200.00 per month + increased oil, tires, general wear and tear on your vehicle. You will also give yourself at least 1 hour each way to allow for traffic delays (early to bed and early to rise!) You will also pay on average at least $300 to $400 more per month for an apartment in Seattle vs. a comparable one in Tacoma. For $1500.00 per month you can rent a whole house in a decent area of Tacoma with a yard for your dog and a garage for your car vs. a small apartment on Capitol Hill with no parking. There some nice areas in and around Tacoma. As far as parks with water, Pt. Defiance and Ruston Way in Tacoma are on par with anything in Seattle.
So, yes in my opinion it is a crazy idea to spend that much and take that time out of your day every day + the stress of commuting. And trust me, you will be late for work a lot, I've worked with many people who made this type of long commute and they had to leave very early for work each morning, the longer the drive, the more likely you are to hit backed up traffic.

[poopskooper]

I'm thinking along the same lines as southking500 on this. Although you may feel comfortable initially living close to friends, I'm an advocate of living as close to work as possible.

Plus, you will be making new friends amongst your coworkers once you start work and it may be nice to be closer to them once you get settled in. You can always visit friends in Seattle or meet somewhere in between.

Personally, I don't enjoy the day-to-day grind of driving to work through traffic. If it's a nice relaxing drive, that's one thing. However, the traffic between Seattle and Tacoma even if going in the reverse-commute direction is not really a relaxing drive much of the time. Going to Mary Bridge in the morning from say, Queen Anne could come close to an hour but coming back in the afternoon might be as much as an hour and a half. Even on the week-ends I've encountered traffic backed up on I-5 as all it takes is a small accident to back up traffic for miles. 45-minutes may be possible if you decide on somewhere south of downtown Seattle, i.e., West Seattle, etc. but again, in the afternoon it may be longer. Especially on days of bad weather, traffic always feels slower and sometimes actually is. And on those cold icy or snowy mornings, wouldn't it be nicer to have a 5 or 10 minute drive instead of a 45-minute drive through a slew of traffic?

And I agree, not only will you save a considerable amount of money not having to commute longer distances but as has been said, you'll in all likelihood find housing for more reasonable prices

JMO, and it doesn't mean much.

[mkarch]

I agree with these guys that it won't be a FUN comute at all, and I'd grow tired of it quickly. I do think there's a benefit to living close to people you know when you first relocate. Since you'll be renting, look it as maybe 12 months with a less desirable commute until you know better where you want to live.

[phoenixmike11]

I would probably agree with previous posters about living near work in tacoma-it would be a lot easier- i guess if u lived in belltown (downtown seattle) there is the 590/594 bus to tacoma and you could walk to the bus in downtown seattle and take the express bus to tacoma (how close the bus stop in tacoma is to your workplace in tacoma-i do not know)
590 | Tacoma - Seattle - SoundTransit
594 | Lakewood - Seattle - SoundTransit

[RotseCherut]

Move to Federal Way... Problem Solved.. Now you can enjoy all that Seattle has to offer with a 20-25 min commute and just a 10-15 minute commute to T-Town..

Wow.. I should get paid for the advice I give, but I am a kind person..


P.S. Rush hour from Seattle to Tacoma sucks.. Have fun.. You think you are saving time by living in Seattle?? HAAAA..