Midwest to PNW (Seattle area) for Two-Mommy family (Bellingham, Olympia: apartment, to rent)

[YoMaMJ]

Hello, my partner, two young children and I am seriously considering moving to the PNW. I most likely will be working from home (good job) and my partner would be looking to work in a small hospital. We have heard great things about WA in general about being liberal and accepting of LGBT people, but I thought I'd start a thread on it.

We'd prefer a small to medium city near Seattle with great schools and lots of activities. Our oldest is a couple years away from kindergarten, so we would like to find an in-home daycare. We would most likely prefer to rent out an apartment or townhouse. Yes, we realize how expensive the Seattle area is, but we would like some feedback on cute cities/towns that might be good for a rainbow family.

Thank you for your time.

[Arushan]

How far is "near" Seattle? How many miles outside of Seattle proper would you consider to be the max? Would you prefer the town to be more on the rural, or suburban side? Or would you prefer it to be it's own small city that has it's own metro area? There are lots of options so I'm trying to narrow it down. I like Bellingham, which is approximately 100 miles from Seattle. If you need to be closer to Seattle, I'd look into Edmonds. But that's just my own preferences.

[slan490]

You would love Olympia. It's similar to Madison, WI. Great cost of living and two local hospitals.

It's nestled on Budd Inlet with views of Mt. Rainier, the Olympics, and sound. Way less traffic and density than Seattle, but many cultural events.

The Procession of the Species and Art Walk are this weekend and downtown is buzzing!

I live in NE Olympia and love it! Many rainbow families, very open and caring community. Olympia School District is highly regarded...both of my kids are in it and it would be hard to replicate what we have here as a total package anywhere else (of course that's my perception).

If you have any questions let me know

Check it out!

[YoMaMJ]

Sorry, "near" Seattle is vague. I'd say within an hour (not rush hour). Again, neither of us will be working in Seattle. Rural is fine as long as the nearest town has amenities. Thanks.