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Old 06-14-2013, 10:02 AM
 
Location: Portlandish, OR
1,082 posts, read 1,907,632 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Hemlock140 View Post
What you are looking for will be difficult, because the best schools are in the most affluent areas. All those people that drive the expensive cars and must have the latest of everything are also well educated and anxious for their kids to get the best possible opportunities, so they take an interest in school issues and contribute both financially and with their time. There will be some of that in the outlying, more rural and small town areas but not as much. In places like Bellevue, Mercer Island, Issaquah, Redmond, Kirkland and Sammamish there is little difference between the schools, all high performing. In Other areas you need to do more research to find the best ones. For example, Carnation and Duvall schools are all about the same and decent but not great. North Bend has a variety from very good to not so much.
I will have to research those areas. Thank you!
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Old 06-14-2013, 10:42 AM
 
Location: Oregon
689 posts, read 970,001 times
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To add to this discussion, 2 areas come to mind as possible close-in choices. One is in an area of Kirkland called Rosehill. It's very close to both Redmond and Kirkland commercial districts but, for some reason, there are many small, quaint old farm houses and cottages on sizable (unmanicured) lots. I'm thinking of a wide stretch of homes near to Lake Washington College. It may be hard to find something in there, but I think it would fit your criteria.

The second location would be out in an area of Bellevue called Phantom Lake. There's lots of older homes out there in a lower density setting with a less suburban vibe. A neighboring community is Spiritridge, also older, modest and more earthy than many Eastside communities. Nearby, there's a wonderful walking trail called the Lakes to Lakes Trail. It stretches several miles and you can hike/walk in both forested and natural park-like grounds with kids and dogs. In addition, there's a large u-pick blueberry farm and the small Larson Lake.

There would be no problem keeping chickens or growing gardens out there. The schools are reliable in both Bellevue and Lake Washington districts, so you can't go wrong with either. The central question would be if you could make peace and thrive in a community that is vastly different from where you are now.

Best of Luck
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Old 06-14-2013, 02:59 PM
 
Location: West Coast - Best Coast!
1,979 posts, read 3,518,114 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by LaylaM View Post
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The second location would be out in an area of Bellevue called Phantom Lake. There's lots of older homes out there in a lower density setting with a less suburban vibe. A neighboring community is Spiritridge, also older, modest and more earthy than many Eastside communities. Nearby, there's a wonderful walking trail called the Lakes to Lakes Trail. It stretches several miles and you can hike/walk in both forested and natural park-like grounds with kids and dogs. In addition, there's a large u-pick blueberry farm and the small Larson Lake.

There would be no problem keeping chickens or growing gardens out there. The schools are reliable in both Bellevue and Lake Washington districts, so you can't go wrong with either. The central question would be if you could make peace and thrive in a community that is vastly different from where you are now.

Best of Luck
I always forget about that part of Bellevue. It DOES feel very different than the rest of Bellevue, even the Lake Hills area. It's surrounded by greenbelt and trees, and nestled next to Lake Sammamish. There's a farmer's stand out there right next to the Master Gardeners' teaching garden.
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Old 06-14-2013, 03:57 PM
 
5,075 posts, read 11,041,925 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by BellevueNative View Post
I always forget about that part of Bellevue. It DOES feel very different than the rest of Bellevue, even the Lake Hills area. It's surrounded by greenbelt and trees, and nestled next to Lake Sammamish. There's a farmer's stand out there right next to the Master Gardeners' teaching garden.
I wonder what's going to become of the Lake Hills area. It's pretty well located, though the schools aren't as good and some of the housing out there is really run down. Years ago I had a friend whose parents spent gobs of money renovating one of those 1960's era Lake Hills homes. Looking at the area 15 years later it seems they were not the start of a trend. Is there something really wrong with that area, or is it just not trendy the way West Bellevue is?
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Old 06-14-2013, 05:06 PM
 
Location: Portal to the Pacific
8,736 posts, read 8,643,170 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mkarch View Post
I wonder what's going to become of the Lake Hills area. It's pretty well located, though the schools aren't as good and some of the housing out there is really run down. Years ago I had a friend whose parents spent gobs of money renovating one of those 1960's era Lake Hills homes. Looking at the area 15 years later it seems they were not the start of a trend. Is there something really wrong with that area, or is it just not trendy the way West Bellevue is?
From what I've seen driving around (I go to Bellevue College) Lake Hills is just really diverse, ethnically and socioeconomically. I especially see a lot of Asians and quite a number of really old white people that I can only assume to be original home owners. In fact, when I worked as caregiver I had at least three or four clients in the area. I love Crossroads mall, but it must also have a reputation or something. I asked my rather superficial and materialistic classmate for a study date there (it's equal distance from Issaquah and Redmond) and she's like... "um.. can't we go some place more hip, like downtown Bellevue?".
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Old 06-14-2013, 05:55 PM
 
7,743 posts, read 15,839,592 times
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I took my BIL to CrossRoads mall a few years back and he was stunned to see how it is today. Apparently that general area back in the 80s was pretty bad, lots of crime and drugs around. I do remember the area (way after the 80s) being... dead, lifeless and just old looking. So yea, CrossRoads mall and the general area is pretty sweet now and it's because of the community.

But yea, those houses in Lake Hills are not... nice looking. I'm not really surprise it's not as popular or trendy as the other parts. Just real dumpy for how much you'd pay for it, especially when for the same price you can head over to Issaquah/Sammamish and pay for a nicer looking, maybe newer house.
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