Family friendly locations: Federal Way? Auburn? Kent? Renton? (Sammamish, Burien: homes, neighborhoods)

[Nicholasrnr]

Currently considering career opportunity at the SEA-TAC airport or an office near the intersection of state routes 167 and 18. At the top of my priority list is finding a good place to raise a family. We have a 3 year old and another due in October and plan to be in WA in 1 to 2 years. I've looked at a lot of city info online, but there is only so much data you can read before it all starts to sound the same.

That's where the great community of city-data comes into play! I would like to hear from people and families who live in and around these areas. Where are some good areas to start looking for a home? Where are some areas to stay away from? If you relocated to this area, can you think of anything you wish you would have known before you moved?

Thanks in advance and I look forward to the responses

[Hemlock140]

All of those cities have a range from nice family friendly areas to somewhat sketchy, locals can help you identify them, but none have any really bad areas. A lot can happen in 1-2 years, though, so you will want to check again before actually moving. Based on the location of 167/18 I would say that you should consider Maple Valley and Covington as well as the others. When we moved here schools were important with 3 kids that age, so I went to visit many of them and attended school board meetings at 3 districts before deciding on Sammamish. In your case probably the biggest 2 changes will be the weather, and the much higher cost of housing. Coming from the San Francisco Bay area the housing cost here was much lower, and we prefer the wetter, cooler weather.

[beautifulseattlehomes]

I just has clients move to the Normandy Park area of Burien because they needed to be close to Sea-Tac. I find this area lovely with a lot of beautiful homes and great neighborhoods that are much more affordable compared to many other places in our region. Many of the schools are excellent (Highline School District)..Marvista ES, in particular, has a wonderful reputation. I would definitely add this area to your list of places to look. Downtown Burien is really cute with lots of great shops, coffee shops, restaurants and the proximity to Puget Sound, with many of the homes having views, make it a really special and surprisingly overlooked place.

[Salmonista]

Originally Posted by beautifulseattlehomes

I just has clients move to the Normandy Park area of Burien because they needed to be close to Sea-Tac. I find this area lovely with a lot of beautiful homes and great neighborhoods that are much more affordable compared to many other places in our region. Many of the schools are excellent (Highline School District)..Marvista ES, in particular, has a wonderful reputation. I would definitely add this area to your list of places to look. Downtown Burien is really cute with lots of great shops, coffee shops, restaurants and the proximity to Puget Sound, with many of the homes having views, make it a really special and surprisingly overlooked place.

I'll second the recommendation for Normandy Park/Marvista elementary zone. It's not the most "happening" neck of the woods, but it has a good sense of community going on and is a gorgeous place to live.