Working downtown-where to live (Seattle, Tacoma: real estate, apartment, homes)

[sogrimey]

My friend is looking for a decent place to live with good schools. What towns would make sense so commute is relatively easy?

[CrazyDonkey]

Bothell?

[sogrimey]

Yea, I heard Bothell is a better bang for your buck compared to other eastside burbs? Are there any diverse burbs with good schools though? She doesn't want to be the only black person in the nhood.

[amaiunmei]

She's not going to be the only black person in the area.

Granted, the more "cohesive" black neighborhoods are in the south Seattle area (from White Center all the way south to Tacoma and University Place), but your friend will definitely not be the only black person in Bothell.

For reference, I live in Redmond. Within a stone's throw of my apartment, there is an African family living nearby, and there is an African-American lady living a few doors down. I think we have enough black people now to have a proper card game.

[Ruth4Truth]

Originally Posted by sogrimey

My friend is looking for a decent place to live with good schools. What towns would make sense so commute is relatively easy?

How about Seattle? Queen Anne, Maple Leaf, West Seattle, Northgate and Pinehurst... many possibilities.

[CrazyDonkey]

Bothell is aboiut 20% non-white, but only about 1% black. Seattle itself is about 30% non-white, 7.8% black.

South Seattle, West Seattle, Renton, and south King County have more diverse populations than noirth Seattle, Shoreline, Bothell, etc., but the schools might not be as good. The Seattle School District has some good schools and programs, but you need to do your research and be very proactive negotiating the bureaucracy.

[Ruth4Truth]

Originally Posted by CrazyDonkey

Bothell is aboiut 20% non-white, but only about 1% black. Seattle itself is about 30% non-white, 7.8% black.

South Seattle, West Seattle, Renton, and south King County have more diverse populations than noirth Seattle, Shoreline, Bothell, etc., but the schools might not be as good. The Seattle School District has some good schools and programs, but you need to do your research and be very proactive negotiating the bureaucracy.

You'd be very surprised by the area just east of 15th Av. NE, above and below 115th, the "Victory Heights" and Pinehurst area, east of Northgate. Very mixed African and Near East immigrants and white residents. It's a great neighborhood, walkable to grocery and coffee shops, and with parks for kids. It's a mix of small, 2-br. cottages and a few McMansions one of the neighborhood real estate agents put in. But mostly modest homes.

[amaiunmei]

Originally Posted by CrazyDonkey

Bothell is aboiut 20% non-white, but only about 1% black. Seattle itself is about 30% non-white, 7.8% black.

South Seattle, West Seattle, Renton, and south King County have more diverse populations than noirth Seattle, Shoreline, Bothell, etc., but the schools might not be as good. The Seattle School District has some good schools and programs, but you need to do your research and be very proactive negotiating the bureaucracy.

You're going to find similar 1%-ish demographics all over the Eastside. A couple of notes:

(1) There has been a massive re-shuffling of people in the last couple of years, due to sharply increasing rents and home purchase prices within Seattle's core. I expect that this shuffling won't be reflected until the next census, however.

(2) There is a sizable Afro-Latino population up in this area (large enough to have our own festival!), and what I have noticed from other ALs is that we tend to answer the question "what race are you" different in different circumstances. As such, the statistics regarding latino and/or "black" populations tend to be colored by that fact. (Another thing: a sizable chunk of the "black" population in this neck of the woods is actually from East Africa and are another culturally distinct population. You will see their numbers represented largely in South Seattle and Tukwila.)

[sogrimey]

what about shoreline? seems like a good commute?

[amaiunmei]

Shoreline's schools are rated well. Watch out for the area immediately around Hwy 99, though.