King County residents who are former Bay Area residents (south bay) (Seattle: real estate, condos)

[romashka7]

Hi everyone,

our family is planning the move to seattle's suburbs ( looking at Eastside) from SF bay area (los altos). I was wondering if there are any former peninsula/south bay residents that can sound off on any places that are similar (neighborhood feel) to los altos or even los gatos, saratoga.

appreciate any help! thanks!

[ctr88]

Probably Bellevue, Kirkland, Sammamish, Issaquah. Get ready for lots of overcast dark skies for months on end. Los Gatos and Saratoga have some of the best weather in the Bay Area.

[romashka7]

save on sunscreen ))

what about woodinville? seems very picturesque and laid-back, reminds me of saratoga somewhat, especially in the summer

[josie13]

I'm from Los Altos. We lived near Shoup Park in the Orange Ave/University Ave neighborhood. I haven't seen anything around here (yet) that reminds me of the village of downtown Los Altos. I loved being able to walk to everything in the village of Los Altos, especially with young children.

The neighborhood we're in now reminds me a bit of Los Altos Hills, particularly the area around Bullis School, where my children used to go. There are horse properties, plenty of walking/riding trails, and good schools. It's in unincorporated King County, 5 miles north of Redmond. The postal code is Woodinville, but it's closer to the town of Redmond than to Woodinville.

Like you, I'll be following this thread to see if there's a neighborhood in this area that more closely resembles Los Altos. The closest thing I've seen so far is the small downtown area near the ferry terminal on Bainbridge Island. But even that was surrounded by condos more than single-family homes, so it wasn't a very close resemblance.

[romashka7]

Josie, thank you for the feedback!!! we're zeroing in on the woodinville. Somehow i have a feeling it's similar to Saratoga, but that could just be bc of the similarity i draw from the st. michelle winery and the mountain winery here in saratoga
oh what do you think of hollywood hill neighborhood?

[Socalnow]

Hi Romashka7, Our family will be relocating from SoCal to the Seattle area in next few months and we are also trying to narrow down city/neighborhood. We are looking at Woodinville, Bothell (Northshore School District) and possibly the Harbor Pointe area of Mukilteo. What made you zero in on Woodinville? Have you heard anything about the High School? It is so hard to research all this online but I'm working hard to find the pros and cons of these areas!

[josie13]

Hi Romashka, I like the Hollywood Hill neighborhood as far as the houses go, but it's not really walkable to town. I don't know if that is a requirement for you or not.

I chose a neighborhood further East, closer to Redmond, and my big regret is that it's not walkable to the places I want to go. It has plenty of walking trails in the neighborhood that lead into the local Redmond Watershed Preserve, but to get to the shops, schools, movies, medical facilities, and so on, you need a car.

[Gardyloo]

Don't know what your budget is (assuming, though, that if we're comparing Los Gatos et al, it's not a big issue) but have a look (use Google street view) at the area immediately to the north and northwest of downtown Kirkland (the "Market" and "Norkirk" neighborhoods.) Single family houses, many with views to Lake Washington, VERY strong community feel, and very walkable to downtown Kirkland, itself a fairly picturesque and enjoyable place.

[Blondebaerde]

Originally Posted by romashka7

Josie, thank you for the feedback!!! we're zeroing in on the woodinville. Somehow i have a feeling it's similar to Saratoga, but that could just be bc of the similarity i draw from the st. michelle winery and the mountain winery here in saratoga
oh what do you think of hollywood hill neighborhood?

"Comparing" the two places is a bit non-productive, I've lived in both (SF Bay Area) and neither can be shoehorned into the other due to the big differences in climate, social attitudes, demographics, etc. Believe me, I tried before embracing the vibe that is Seattle metro. Erratic weather and all.

Now, I like Chateau Ste. Michelle: it's a cute place to hang out. But think "cool and wet" or "mild green summers" as the norm vs. northern California's "generally dry, a bit parched, grassy hills looking a bit brown and crispy most of the year." I've crawled all over those wineries in Napa and Sonoma, also south Mendocino. Chateau is not really like most of that. I "think" the bulk of the grapes are grown elsewhere in WA, though I'm a teetotaler so the experience these days is mostly lost on me.

Woodinville is not too much like Saratoga: more spread out, for one. Saratoga has Hwy 9 disappearing right out of the relatively compact downtown off into a short, but interesting, road up to Skyline Boulevard (hwy 35) running the hills summit. In the 1990s I used to hang out in Saratoga, and sometimes Los Gatos, for breakfast en route to the great motorcycle riding up there or down Santa Cruz way (Hwy 17), many Saturdays or Sundays when neither too hot nor too cold (i.e. most of the year).

Woodinville is in and adjacent to the Sammamish River valley, with a road (Woodinville-Duvall Road) crossing some moderate hills out into another N-S trending valley (Snoqualmie River). Hwy 522 will get you there, too. All more-or-less part of "eastside" and proximal to tech centers, Microsoft and similar in Redmond but also some in Kirkland to the southwest, Bothell adjacent to the north and west. Wrong time of day, traffic can be difficult in various directions.

That said, Woodinville is a great place for homes, some with land. Lot of people around here love it for various reasons. I go to Molbak's garden and home center in the spring and fall, my favorite in the area.

Prices won't scare you, coming from either Los Gatos or Saratoga (latter having median home price at +$1M, right? Zillow pegs it at $2M). Were I headed that way, which doesn't seem likely anymore in this lifetime, I'd need to double or triple my income to buy-in at the moment though those two places would be at or near the top of my personal "where to live in South Bay".

Hell, Seattle metro will be a dawdle, then, in terms of real estate. Aim for Clyde Hill or Medina or the estates on Mercer Island!