Kids and social culture in Eastside communities (Seattle, Kirkland: spring break, real estate)

[Bimmerfanboy]

In the main Eastside communities I would say that parents tend to care a lot about their childrens' success since a lot of the parents work corporate jobs required advanced degrees. The schools are pretty good and they invest in the non-Academic development of their students.

I used to live in Issaquah Highlands and at least in my experience I didn't see children playing outside a whole lot, but I think it has more to do with the weather and just the way the community is built than anything else. The yards, even in the most expensive homes, are absolutely tiny. Driveways can't accommodate a basketball hoop and I believe Issaquah Highlands doesn't even allow them. It's super hilly which isn't conducive to biking, roller, skating, etc. There are parks here and there but they can't substitute for a classic yard. There is also lots of congestion from automobiles parked along the side of the roads. Issaquah Highlands is overall a great place to live but I can't help but feel sorry for a lot of the kids since they're missing out on that classic "subdivision" feel.

[anneeliot]

Originally Posted by Seatown1

In the main Eastside communities I would say that parents tend to care a lot about their childrens' success since a lot of the parents work corporate jobs required advanced degrees. The schools are pretty good and they invest in the non-Academic development of their students.

I used to live in Issaquah Highlands and at least in my experience I didn't see children playing outside a whole lot, but I think it has more to do with the weather and just the way the community is built than anything else. The yards, even in the most expensive homes, are absolutely tiny. Driveways can't accommodate a basketball hoop and I believe Issaquah Highlands doesn't even allow them. It's super hilly which isn't conducive to biking, roller, skating, etc. There are parks here and there but they can't substitute for a classic yard. There is also lots of congestion from automobiles parked along the side of the roads. Issaquah Highlands is overall a great place to live but I can't help but feel sorry for a lot of the kids since they're missing out on that classic "subdivision" feel.

Thank you! I had kind of discounted IH already, but I think this confirms it for me. Our daughter is having a terrible time learning how to bike without training wheels, in part because of our current (and previous) neighborhood set-up. Hills and cars and tiny driveways aren't going to help that...

Does anybody have a suggestion for 'subdivision' type communities that are perhaps a bit more spread out? My husband so far likes the look of Sammamish. What are the plateau communities there like?

[Garfunkle524]

Originally Posted by anneeliot

Does anybody have a suggestion for 'subdivision' type communities that are perhaps a bit more spread out? My husband so far likes the look of Sammamish. What are the plateau communities there like?

We tried for Sammamish but the houses were pricey and often sold the day or day after they went on the market (over asking price of course!). It's a great community but if it's your #1 be prepared to fight tooth and nail to even be able to see a property. Also expect to pay more for less house. That is, if there are even any houses for sale there.

I have friends trying very hard for a house there now and they are pretty fed up with how ridiculous it is.

[EvilCookie]

Originally Posted by anneeliot

Thank you! I had kind of discounted IH already, but I think this confirms it for me. Our daughter is having a terrible time learning how to bike without training wheels, in part because of our current (and previous) neighborhood set-up. Hills and cars and tiny driveways aren't going to help that...

Does anybody have a suggestion for 'subdivision' type communities that are perhaps a bit more spread out? My husband so far likes the look of Sammamish. What are the plateau communities there like?

We bought in Sammamish, it's very nice and definitely has that classic suburb feel if that's what you're looking for, there are lots of kids out biking etc. Depending on the area, there are some newer densely-packed subdivisions, and some more spread out older homes among trees, on acreage etc. However personally I've had trouble meeting families in the neighbourhood but that may just be me and/or that infamous 'Seattle freeze', everyone is nice but seems to sort of keep to themselves and those they know. The thing that bothers me, always having lived in denser communities before, is there aren't that many public playgrounds aside from a few parks, and those that are there tend to be completely empty a lot of the time. I guess everyone stays in their yards etc, but that's not helpful when you've moved in and are looking to meet new people, it's not like you're going to go around knocking on doors. There are also a bunch of private parks owned by HOAs that are closed to the public, which I've never seen before, and these are always empty as well. My 5 year old kept asking 'where is everyone' when we come to the park. This is in contrast to when we stayed in Kirkland where there were always kids on the playgrounds and someone to play with. I'm hoping things will be easier when he goes to K next year and hopefully we'll meet some of the local families in his class.

[anneeliot]

Originally Posted by Garfunkle524

We tried for Sammamish but the houses were pricey and often sold the day or day after they went on the market (over asking price of course!). It's a great community but if it's your #1 be prepared to fight tooth and nail to even be able to see a property. Also expect to pay more for less house. That is, if there are even any houses for sale there.

I have friends trying very hard for a house there now and they are pretty fed up with how ridiculous it is.

We're looking to rent - buying as a foreign national without permanent residency (yet) is more of a pain and expense than we are currently up for. The market in Sammamish as you describe it sounds like the real estate market here in Silicon Valley...

Does anyone know how popular rentals in Sammamish and Woodinville are? Do they tend to go quickly and/or have a lot of applicants?

[Garfunkle524]

Originally Posted by anneeliot

Does anyone know how popular rentals in Sammamish and Woodinville are? Do they tend to go quickly and/or have a lot of applicants?

We have friends that rented a nice apartment in Woodinville for a great price. There are townhomes around too. I don't think renting in Woodinville is super competitive.

[Kalex]

I think you can find a balance of what you're looking for but it's not going to be all or nothing. We live in SW Issaquah, near the Renton Highlands in an older community. BIG lots, but we have a park / basketball courts / stables and the kids play together (and outside) often. But many of the houses are older and it really depends on if you buy one that's been renovated or not. I'd say it's split down the middle. It's not walkable at all. I can think of a handful of other neighborhoods similar to this one.

My daughter goes to a Bellevue private school (for the next few weeks at least) where you'd very much expect over-scheduling / excessive tech / etc. There's only one kid I'd classify as over-scheduled and while many of them have gadgets it's not a competitive or obsessive thing. With the heavy Microsoft population there's going to be some of that spread around. DD doesn't have that (we're completely outside the programming world) and it doesn't affect her life at all. By and large there's been far less of that than I expected, both at her school and in the area in general. The kids at school come from anywhere between Woodinville south to Issaquah/Mercer Island.

[shaylahc]

I think in general kids don't play outside as much as they used to. For one, the weather here sucks about 7-8 months out of the year. The hills are everywhere, so good luck finding a "flat" neighborhood that is conducive to bike riding. Plus everyone works! SAHMs are not as common here, kids are at day care/afterschool care/summer camp. You might find kids playing outside in the evenings in some neighborhoods, but it just isn't as common as it used to be. Too much stuff competing for their attention.

I would just choose a place to live that you like, and find a way to make it work. I think if you go into it with the expectation that things will be a certain way if you stack the deck in your favor, you may find yourself disappointed. Kids will make friends at school, and play time may consist of scheduled play dates at the playground. There is no guarantee your kid is going to like the neighbor kids, or that the neighbor kids are going to like your kid. You just roll with it, and find a way to make it work.

[anneeliot]

My husband is going to look at a house in Snoqualmie Ridge tonight. It seems like it would be a good fit for us, as I understand there are more stay at home moms out there, and DH doesn't mind a straight commute down I-90 (he works in the Factoria area of Bellevue). Fingers crossed the landlord likes us!

[EvilCookie]

Originally Posted by shaylahc

I think in general kids don't play outside as much as they used to. For one, the weather here sucks about 7-8 months out of the year. The hills are everywhere, so good luck finding a "flat" neighborhood that is conducive to bike riding. Plus everyone works! SAHMs are not as common here, kids are at day care/afterschool care/summer camp. You might find kids playing outside in the evenings in some neighborhoods, but it just isn't as common as it used to be. Too much stuff competing for their attention.

I would just choose a place to live that you like, and find a way to make it work. I think if you go into it with the expectation that things will be a certain way if you stack the deck in your favor, you may find yourself disappointed. Kids will make friends at school, and play time may consist of scheduled play dates at the playground. There is no guarantee your kid is going to like the neighbor kids, or that the neighbor kids are going to like your kid. You just roll with it, and find a way to make it work.

This is kind of funny - when we stayed in Kirkland there seemed to be lots of moms out with little ones at the park, library etc during the weekdays. When we moved to Sammamish I expected this to be even more the case in such a family-oriented suburb, but here for some reason there's no one out at all during the day, I'm not seeing any SAHMS at all. Do all the moms work here? There seemed to be plenty of SAHMS where we lived in the Bay Area, which is a much more expensive and career/tech oriented place, I thought there would be more here with the lower cost of living but am not finding this to be the case.