Canyon Creek / Crystal Springs Elem (Seattle, Everett: crime, felony, houses)

[MyNameIsMom]

Hi all,
My family just moved to WA from CA about a week ago and just rented a home in the Canyon Creek (?) neighborhood of Bothell. I did some research and it seems that while slightly industrial, this area is relatively safe and family-oriented, but I would like to hear from people who actually live here (have lived here).

Our assigned school is Crystal Springs. I will confess that I'm a little nervous about a new school in general, but also because we came from a school rated "9" in Walnut Creek to a "7" in Bothell. I'm not entirely convinced that the numbers really mean that much, but it is a little concerning. It seems to me that Washington overall places higher regard on education than CA but I'm interested in opinions / experiences of people who live here.

Does anyone here have kids in Crystal Springs? How do you feel about the curriculum? What are the families / kids like? Our old school was small and close-knit and all the teachers and staff were very involved with the kids and parents. I'm just trying to get a feel for what to expect...

Thanks!

[Seacove]

That area of Bothell is very close to 405. Crystal Springs is probably fine (no experience with it) but that area of Bothell is probably less expensive due to its very close proximity to 405. There's a difference between North Creek Bothell or the new developments around 228th or the Valhalla area and the area around Filbert and Bothell-Everett Highway leading up to Mill Creek. There's nothing wrong with them, just a little less expensive.

[MyNameIsMom]

I didn't find this area to be less expensive, per se... there was another house we were considering in Everett for $300 less, but after looking at the CrimeMappers website, I got a little nervous. This neighborhood looked a lot better, but we are paying above what we had hoped when we moved out here. I'm really just hoping that someone can tell me that the area is as safe / family friendly as it seemed to be.

I do realize it is in rather close proximity to the 405 (so weird to have a 405 in WA - I keep thinking L.A.), but our area seems off the beaten path slightly and near a nature preserve. I just prefer to learn from natives than what I see on the internet.

Thanks for your reply!

[Seacove]

There's nothing wrong with that Filbert area, it's safe and family friendly. It's just less appealing than other parts of Bothell because it's so close to 405. Bothell is certainly more appealing than Everett and the cost would be more but odds are your commute would be less unless you're commuting to Boeing. If Boeing, then a lot of people recommend Mill Creek, Mukilteo or Edmonds. But for the Seattle metro, that's actually a pretty good bargain area believe it or not. I've driven by that school and it seems fine, I just prefer schools a little further back from the road. I think they even built houses across from that school now which must be a little loud.

[505HPC6Z06]

Quantify safe. Safe is relative.

I think it is safe.

[MyNameIsMom]

Originally Posted by 505HPC6Z06

Quantify safe. Safe is relative.

I think it is safe.

It's hard to quantify safe, but I will say that seeing 44 crimes in 6 days in the neighborhood in Everett did freak me out a bit. I'm not fooling myself into thinking that nothing bad ever happens in any given place, but I don't want to move to an area blind. Based on what I saw on Crime Mapping - Building Safer Communities! it certainly looks like the decision to take the house in Bothell was the right one in terms of crime.

It also seems like people in the area are really nice and welcoming. I'm not sure how excited I am that the school is apparently near a busy street, but at this stage, there's not much I can do about it. I'm just happy that the education is good.

[MyNameIsMom]

Originally Posted by Seacove

There's nothing wrong with that Filbert area, it's safe and family friendly. It's just less appealing than other parts of Bothell because it's so close to 405. Bothell is certainly more appealing than Everett and the cost would be more but odds are your commute would be less unless you're commuting to Boeing. If Boeing, then a lot of people recommend Mill Creek, Mukilteo or Edmonds. But for the Seattle metro, that's actually a pretty good bargain area believe it or not. I've driven by that school and it seems fine, I just prefer schools a little further back from the road. I think they even built houses across from that school now which must be a little loud.

Luckily, at this point, commuting is not an issue as both my husband and I work remotely, but it is nice to know that if anything changes it won't be a huge impact.

I've yet to go by the school, but you're not the first person to mention that to me... not sure what I think of it, but if the school itself, and the teachers and staff are good I can't really complain. Thanks for your input I really appreciate it.

[505HPC6Z06]

Originally Posted by MyNameIsMom

It's hard to quantify safe, but I will say that seeing 44 crimes in 6 days in the neighborhood in Everett did freak me out a bit. I'm not fooling myself into thinking that nothing bad ever happens in any given place, but I don't want to move to an area blind. Based on what I saw on Crime Mapping - Building Safer Communities! it certainly looks like the decision to take the house in Bothell was the right one in terms of crime.

It also seems like people in the area are really nice and welcoming. I'm not sure how excited I am that the school is apparently near a busy street, but at this stage, there's not much I can do about it. I'm just happy that the education is good.

Everett is NOT safe. I know this first hand as I was in a fist fight there with a pan handler. He assaulted me and I kicked his ass. Then dropped a dime on him to put him away in jail. Guess what. The jails are overfull. The cops didn't even book felony crimes (like that) in Everette without approval from a prosecutor. I hate Everett and I hate the gov for not alerting me to this problem. They sweep it under the carpet just like all their other corrupt bull****.

The crime maps are one thing, but look at the people on the streets, in the neighborhood plaza where you get groceries, parks near your home and profile the people. Look for pan handlers. Look to see what they are doing. It will take some time to get a feel. Crime maps are limited so use your eyes and common sense too.