Questions about Newcastle -- (commuting to SLU, and livability) (Seattle: rentals, homes)

[ljdata]

What is the commute like from Newcastle to SLU (Amazon) during rush hour, both by car and public transit?

What are the positives/negatives about this neighborhood for a single middle-aged male?

I am after a location that offers a two car garage, in addition to sufficient off-street parking for a boat trailer, with around 1500 sq ft. Newcastle seems to offer several rentals which meet this criteria, some over 1 acre, at around the $2,000-2,300 price point. I also desire easy access to a community (general aviation) airport, such as Renton Airport. Is this a good neighborhood for my objectives or should I choose elsewhere?

[SAL9000]

Sorta sucky commute and there's not much of a community/town there. But any commute into Seattle is going to be sucky. Newcastle's reputation is people who want to live in Bellevue but can't afford to but it's okay. Things start declining however as you move south into Renton.

[homesinseattle]

Hi ljdata,

Let's see: you work SLU, want a garage, are single middle aged, have a boat trailer and like to fly. I like you already!
Newcastle would work but the commute would be tough and there isn't really much to do there. How about looking into Seward Park area in Seattle? There are more things (cafes, stores, fun things for a middle aged single guy) nearby, decent commute to SLU, good boating options (with surface street options), close to Renton Airport and within your budget.

[amaiunmei]

The first 3/4 of the trip is pretty easy. Taking 405 to I-90, and then to I-5 will take about 20 minutes.

But, that's when it all goes wrong ...

Simply put, the traffic compresses once you hit Downtown Seattle and there's simply no quick way through it. You simply just have to suffer through it. On a good day, that trip from the intersection of I-5 and I-90 to SLU could take 20 minutes. On most days, though, it could take longer.

For that reason, you're likely looking at an hour commute, give or take a few minutes.

[perigee]

With that commute you are looking at multiple bottlenecks. I hope that you can offset your commute, to try to time it to avoid the worse congestion, but even with that, it will be a challenging commute. In the Seattle housing market you are always trading something. For you, you need space and for that you will trade convenience.

Put your boat motor in your locked garage, there has been a rash of robberies with thieves targeting motors.

[misscross]

if you do not care much about school districts why not look north of SLU towards the direction of Everett? I know a few men into planes and boating live up there and commute to SLU. Seems it would work well for you also

[homesinseattle]

misscross, Everett to SLU would be a commuting nightmare. I live in Phinney Ridge near the zoo and it takes me about 30 minutes to SLU.

[kaonevar]

Originally Posted by homesinseattle

misscross, Everett to SLU would be a commuting nightmare. I live in Phinney Ridge near the zoo and it takes me about 30 minutes to SLU.

Agreed. That would take ages.

[Xanathos]

Originally Posted by SAL9000

Sorta sucky commute and there's not much of a community/town there. But any commute into Seattle is going to be sucky. Newcastle's reputation is people who want to live in Bellevue but can't afford to but it's okay. Things start declining however as you move south into Renton.

I don't know what rock you've been living under, but that's not Newcastle....at all. Newcastle is significantly more expensive than most of Bellevue, save perhaps Yarrow or Clyde Hill.

The real rundown on it is this: Newcastle is a very sleepy little suburb that most people in the area don't even know exists. There's not a whole heck of a lot going on there, but it's quiet, it's super safe, it's highly affluent (I own a rental property there and get over $5k a month out of it, and there are about a dozen Seahawks that live in that subdivision). Your commute time to downtown during rush hour will be less than 30 minutes (if traffic isn't bad, the drive can be made in less than 20). Going home in the evenings, your only bottleneck is the 405/90 interchange. The mornings are slow throughout, but not unbearable.

The one big thing is there's basically NO transit, at all. Newcastle has 2 exits off 405 - exit 9 and exit 7. Exit 7 (the exit that goes down to the VMAC and up the hill towards the golf course) has no transit stops anywhere. Exit 9 does, but all the transit goes through either Renton Center or Bellevue Center, and will take you *forever* to use.

[RVD90277]

when i was looking at homes, newcastle was cheaper than most of bellevue including of course the top areas such as medina, clyde hill, yarrow point, etc. but was also cheaper than lakemont, etc.

there's really nothing wrong with newcastle but the commute does kinda suck. there are probably some vanpools that you can take to work though so you may not have to actually drive every day.

if you go north of 520, there are probably areas of kirkland (finn hill, etc.) that are similar to newcastle in terms of price but the commute is much better via the 520 bridge. however, there is a toll but again, if you get on a vanpool or take a bus, it's free for you (amazon gives you an orca card).