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Old 11-22-2006, 03:48 AM
 
7 posts, read 56,531 times
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My wife and I currently reside in Honolulu, Hawaii (stationd here with the US military) and are planning to relocate to the Seattle metro area when I separate from the Army next year. While I love the warm weather and the sun, we have family in Vancouver, BC and would like to get closer to them. (I know there will be an obvious, pretty drastic change to the cooler, cloudier weather.) We are in the medical field and fortunately there are opportunities to work in the various different areas (e.g. Tacoma, Everett, Seattle, Bellevue/East Side, Bremerton, Gig Harbor--just about everywhere), and we would like to pick the the best place for us...but we aren't sure where that is. We enjoy a cosmopolitan (dare I say "yuppie") lifestyle and currently live downtown, but we're starting a family and now need to consider a suburban setting, good place to raise children with family values, cultural diversity, elbow room and good school district, etc. Nevertheless, we would also like to maintain reasonable access to the city/urban life and its amenities. Would ideally like to stike the ideal balance, and looking for the area that would best suit us.

Also, are there "microclimates" within the Seattle metro area? For example, areas that are wamer/sunnier, drier, ranier, colder, etc. As in the San Francisco Bay Area which is also influenced by the water, where certain parts are rainer/cooler (like parts of San Francisco itself) at times, while other areas (e.g. East Bay suburbs) get considerably warmer sunnier weather. If there are indeed local differences (without leaving the metro area), we would of course choose the sunnier and/or warmer part.

Any help would be greatly appreciated!
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Old 11-22-2006, 04:21 AM
 
291 posts, read 703,136 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Armydoc View Post
Also, are there "microclimates" within the Seattle metro area? For example, areas that are wamer/sunnier, drier, ranier, colder, etc. As in the San Francisco Bay Area which is also influenced by the water, where certain parts are rainer/cooler (like parts of San Francisco itself) at times, while other areas (e.g. East Bay suburbs) get considerably warmer sunnier weather. If there are indeed local differences (without leaving the metro area), we would of course choose the sunnier and/or warmer part.
There's nothing like the contrast in the Bay area, but there is something like the contrast where you are, on Oahu, between the wet windward and dry leeward sides of the island.
Seattle is on the southeast edge of the rain shadow from the Olympic Mountains. The center of the rain shadow is about 60 miles northwest of Seattle, near Sequim, which gets 1/3 the rain of Seattle. Port Townsend and Oak Harbor get half the rain of Seattle. But we're talking almost 2 hours travel time from downtown Seattle.
Rainfall map: http://www.ocs.orst.edu/pub/maps/Precipitation/Total/States/WA/wa.gif (broken link)
Within the metro area, there isn't much difference. The easternmost suburbs against the Cascades foothills, like North Bend, do get more rain and snow than areas near sea level.
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Old 11-25-2006, 03:22 AM
 
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Thanks much for the information -- sounds like not much weather difference within Seattle/surrounding area. (Not willing to relocate that far away from the area for better/drier weather--appreciate the tip.) Any idea which part of the metro area we would find most appealing, based on my/our stated preferences?
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Old 11-27-2006, 01:59 PM
 
Location: Seattle, WA
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Areas to look at will probably depend on other things.

Housing prices in & around Seattle are high ... many people get sticker shock when they see them. The traffic can also be a major factor; some people try to optimize and reduce their commute time as much as possible, which drives you into the city proper (usually), which costs more. Others make lifestyle choices in favor of country living and go way out to forest's (or water's) edge ... that sounds like that's not something you plan. Still others with a family let school quality constrain their choices (which tends to drive them out into the suburbs). If you're just starting a family, that last may not seem like an issue to you, but the housing market has seen such price inflation over the last decade or so that moving later may be rather more expensive than you would guess at this time ... my family is in that situation.

My suggestion is decide on a budget for housing first, and then peek at the real estate ads to see what that budget can get you. If that's not a constraint, then you're doing very well indeed.

If you sample http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/traffic/seattle/ around rush hour, you can get a glimpse of the main-line traffic situation.
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Old 11-28-2006, 09:33 AM
 
291 posts, read 703,136 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Armydoc View Post
...Any idea which part of the metro area we would find most appealing, based on my/our stated preferences?
The obvious place to start is Bellevue, and surrounding areas east of Seattle (Kirkland, Redmond, perhaps even very expensive Mercer Island). There are plenty of medical facilities and cultural activities in the area, schools are excellent, access into Seattle is faster from the east on I-90 than it is either north or south on I-5, housing is more expensive but you're in a well paid profession so may find more in your range there, and it's simply a very attractive area overall.
There are certainly many other areas you may find a good fit, but I'd think you'd want to compare them to the east side, so would want to have explored that first.
On the flip side, of the places you mentioned, I'd move Bremerton and Tacoma to the bottom of your list because of crime and school issues (although one can work in either and find fine homes and schools within a reasonable commute.)
Best wishes to you!
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Old 12-01-2006, 08:33 PM
 
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RodFarlee, that's great information, thanks a lot; Bellevue area sounds perfect (more expensive, but do-able). I think Mercer Island will be out of the price range (want at least SOME money left over after mortgage!) -- so I'll scratch that one off. Likewise I will keep Tacoma area lower on the list, as others have echoed your sentiments (it's also farthest from our fams in Vancouver, BC to boot). The good potential jobs I am considering are in Bellevue/Redmond area and Everett...so would have to decide mainly between those two areas I think. Any thoughts on Everett?
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Old 12-02-2006, 07:27 AM
 
291 posts, read 703,136 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Armydoc View Post
Any thoughts on Everett?
I'm sorry, sir, but I haven't lived in Everett, and it's changed a lot in the years since I've visited (Snohomish is the most rapidly growing county in the state). Perhaps others more knowledgable than I can comment.

(There's a search tab at the top center of the page; it should bring up previous threads on Everett.)
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Old 12-15-2006, 04:27 PM
 
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I would also look at Issaquah. It's off of I-90, about 15 miles east of Seattle. It's an interesting little city - it has grown quite a bit and unfortunately part of the city has suburbanized, but it still has an historic old town area that is nice. There should be plenty of work opportunities nearby.

Personally, I don't like Bellevue because it's basically one big suburb and I hate the burbs. It's totally gentrified/yuppified, but is sounds like that might be your thing, so check it out as well.
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Old 12-17-2006, 10:27 PM
 
Location: where you sip the tea of the breasts of the spinsters of Utica
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Since you want to be near Canada, you might as well move to Bellingham. I've heard nothing but good about it, though I've never been there.
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Old 12-27-2006, 07:26 PM
 
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I would agree with WOOF as Bellingham is the middle point to Vancouver and Seattle, and is a great suburbian community (I consider myself a yup too !) Good school systems, shopping, they even have few new martini bars/lounges, etc. I lived there for about 12 years and would move back in a second. House prices are more affordable than Seattle area but you are close enough to Van or Seattle for anything they offer that you might not get from BHam. Take a trip and check it out of you can!
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