Move to Seattle area

[CrazyDonkey]

Originally Posted by legaldealer

I see, wise advice, that makes a lot of sense. Thank you!

My wife was planning to find work as an elementary school teacher as well. What are your thoughts on Renton as being a good medium between the city and areas with good school systems?

Renton has both high- and low-scoring schools, with the higher tending to be further south and east. Note, however, with the demographic shifts occurring in the area, nothing is certain, say, four to five years down the road - generally speaking, test scores are highly correlated with family income.

One thing arguing in favor of living in Seattle, proper, is universal preschool, with sliding-scale tuition, starting at three, which is only a couple years down the road for you. See:

Seattle Preschool Program - Education | seattle.gov

https://www.seattleschools.org/depar...school_program

[JOinGA]

Originally Posted by legaldealer

Hi everyone,

I am planning to move to the Seattle area for a job in South Seattle with my spouse and 1 infant child.

Is it feasible to commute M-F from areas more North (Bothell, Mountlake Terrace, Edmonds) with a car?

Or is my best option to look for a place further south? (Renton, Kent, Federal Way)

Are there safe areas where I could find a 2 bedroom to rent for around $2,000/month?

Just in my initial stages of research so I would really appreciate any feedback and insights.

Thank you

My daughter and SIL are getting ready to move to Seattle and also plan to rent for at least a year. The agent they are working with is steering them away from Kent as an undesirable area.

[homesinseattle]

Originally Posted by JOinGA

My daughter and SIL are getting ready to move to Seattle and also plan to rent for at least a year. The agent they are working with is steering them away from Kent as an undesirable area.

There are parts of Kent that are just fine, though you'll find the school test scores (and cost of homes/rentals) higher in Renton.

[legaldealer]

Originally Posted by Ruth4Truth

You can afford Beacon Hill and adjacent Columbia City. Stick with those for now. Scope out other areas after you get a rental. For buying, also consider Seward Park, which is a beautiful more upscale neighborhood near Columbia City, overlooking Lake Washington on its east side. All of those are within Seattle city limits, within an easy commute of Beacon Hill. I'm not sure about the affordability, but I wanted to call Seward Park to your attention, since it's near enough to your work. Should have good grade schools. Would be a great place for your wife to work, if she could luck into a school there.

After you get moved, you'll see what we mean about locating close to work and avoiding a freeway commute. What looks easily doable on a map is a very different beast on the ground and in your car. Trust us. And you can test-drive the route from Renton to your job a couple of times at the end of your workday, just to see what it's like.

There are some surprisingly nice properties and neighborhoods south of the areas mentioned here, before you get to Renton. Some listings from that area have been posted here, and they're amazingly affordable, and some have large, nicely treed lots. Some are near the Japanese garden in the far south end of Seattle.

Take your time to familiarize yourselves with the areas under discussion, the driving conditions, and so on, while you're in your 1-year rental. You can study the schools, etc. Who knows, maybe your best bet will turn out to be Renton, but you should try the commute, first, and also see if any closer-in locations could fit your bill.

Thanks for the very detailed responses, they are extremely helpful! Seward Park looks gorgeous! But definitely out of our price range

You have all instilled a fear of the commute so we will look closely at areas in the city and try to minimize commute distances. We are trying to keep the rent at max $2,000/month for a 2 bed/2 bath. The cost of daycare is another factor we are considering, which seems more expensive in the city.

[legaldealer]

Originally Posted by CrazyDonkey

Renton has both high- and low-scoring schools, with the higher tending to be further south and east. Note, however, with the demographic shifts occurring in the area, nothing is certain, say, four to five years down the road - generally speaking, test scores are highly correlated with family income.

One thing arguing in favor of living in Seattle, proper, is universal preschool, with sliding-scale tuition, starting at three, which is only a couple years down the road for you. See:

Seattle Preschool Program - Education | seattle.gov

https://www.seattleschools.org/depar...school_program

I was not aware of this, looks like a great program!