Potential move Phoenix --> Seattle - Pros/Cons and Neighborhoods? (Tacoma: apartment, house)

[homesinseattle]

Originally Posted by worldtrvl11

We wouldn't mind being out of the seattle proper either - being less urban but more surrounded by nature with more land (and maybe cheaper because further out!)! If there is a part of seattle that fits that bill all the better!

I took a brief look around edmonds and issaquah and liked what I saw in both - would have to investigate more in person. Edmonds seems to be very reasonably priced compared to other parts of seattle.

This house as a 'house' checks off a lot of boxes, but don't know about the neighborhood or walkability

https://www.zillow.com/homes/5801-13...8597431_zpid/?

or something like this has a very high walk score and a great home - and has restaurants / coffee shops a stone throw away!

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/5...38456929_zpid/

Yeah, that Hemlock Way home is smack in the Edmonds Bowl, really mellow walkable area with parks, good schools, tasty food choices, cafes, coffee shops, even the home of Rick Steves the travel guru . Money does go a little farther there than Seattle proper, though the "The Bowl" is the most expensive part of Edmonds, for obvious reasons. Bonus, the ferry leaves Edmonds for Kingston, take that boat and you are on your way to unlimited adventures on the Olympic Peninsula. The first link (the home at 5801 133rd) is in North Edmonds and a whole different vibe, not really walkable.

[worldtrvl11]

Originally Posted by homesinseattle

Yeah, that Hemlock Way home is smack in the Edmonds Bowl, really mellow walkable area with parks, good schools, tasty food choices, cafes, coffee shops, even the home of Rick Steves the travel guru . Money does go a little farther there than Seattle proper, though the "The Bowl" is the most expensive part of Edmonds, for obvious reasons. Bonus, the ferry leaves Edmonds for Kingston, take that boat and you are on your way to unlimited adventures on the Olympic Peninsula. The first link (the home at 5801 133rd) is in North Edmonds and a whole different vibe, not really walkable.

That's great input. Yes - that 'bowl' area looks awesome and would have everything we'd walk within walking distance. The ferry part is great as well, and adds easy accessibility within a 30 minute ferry ride away!

[homesinseattle]

Originally Posted by worldtrvl11

That's great input. Yes - that 'bowl' area looks awesome and would have everything we'd walk within walking distance. The ferry part is great as well, and adds easy accessibility within a 30 minute ferry ride away!

Also, there is a commuter rail from “The Bowl” to downtown Seattle, also an Amtrak station. Legit British pub too: https://churchkeypub.com/

[CrazyDonkey]

Have you considered Tacoma? Walk-Score = 77:

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/3...9212602_zpid/?

[worldtrvl11]

Originally Posted by CrazyDonkey

Have you considered Tacoma? Walk-Score = 77:

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/3...9212602_zpid/?

Have not looked at anything much in that region. Pros / Cons over Seattle? Are there good school districts in any part by there?

[homesinseattle]

Good morning, world traveler. Might want to toss the Magnolia area of Seattle on your list. It’s a little less expensive than some parts of Seattle, there are homes in your budget and it has exceptional Discovery Park nearby. There is a small “village” in Magnolia too. One more “outside of the box” idea: Bainbridge Island, close to the village in Winslow. Peaceful feeling, good schools, direct ferry to Seattle. After reflecting though, I really do think the Edmonds Bowl would be great for you. Go hang out there, if you haven’t already. For a lot of people, it has just the right amount of everything.

[Ruth4Truth]

Originally Posted by homesinseattle

I just took three nuggets the OP shared (coffee shops, local stores and farmers markets) and extrapolated a bit. I think they are looking for a relatively close in, potentially walkable Seattle proper neighborhood, perhaps part of the shift in living style that they are considering. Ruth, I also love Lake Forest Park and Victory Heights, but I didn’t mention as they are farther out and their school scores don’t quite stack up with those other North Seattle locations.

Thinking about your suggestions, I see you did pick areas near farmers' markets. I was assuming that was just one of a number of interests/criteria the OP had, not necessarily that it was a must-have item in the immediate neighborhood. But OK, schools are important, too. Doesn't Victory Heights feed into Roosevelt HS, though? (Just asking for future reference.) IDK about the grade schools/middle schools out there. But I know that university faculty who lived in Lake Forest Park thought the schools were fine.

I wouldn't recommend Greenlake, because of the homelessness. Ditto re: Ravenna Park, though apparently it doesn't spill over into the residential neighborhoods, which I find hard to believe. Or maybe the issue has been resolved there??

Edmonds was on my list too. At least we're agreed on one location. . Is there a farmers' market there?

[worldtrvl11]

Originally Posted by homesinseattle

Good morning, world traveler. Might want to toss the Magnolia area of Seattle on your list. It’s a little less expensive than some parts of Seattle, there are homes in your budget and it has exceptional Discovery Park nearby. There is a small “village” in Magnolia too. One more “outside of the box” idea: Bainbridge Island, close to the village in Winslow. Peaceful feeling, good schools, direct ferry to Seattle. After reflecting though, I really do think the Edmonds Bowl would be great for you. Go hang out there, if you haven’t already. For a lot of people, it has just the right amount of everything.

Yes very curious now on Edmonds Bowl and the feel of that entire area, definitely on top of my list to check out. Bainbridge Island might be a bit too disconnected from the rest of Seattle for us (although a cool area to check out!). Magnolia seems to be well located so will keep that on my list as well for now!

[Gardyloo]

Originally Posted by Ruth4Truth

Thinking about your suggestions, I see you did pick areas near farmers' markets. I was assuming that was just one of a number of interests/criteria the OP had, not necessarily that it was a must-have item in the immediate neighborhood. But OK, schools are important, too. Doesn't Victory Heights feed into Roosevelt HS, though? (Just asking for future reference.) IDK about the grade schools/middle schools out there. But I know that university faculty who lived in Lake Forest Park thought the schools were fine.

I wouldn't recommend Greenlake, because of the homelessness. Ditto re: Ravenna Park, though apparently it doesn't spill over into the residential neighborhoods, which I find hard to believe. Or maybe the issue has been resolved there??

Edmonds was on my list too. At least we're agreed on one location. . Is there a farmers' market there?

Victory Heights is in the Nathan Hale HS catchment area.

The Green Lake homeless camp was removed some days ago; homeless camps in Ravenna Park tend to be very short-lived (located on the steep slopes, so not easy sites) and do not "spill over" into the residential areas. We did have a couple of small fires lit in the park by homeless folks a couple of years ago, but it's not a big deal. The biggest problem we've had in Ravenna Park has been coyotes. Lots of nervous cat owners around.

For the OP, I'd also look at Mercer Island, where you might be able to land something at the top end of your budget. It has a very walkable (and increasingly pleasant) "downtown," probably the best schools in the region, a great treasure in Luther Burbank Park, and in terms of convenience, it hardly gets better in the region - downtown in 10 minutes, ditto Bellevue, etc.

[CrazyDonkey]

Originally Posted by worldtrvl11

Have not looked at anything much in that region. Pros / Cons over Seattle? Are there good school districts in any part by there?

See: https://movetotacoma.com/explore-neighborhoods/ for rundowns on the Tacoma Northend neighborhoods (North Slope, Stadium, Old Town, Three Bridges, Proctor, UPS, and 6th Avenue). Very walkable. Great views. Great park/zoo (Point Defiance). Classic houses. Great Real estate values significantly lower than Seattle. Expanding Tacoma Light Rail.

Schools are more diverse and with a wider income range than North Seattle. On schools, you need to delve beyond the surface to find the nitty-gritty of how students are really doing. Higher income families are moving into these neighborhoods, so test scores, college prep, etc. will only go up. Stadium High School is an iconic high school (famous for the movie, 10 Things I Hate About You). See: https://www.greatschools.org/washington/tacoma/. Also, if saving several hundreds of thousands of dollars (or more) on your house, Tacoma has some great private school options (Annie Wright, Bellarmine Prep, etc.).

You'll still be close enough to Seattle for visits for shopping, entertainment, museums/galleries, festivals, sports events, etc.