Affordable, small town feel near Seattle? (Shoreline, Edmonds: rental, house, buy)

[northwest mom]

Hello-
I will soon be graduating from a Master's program in Michigan and relocating to the Seattle area. I have a partner and 4 year old son. We lived in Walla Walla WA for several years, then Ann Arbor, MI and have realized that we like smaller towns, but our friends are all in downtown or UW area of Seattle.
Moving back to the NW will be a huge project. My needs are:
-finding work (Social Work or Public Health)
-a good school system for my son (I'd like smaller, good public schools)
-an affordable rental house (3 bdrm on a safe quiet street with a good
sized fenced yard) in an area that I could eventually buy a home
Preferably NOT in a cookie-cutter newer subdision
-Can be a small community within Seattle proper or outside of the city, just as long as we could get together with friends on evenings and weekends without a super-long drive (30minutes or less)

We want to be able to bike around town, have easy access to parks, library, fresh, local food, get involved in the community and feel safe--all on a new-grad's first job budget. Family-friendly environment is key as we are building our family. Does this exist? I need to get a sense of some communities like this in the area so that I have a reference point of where to even start in this big move. Any feedback on school systems, rental prices/availability, recreation opportunities, etc would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

[orangeblossom]

seattlepi.com: Neighbors (http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/neighbors/ - broken link)

this may be a good place to start. As far as good public schools,there is much debate about the Seattle Public school system. My child isn't school aged yet,so I don't know. Its just what I hear from other parents.

Maybe Wallingford although not an affordable place to rent. What about going a bit outside the city to Shoreline? ( a better school district) You can still catch a park and ride and bring your bike. Maple Leaf, anywhere north or south of the city will be more affordable.
My friend lives in Seatac and commutes to dt Seattle and she works in social work.

[sean98125]

Look around the North City area in Shoreline. It's centered around NE 175th St and 15th Ave NE.

[Hesster]

Do you have an idea where you will be working? What do you consider affordable? If your household is dual income it will give you a lot more options. There is a wide spread of rent costs, though if you want a 3 bedroom house, count on paying at least $1,200 a month.

There are very few 'small' towns within 30 minutes of Seattle. Most of the area is suburbs with populations varying from 10K to 85K people. Those with smaller populations are places like Issaquah, which I wouldn't really consider 'affordable'. Most of the places with lower rent costs tend to have higher populations. For the most part, there is very little geographic differentiation between areas in and around Seattle. There is a lot of sprawl and one city or area runs right up against the next with nothing to mark the difference between other than a 'Welcome to X' sign.

Also, keep in mind that your limit of 30 minutes commute to downtown in the evenings may not be reasonable depending on what day it is, the time of day, and what's going on. Once it took me 20 minutes to go one block near downtown, though it's usually not quite THAT bad. It can be pretty bad, though. There is a massive influx of people into Seattle in the mornings, and another massive outflux in the afternoons. Morning rush hour starts around 5 AM and lasts until around 10 AM. Evening rush hour starts at around 3 PM and is usually mostly over by 6:30. There are some areas that are nearly always congested at daylight hours though, even on the weekends. I-5 southbound into North Seattle comes to mind.

There is a pretty good network of buses that go in and out of Seattle and around the downtown, as well as light rail that's being built so if you are willing to take public transportation to go visit your friends (especially on the weekdays), then your commute might be more reasonable.

[mayfair]

You might check out Edmonds. It has a small town feel although it's connected by sprawl to Seattle, like every other small town close in. The "bowl" area near downtown is walkable and bikable if you do hills. Edmonds is very safe and has a farmer's market and will be getting a PCC (natural food store) soon. It's on the water and has a cute downtown.

Affordable-- that depends on your budget. I don't think you can buy a home in Edmonds or anyplace close in without either a large salary or hefty downpayment. The school system is average.

[peach143]

Originally Posted by northwest mom

Hello-
I will soon be graduating from a Master's program in Michigan and relocating to the Seattle area. I have a partner and 4 year old son. We lived in Walla Walla WA for several years, then Ann Arbor, MI and have realized that we like smaller towns, but our friends are all in downtown or UW area of Seattle.
Moving back to the NW will be a huge project. My needs are:
-finding work (Social Work or Public Health)
-a good school system for my son (I'd like smaller, good public schools)
-an affordable rental house (3 bdrm on a safe quiet street with a good
sized fenced yard) in an area that I could eventually buy a home
Preferably NOT in a cookie-cutter newer subdision
-Can be a small community within Seattle proper or outside of the city, just as long as we could get together with friends on evenings and weekends without a super-long drive (30minutes or less)

We want to be able to bike around town, have easy access to parks, library, fresh, local food, get involved in the community and feel safe--all on a new-grad's first job budget. Family-friendly environment is key as we are building our family. Does this exist? I need to get a sense of some communities like this in the area so that I have a reference point of where to even start in this big move. Any feedback on school systems, rental prices/availability, recreation opportunities, etc would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

Can you let me know where you ended up and what you think about the place now? I will be relocating to Seattle in a few months and am also looking for the small town feel that isnt too far away from the city. School system is also very important to me.

[PollyGlott]

Originally Posted by peach143

Can you let me know where you ended up and what you think about the place now? I will be relocating to Seattle in a few months and am also looking for the small town feel that isnt too far away from the city. School system is also very important to me.

I wouldn't hold your breath - the OP has never posted again since her initial query in June of 2008...

[Hesster]

Originally Posted by peach143

Can you let me know where you ended up and what you think about the place now? I will be relocating to Seattle in a few months and am also looking for the small town feel that isnt too far away from the city. School system is also very important to me.

All I can say is "good luck."

I live in Boise now, but I just moved here three years ago. Before that I lived near Seattle for over 30 years. I still have family in the area I visit twice a year.

The area is very urbanized. As a previous poster mentioned, there is a lot of sprawl. The difference between Seattle and most cities is the geographic restrictions limit growth to the west. The north, south and east areas are pretty densely populated until you get to the very fringe of the metro area.

If you want the small town feel, you're going to have to live in the outskirts or pay through the nose to live in the 'upper class' areas. If you live in the outskirts and work downtown, you will have to put up with the commute, which can be very long at rush hour.