Moving to Seattle area w/family - advice appreciated!! (Bellevue: apartment complexes, rental)

[dawntildusk83]

Hi there My husband & I are planning to re-locate within the year with our 2 small children. Definately thinking the Eastside (Issaquah area perhaps?). We are looking for an even balance between the rural & city lifestyles as my husband is a country lover/outdoor enthusiast & I am a city/culture lover originally from NYC. We will be taking a few trips throughout the school year before our big move next summer & want to start gathering information asap. Any specific details on Bellevue, Issaquah, north Renton areas (& anything similar), great preschools for a 4 year old, the elementary school systems, engineering programs throughout the area, indoor activities for those gray skied days, skiing, boating, etc. you name it! would be greatly appreciated. TIA!!!!

[Rooter48]

No matter where you decide to live you will be close to outdoor opportunities. If you want to keep farm animals or want some acreage you will want unincorporated areas which are disappearing.

Your question is very common so check through the posts on this board. The big issue here is transportation so figure what your commute will be too.

[Ira500]

Both the Issaquah schools and the Bellevue schools are very good, and much of northeast Renton is in the Issaquah school district. A bit of Bellevue is also in the Issaquah district.
In terms of country feel, northeast Renton and Issaquah have more of it than much of Bellevue, but Bellevue has much more shopping and dining. The city of Newcastle is another one you might want to look at, between Renton/Bellevue/Issaquah, some of which is in the Issaquah school district and some of which is in the less good Renton district. Newcastle is closest to the hiking trails of Squak Mountain and Cougar Mountain, which are not real "mountains" but feel like them when you're schlepping up them.
I've got a couple of friends with kids in elementary school. One friend lives in Renton, but in the Issaquah district, and their daughter goes to Maple Hills Elementary school and loves it, and another friend lives in bellevue,and their son goes to Cougar Ridge elementary, also in the Issaquah district, and loves it.
Some of Renton is also in the Tahoma ( Maple valley) school district, and this is another great school district and areas with a bit of a more rural feel.

[allforcats]

Hi Dawntildusk. Welcome to the idea of the Seattle area, one of my top four ideas of heaven! (And I came from NYC too.)

You've obviously done a lot of research, and I'm going to forgo the usual information that using Search here, and that many other posters, can provide for you in spades.

At the moment, I'm interested in the "great preschool for a 4-year-old". I love your word "great"!
Have you considered a private international school? I know two couples whose children attend the French American School on Mercer Island, and both of them started as pre-schoolers. Both couples are highly educated, very discerning professionals, and they absolutely love the French American School.
FASPS Home

There are also Montessori campuses on the east side and that idea might interest you also. This is the site for the Issaquah and Bellevue campuses:
Bellevue Montessori School Campuses

[dawntildusk83]

Thanks for the replies so far I've been browsing this forum for a bit & have googled everything I can possibly think of. Our family took a trip last year & really enjoyed out visit. We are currently living in a resort area in Montana & so are quite familiar with the cloudy skies & high housing prices that everyone speaks so much about. We are also familiar with many of the recreational opportunities, as in we know that they exist in the area, just not so sure as to what we'd do where (if that makes sense LOL - best mountain to ski, nice lakes for boating, child friendly hikes,etc). I've been checking sites like great schools but they're not in-depth enough. We would love to narrow our search down to a few neighborhoods/apartment complexes, a few schools, preschools, etc. so that we can take a trip over there & figure things out. My husband is planning to return to school FT so I'll be working FT, we'll definately need to "get-by" on 1 income for the next few years, & realize that it will be tight. With that being said, we still need to live in a family friendly area with good schools & reasonable rental rates............Difficult most likely, impossible I think(hope!) not. All input & suggestions appreciate!!!!

[AzDreamer]

When we first moved to the area we rented for a few months. That gave us some time to check things out before making a big commitment.

[AussieJane]

Hi dawntildusk83 and all,
I am just wondering how you went findings schools and a good area for your family? We are now contemplating the move from Melbourne Australia to Seattle/Bellevue with a 7 year old and 4 year old.
We have done some research into the schools but as you said the websites need a bit more information and don't give a good feel for the best spots.
Interested in your experience and which area/schools/preschool you chose!!
many thanks!!