Renton Highlands (Seattle, Tacoma, Bellevue: to rent, high crime, school district)

[MO Fun in Philly]

We're moving to the Seattle area for work this summer, and we wanted to be between Tacoma and downtown Seattle (for ease of commuting to both). We're going to focus most of our attention on Renton, particularly areas in the Issaquah school district. We've been looking into the Renton Highlands area -- but have heard mixed reviews, with some saying there can be high crime (at least in some parts).

Can you give us your thoughts on Renton Highlands? Are there some areas that are "safer" than others? We're out-of-staters who have to do quite a bit of the initial legwork from a distance, so any advice/information you have would be appreciated!

Thanks!

[Ira500]

The part of the Renton Highlands that is in the Issaquah school district is just fine.
In fact, most of the Renton Highlands is fine, but...
There's a shopping center in the western part of the Renton Highlands on Sunset which has a great Thai restaurant and a big Vietnamese supermarket, but it's adjacent to a public housing project, and at the other end of the shopping center is a drug rehab place.
I shop there and eat there, but I wouldn't live immediately adjacent to it.
The "bad" part of the Renton Highlands only covers maybe three blocks, and it's not bad at all by east coast standards. It ain't Camden by a longshot.
The President of the Renton City Council lives in Renton Highlands, and he works designing airplanes for Boeing.
The two main commercial strips in the Renton Highlands are Sunset, and Northeast Fourth Street. They're both worth exploring, but different in character. Sunset seems to attract more bargain hunters. It has two second hand stores and two dollar stores, all within a couple of blocks of each other, as well as a couple of lower priced supermarkets and a brand new Safeway. A little further down they have an Albertson's and a Big Lots, and a nice hardware store. Sunset also has some great places to eat.
NE 4th is a little "classier", with a Safeway and a QFC, a really good pizza place, a great produce place/gourmet store, and an old fashioned butcher shop.
The eastern part of the Renton Highlands is also quite close to some great hiking at Cougar Mountain and Squak Mountain, officially part of the Cascade foothills( they don't feel like "foothills" when you're climbing them), but locally known as the Issaquah Alps.
I'm in the Renton Highlands a lot and know the area pretty well, so feel free to direct message me if you feel you need to take it outside the forum.
Ira

[MaikeerinWA]

There are a lot of nice, new subdivisions that have sprung up along the NE 4th corridor that Ira alluded to.

It's inevitably losing some of its pleasing rural character, and becoming more suburban, but I think that this eastern part of the Highlands (aka East Renton Plateau) is very safe. It's also a quick trip down the hill to Renton's Landing, for big box shopping, etc.

[BellevueGuy]

The part of Renton under Issaquah School District is very far from I405. Your commute to Tacoma is likely to be very long.

[MaikeerinWA]

Not necessarily true. If you're in the area of 4th St. (along which the Issaquah and Renton districts can literally be across the street from each other in places), it's a quick and easy trip down so-called "cemetery hill" to I-405, exit 4.

Originally Posted by BellevueGuy

The part of Renton under Issaquah School District is very far from I405.

I can't disagree with you there. Tacoma wouldn't be a very fun commute.

Originally Posted by BellevueGuy

Your commute to Tacoma is likely to be very long.