Florida to Puget Sound area? (Seattle, Everett: homes, school district, to live)

[pilgrim7578]

Hello Everyone,

My wife, 2 small children, and I are relocating to Seattle from Southwest Florida. The reason we are relocating is due to the need for good schools and old fashion upringing for our children. We are looking for a rural setting with say 2+ acres with good schools. Growing up in NYC I have really learned that Less is more, and we are truely looking for a rural mountain setting withing 1.5-2hr drive to the city..I am a H.S teacher and she is an ultrasound technologist. We are aware of the "grey" days that allegedly last from october to May. We are both from the Northeast where it rains alot although has pleasant days during the winter with cold temp lows.. We enjoy snowboarding,boating, hiking, and nature. All of these cant be done in FL, to hot, humid, and mostly geared to the older generation. We have tons of sun, although after a while you realize you cant be outside more than 20 minutes without getting burned, so you really huddle in the air conditioning which is just wierd when you look out the window and its sunny. I know I sound like a character but its the truth..

Some of the areas we have been looking at are the Poulsbo, Bainsbridge areas in the west sound areas. We were looking at the east side, although it seems the area is on its way to "build out". Change is constant and if we can find an area that is mostly rural now, hopefully itll give us about 15-20 yr leeway from build out development..

We know West Sound is developed although there are large areas west of the highways that appear to be undeveloped. We were even thinking about Kingston, Port Townsend, and Port ludlow...

Anyone have any info on these areas that could help us out in terms of schools and quality of home life...

Pretty much trying to step back in time a bit from the hustly and bustle of south Florida....Thank you in advance

[HuskyDawg]

We are aware of the "grey" days that allegedly last from october to May.

I like the 'allegedly' part. We all just make it up that's it's overcast & dark half the year. It's really like South Beach up here year round.

[pilgrim7578]

hehe I know bad wording I guess... sorry just saying I am aware of the different climates...not sure how well handle it but trying to be optimistic......Any good info about Kitsap county?

[HuskyDawg]

Have you looked at all Northeast of Seattle around HWY 2? There's population up there, but pretty area near Mt. Baker Nat'l Forest and Wenatchee Nat'l forest. I think good schools is the kicker as there are a lot of nice areas that can meet what you're looking for, but school quality varies so much up here from area to area.

[pilgrim7578]

Originally Posted by HuskyDawg

Have you looked at all Northeast of Seattle around HWY 2? There's population up there, but pretty area near Mt. Baker Nat'l Forest and Wenatchee Nat'l forest. I think good schools is the kicker as there are a lot of nice areas that can meet what you're looking for, but school quality varies so much up here from area to area.

I have visited the Everett -Snohomish areas and liked it although decided to stay on the west sound area.. any good things to say about over there? Wondering about little league, boy scout, school, and things to do info over on the west sound north of silverdale... to about Port Angeles..
Big area I know but would anyone suggest a favorable choice in those areas for bringing up children?

Thanks

[Inkpoe]

Most of anywhere would be ok.

If you're looking for good schools in a more rural area, Woodinville is part of Northshore school district and has what you're looking for. Carnation, North Bend, Fall City, Preston and even Issaquah could work.

Bainbridge Island is a great choice. Poulsbo also a good choice though not sure about the schools. Another area is Olympia, Lacey, Tumwater.

A good resource about schools would be schooldigger.com or greatschools.org.

[Twitch2]

Whibey island from my visits looks like a nice rual area to live. Decent homes, but a little far from Seattle plus the ferry cost to get there.

[pilgrim7578]

Would anyone suggest the seabeck area?

[LMB]

We moved from central FL to Poulsbo three years ago and love it here! I know exactly what you mean by being to a prisoner to AC in FL! Bainbridge Island is supposed to have great schools and has lots of beautiful rural areas. You'd have to travel a bit to get to the mountains, although they're pretty much in any direction from there. We're only about 45-60 min from the Olympic National Park and we usually go there for our mountain fix. Poulsbo is a small waterfront town, which we love, but it's really nice to have mountains, rainforests, and the Pacific coast within easy driving distance--and Seattle is just a ferry ride away (approx 1.5 hr travel time including the wait and crossing time). There are rural areas all over the entire Puget Sound region, so you won't have a problem finding the kind of property you're looking for. Concentrate on the right town as you're doing, and after you narrow that down, search for specific properties. That search took us five years with lots of visits in all seasons, and Poulsbo was our final choice for a variety of reasons. We haven't regretted our choice even once! Other towns we liked were Port Townsend, Langley and Coupeville on Whidbey Island, and also Anacortes. There are so many others that also may be just right for your family. Check out Vashon Island too.

Good luck with your search!

Lynn

[pilgrim7578]

Thank you so much for the courteous reply. It is so helpful getting some feedback from the x FL crowd...

It seems Poulsbo and North keep coming up in my research..Must mean something