Question for Everyone in Washington... (Seattle, Tacoma: cheap apartment, to rent, condo)

[Arorah]

Hello all,

I will say first that I am currently living in California and would like to move to Washington State. And before you roll your eyes and say "not another" ...please trust me, I've been doing my research for years now.

I'm 30 years old and for about 5 years I have been dreaming of Washington. Since I was a teenager I've pretty much known that I never wanted to settle down and build a home life in California.

Currently, I live in the Bay Area, CA but all my aunts and uncles and their large families all live in and around Los Angeles. I've been up and down California and have never been happy.

I am pretty liberal and not much into the church scene. I would love to eventually live somewhere where I could own a home on a lake, river, maybe the ocean, but I love the forest and mountains a bit more then the beach. And I want to own a home eventually on land. I don't like to be stacked right on top of my neighbor.

I enjoy Camping, Boating, Hockey Games and would also like to find a city that is pet friendly. I have a couple indoor only cats. The pet situation is one thing that I don't know too much about up there. Here, there are clearly cities that will absolutely not rent to you if you have any pets at all.
I hate traffic. I do not want to move to another big city. I'm looking for a community that might still have an ounce of common courtesy for their neighbors.

But, I'm looking to rent an apartment first somewhere where I might be able to afford a home later.

Cliffs Notes:
Want to move to any city in Washington that has..
Water (homes on a lake, river, pond, maybe beach)
More nature then City (prefer low populations with land)
I'm a single, 30 yr old female with no children and never been married.
Would like to find an inexpensive small city

I have done a lot of research and it just seems like Washington State would be a good fit with the type of life and lifestyle that I hope to achieve. I know California is hot and sunny all year long, but that is no fun. What about the 4 seasons? I know it rains like 8 months out of the year up there but I prefer the rain to the heat any day. I don't do well when it's 90 degrees for 4 months.

I hope there is someone here that might be able to steer me into the right direction. And is there a city where a single person can rent their own apartment and survive? I can most likely get an entry level position anywhere. I can work quite a few uniquely different jobs. From office administration to baker and pastry chef to radio broadcasting and television production. All professionally trained with work experience.

This is very long, I'm sorry but wanted to get all the fact out first.
If you read this far and think that maybe Washington wouldn't be best for me but another location I'm open to new possibilities. I just want to build a life and a home in a community filled with really wonderful people.

Thank you so much for any help!

[CarlB328]

I hate traffic

Well Western Washington is out then, except for the Southwest section and the Olympic peninsula, neither of which have many jobs.

[AlohaHuey]

I moved here at age 30 not knolwing a soul. You may have to sacrifice for some years in the big city before you can save for a house in the mountains. WA is generally pet-friendly. Your job will dictate where you need to live. It's a great area.

Good luck.

[Arorah]

I think in general the traffic I'm used to comes from living in a city with well over a million people plus it's crammed up against other cities that are not all that much smaller. I think I could take the kind of traffic from a city with maybe a half million people on it's own or a cluster of a few hundred thousand people.

I think my plan is to live in an apartment in a large city and save for a house on a lake.

It's very conjested here. Not nearly as bad as Los Angeles but certainly not very far behind.

Everyone I talk to about Washington State tell me to go to Lynnwood. I've heard nothing but great things about that city. I started out being drawn to Tacoma. If Seattle was my San Francisco then it seems that Tacoma would be my San Jose, CA? But What I've heard about Tacoma is a mixed bag of good and bad.

I know absolutely nothing about the Eastern side of the state.

I can adapt anywhere really. I just feel a bit lost right now in my decision. I can't just narrow it down.

Are there any safe cities that I could get a cheap apartment for like $500-$700/mo? I'm paying $1,100 for a 1-bedroom now and I'd really like to cut all my bills in half.

So the western coast I figure is the more expensive side?

Also, are the folks in Washington usually accpeting and like the Canadians? I've dated quite a few Canadians(From B.C. and Alberta) and actually almost moved to Alberta. I'm not sure what the views are up there.

Thank you so much for the replies

[Inkpoe]

Honestly, our (Western WA, i5 corridor) traffic is bad in its unpredictability and its bottlenecks (we have numerous).

I like Lynnwood, but it's pretty busy and does have lots of traffic (405 and i5 conjuncts, in addition to the Alderwood mall traffic). Tacoma is great, very underrated.

From what you said, you could consider living in Poulsbo, Kingston or even Bremerton-- and take the ferry to Seattle (for jobs, for city amenities, cultural attractions, et. c). Or Olympia.

[cjg5]

Based on your requirements its difficult. Seattle and its surrounding areas is where most of the jobs in this state are but it is very expensive and king county taxes are ridiculous. You may like shoreline or edmonds. kingston is very nice but you will need to use the ferry to get to seattle unless you want a looooong drive around the south end of the sound. Belfair is also very nice on the kitsap peninsula but again you'd have to drive around the sound of up to bremerton and ferry over to seattle.

If you can afford it, check out vashon island. Again with the ferry but very nice. Ferries on both ends of the island give easy access to both seattle and tacoma, as well as to the kitsap peninsula.

In eastern washington check out moses lake. Not sure about the job situation there but it is a very nice area set next to a nice, large lake. Just be prepared for coooold winters and HOT summers over that way! Also look into wenatchee, where I'd like to end up in the next year or two. Or tri-cities area. Chelan or Manson on lake chelan are very nice too, but expensive I think.

Also have you looked into bellingham at all? Bothell? Anacortes? Friday harbor? Mt vernon? Port angeles? Oak harbor? Lots of nice areas on water settings in this state. Just as long as you can afford them as well as find work in them.

[la_fuerza]

Arorah-

I used to live in the Bay Area and know how expensive it is. I used to rent a room in San Fran and now I own a condo just outside Seattle. I left the Bay Area 3 years ago when I was 30 years old too.

You won't be able to find many apartments in Seattle or its suburbs for $500 - $700. That's not realistic. I used to rent a 1 bedroom apartment in Shoreline for $865 a month. That apartment complex had alot of single girls like you in their 30's and Shoreline is a safe city.

Have you come up to Washington to visit Lynnwood or any of these areas yet?

[Arorah]

la_fuerza-
I've only been to Seattle a couple times with a friend to visit their family. That was a few years ago. I've just been doing a lot, a lot, a lot of research on most the state. I just want to make sure that when I go I'm completely prepared and that I don't make any mistakes that force me to move back.

I think from what people tell me I might be the most comfortable on the west coast. It might not be such a shock as compaired to going from a huge city to rural mountains.

I don't mind starting over though. I'm somewhat trying to steer clear of a corporate job. I've been doing it for so long and it hasn't made me happy. I've lived in top floor apartments with vaulted ceilings, fireplace, washer/dryer in the unit working a corporate marketing job making $25/hr to start.

I hate living in an aprtment and don't want to be doing it much longer. I know there are some cities in California where a person could rent a cottage or one to two bedroom small home for under a thousand a month.

I'd love to find a job at a Marina or something like that. I want a fresh new start. Get away from the hussle and bussle of big city life. There has to be work outside of Seattle. I like Seattle, but I'd prefer to visit not live there.

[luckylady1]

Have you looked at Bellingham? We are located on bellingham Bay, close to the San Juan Islands and Mt Baker. Bellingham has a very diverse population and we tend to be on the liberal side. It is a wonderful place to live although housing is expensive, but not as expensive as Seattle. Go to the Worksource web site to see what jobs are available. The big employers here are Western WA University and the Hospital. There are also several refineries in the area. If you are into the outdoors you will be in heaven here! Good luck in your search.

[Waianaegirl]

It seems like the mountains and ocean and lakes would be up your alley as far as western WA goes, however, it's not much or any cheaper. As far as Tacoma goes, it is our "bad" part of town. The smell alone ( the Tacoma Aroma) along I-5 is enough to make you want to keep moving through. I personally do not care for Lynnwood. Bellingham is nice, but far from Seattle. Des Moines is right on the water, and pretty close to Seattle, especially if you take the 599, the back way into Seattle. And not too expensive. Then you have Redmond and Bellevue, not cheap but nice and most people live there and do not have to commute. There are a ton of places to work, but maybe not as much anymore in this economy.
Weather. You might hate the heat and sunshine, but if you are used to it and get here and get the opposite, you might find that you do not like it. Rain isn't what makes most people blue here, it's the clouds. We do get a lot of rain, but the clouds are what kill me. Especially in the winter, it is so dark and gloomy. I like living here in the summer, but the rest of the year, I'd rather be somewhere else. My husband is a cold weather, cloudy person. So he loves the weather here. Me, I am a warm, beach person. I do love the mountains as well. I am an outdoor person, so there is a lot to do here, but not when it is raining or cold and raining. Everyone crams all the outdoor stuff( boating, camping, hiking, etc,etc) in the summer. So all the hiking trails and camp grounds are always crowded, because we have such a short summer here.