Young couple moving from Massachusetts to Washington (Seattle, Tacoma: fit in, apartments)

[CosmicExplosion]

Hi! I'm new on this forum, my name is Brandi. I am 22 years old and from a small town in western massachusetts. My boyfriend and I are looking to move to Washington in the near future (maybe 6-8 months max). I am currently working on my psychology degree from a small community college (I should have an associates before I move), I also have experience as an office manager/ receptionist. My boyfriend is currently working as a night manager at a local convenience store. We love small town vibes, we spend all our free time biking, hiking, kayaking, etc. Our first choice to move would be washington, maybe around the Olympic Peninsula, but we were also looking for homes in Maple Falls. We wanted to be close to the mountains and ocean and a college if at all possible. The most intimidating part of moving to Washington from Mass would be that your unemployment rate is much higher. I have been doing information and "lurking" around this forum for a few months heheh I guess I wanted to get my story out here and see if anyone has any advice. I can relate to some posts on here, but most people have families and careers started. We are just starting out and looking for a good place to call home Does anyone know any good towns suitable for us? Maybe where jobs are a little more readily available. We have an extremely reliable car so traveling isn't a problem, as it would probably be cheaper to live outside a city and work within it. I have lived in this same small town my whole life, so I am anxious and nervous to leave. Washington just feels like home already though so I am very determined to make it there. I have found a lot of apartments in the 650-700$ range which would probably be the most reasonable, but I don't know the areas too well....just what I have read online. I also have been trying unsuccessfully to start my own "green" house cleaning business in mass, does anyone know if house keepers are a little bit more in need in Washington? Sorry for all the questions hahah just trying to get a little bit more insight Thank you all for reading and any information you might have, this is my first big move and I don't want to fall on my face!!

[NW Crow]

Hi Brandi.

Rents tend to be pretty high near Seattle. Your strategy "to live outside a city and work within it" is a good one but with Seattle it would mean living quite a distance outside it. Monroe is showing some 1 bedroom apartments for $750 and might be one of the cheaper fairly near-in alternatives. There are probably some cheaper but you'd have to search hard for them and check them out carefully. If you selected Monroe you could get into the very big Seattle or the Eastside markets for employment. Monroe is still part small town but it is increasing becoming part of the metro. If you were willing to live further out (and liked Maple Falls) you might check out Granite Falls, NE of Everett.

Olympia WA has some cheaper rents in your state range. The Bellingham area probably does too with a search and maybe some compromises.

A "green" house cleaning business might have a shot in any of those places but maybe especially in the Seattle & Eastside area (Bellevue/Redmond/Sammamish/etc.)

If you prefer a smaller place near the water, maybe look into Poulsbo. (The advantage over other places further out on the Olympic Pennisula is adjacency to a larger economic market.)

Or maybe Camas / Washougal, east of Vancouver WA. (Access to the Portland market.)

Good luck with your research, decision-making and future.

[CosmicExplosion]

Wow! Thanks so much for the information, I have a lot more towns to check into. It's hard with never have even visited the West Coast to make such a huge decision so it helps a lot to speak to someone who has first hand experience Thanks again!!

[CarlB328]

I would recommend against anyone moving here without having a good job lined up. The cost of living in Washington is high, and job competition can be quite fierce. Of course convenience store positions are probably pretty easy to come by, but I would compare cost of living very carefully before moving.

Not to mention that it costs a ton of money to move across the country unless you are willing to just bring what you can fit in a car.

[Sobefobik]

Olympia sounds like a good fit for you. It's right on the tip of of the Puget Sound, and there are a lot of outdoor activities there. Rents are very reasonable. I looked into moving to Massachusetts at one time, and I'll tell you now that the cost of living is cheaper here. It's outrageous over there, so I think you'll be pleasantly surprised. And if you like the small town feel, you can usually find small town prices. Like I said, Olympia is very reasonable and it has a very down to earth feel even though it's the capitol.

If you are trying to start a cleaning business, you'll probably have to go someplace closer to Seattle or Bellevue. They are a lot more expensive.

Tacoma is kind of rundown and has some sketchy areas, but if you live in North Tacoma or in the Stadium District the rents are very reasonable and you're only about 45 minutes south of Seattle (it can go up to 2 hours if there's heavy traffic).

[Freebird2007]

I am contemplating moving back to Boston.....

[StealthRabbit]

Originally Posted by CosmicExplosion

... maybe around the Olympic Peninsula, ...

For access to a HUGE Green Cleaning clientele, consider Port Angeles / Sequim / Port Townsend (there are some rural enclaves int he region that will have cheap rents). Jobs are a bit tough, but they exist. Gotta dig.

I would have a night job, and work on your business / schooling during the day.

Olympia and north/ NW to Belfair may do as well (Olympia proper is a bit spendy).

[nca121687]

I moved here in January after recently graduating with my A.A. degree. I found a roommate so my rent was only 460 a month in a two bedroom two bathroom apartment in Lacey (near Olympia). I would not suggest living far from Seattle because the job market is so horrible. After putting in tons and tons of applications and even landing a few interviews, the only job I was hired at was at WalMart! I have years of experience doing serving and bartending work, office work, etc, so being only able to land a job at Walmart was horrible. Viewing the job lists on Craigslist, I now wish I lived in Seattle. Sure, it may be more expensive to live but at least you and your man will be able to find good jobs. Expect lots of traffic on the 5 as it is the only major freeway N/S here. Other than the job market, and wishing I hadn't chosen Lacey, Washington is absolutely gorgeous! I met my fiance here and we are actually moving to Massachusetts next year, but I wish I didn't have to leave WA! I would definitely suggest applying to UW. It is competitive, but worth a shot. If not UW, there are other private colleges that you should look into. Expect to take out loans for school, but do realize it is worth it. Having an education and a higher degree is key to landing a decent job. Also, plan on getting at least a Master's. Good luck to you and your man!

[dscott73]

You should definitely look into Central Washington.. Like Wenatchee! It is full of outdoor stuff. Hiking, kayaking, skiing twenty minutes away. It is a small city but big enough to feel like a city. It isn't one of those, everyone knows everyone else places. We have snow in the winter, a little rain in the spring, and sun in the summer. In the winter it can get down to the 20's but in the summer it reaches the 90's. Great place to live, only 2 and a half hours from Seattle.