Wife New Job at Madigan AMC - Where To Live? (Seattle: low crime, homes)

[Xpat]

Hi everyone,
My wife is about to take a job at Madigan Army Medical Center and we've been wondering where we should live. Any advice you can provide is deeply appreciated. Here are a few factors that are important to us:

- Traffic - ideally not spending most of the week sitting on I-5
- Close to parks and natural beauty, hiking and running trails
- Walkability/Bikeabiity - looking for an area where you can walk or ride your bike to lots of things.
- Crunchy - we're both crunchy but not what you'd call hippies so a neighborhood with a sense of community would be great.
- Low crime - since we're coming from a pretty high crime area (Albuquerque) this should not be too hard.

Thanks!

[catspaws]

I think you'll find most everything you want on your list if you look to the south instead of the north, except for traffic. I-5 is your only realistic way in and out of JBLM unless you live nearby, and there just aren't any realistic alternatives.

I suggest starting your search in Lacey, the town is large enough to have things to do but not so large as to feel like a "big" city. Plus you have easy access to Olympia, which is probably among the most crunchy cities north of Oregon (Seattle 'burbs are crunchy I guess, but more of a corporate crunchy if that makes sense). Check this link for a description of Lacey and a crime map of the area.
Moderator cut: link removed, linking to competitor sites is not allowed

[nfdsouza2001]

Check out Puyallup and Sumner too they are right next to each other and still are commutable.

[Inkpoe]

University Place, Steilacoom and DuPont are also other favorites to check out.

[Xpat]

Thanks everyone! There is so much info in these forums...but getting specific suggestions based on your own situation is very helpful!

[elkotronics]

catspaws, what do you mean that Olympia, WA, is a "crunchy" city? LOL!

[catspaws]

In the meaning that the OP used, where Olympia is sort of granola but not Oregon Socialist granola.

[Sandy Nelson]

I would specifically recommend the Meridian Campus neighborhood in the Hawks Prairie area of Lacey.
All the neighborhoods are connected with bike lanes and sidewalks, Tolmie State Park with its beautiful beach are right there, as well as a large City of Lacey Park and 2 golf courses. The drive to Madigan is 15-20 minutes, and for the "crunchy" aspect, Olympia is only 10-15 minutes away. The neighborhoods are very well maintained and there is a nice mix up up-scale golf course neighborhoods, as well as entry-level affordable homes, and in-between.

[Xpat]

Thanks for the tips Sandy! Neither of us are golfers - we're more into climbing, hiking, skiing, and yoga.