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Old 05-29-2013, 10:24 PM
 
Location: NC
2 posts, read 3,451 times
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My husband and I are moving to the Tacoma area this year. Having never visited, we have a lot of questions. He's military, so I would love to know as much as possible about Ft. Lewis. We'd love to live near base, but in our experiences that usually is the worst part of town. We'd prefer not to live in a military area, so how is Lakewood or southern Tacoma in that respect? Is crime a problem near base? Any housing below $1k/mo (with a yard) or is this wishful thinking?

Any information about continuing my studies at UW Tacoma vs. at UW Seattle (plus the commute) would be appreciated as well. I'm coming from the rivalry-charged Tobacco Rd in NC, so how does the college culture compare?

And finally, what can we expect after having both been raised in the South? We're both pretty open-minded and left-leaning, but what kind of reactions will we see to our subtle accents? Any comparisons to NC? Weather, hospitality, cost of living, politics, public transportation, etc. You won't hurt my feelings; I just want to know it all.
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Old 05-29-2013, 10:40 PM
 
Location: PNW
2,011 posts, read 3,436,953 times
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UW Tacoma does offer nearly as many majors as UW Seattle but does offer some major ones in a small liberal arts feel. Tacoma gets a bad rep in the Seattle Metro. Hill Top near downtown used to be one of Americas most Dangerous Neighborhoods but within the last 15 years improved dramatically. South Tacoma ranges from Middle class Suburban to lower class working neighborhoods. Tacoma is alittle more dreary then Seattle but downtown offers alot of old historic sites and Theaters to visit. Tacoma Waterfront is great, access to waterways and activities. The Narrows Bridge is absolutely breathtaking. Tacoma offers everything you would expect from a mid-sized city. Lots of shopping, Higher end stores are futher north in Seattle and the Eastside (Bellevue, Redmond, Issaquah, kirkland, etc). Puyallup is also not to far and will offer more of a selection. Point Defiance park is one of the best public parks in the state. Pacific Lutheran University and University of Puget Sound are also with the city, both smaller private Liberal Arts schools with great academic programs. Cost of Living is cheaper then much of the puget sound area, Public transportation is average but does provide much bus and train access. Tacoma is a huge melting pot of cultures so you should feel welcome. All in all its a great place to live and explore the region.
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Old 05-29-2013, 10:46 PM
 
7,743 posts, read 15,805,400 times
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You're right, around the base is kinda nasty. With Lakewood, its nicer towards the water, not so much elsewhere-- lots of hits and miss. It would require more investigation, both in person and talking to the police department. Southern Tacoma isn't that much better, though it does offer more amenities. The trendy areas would in North Tacoma area. 1K/mo for a house with a yard is... pretty wishful and if you did find something like that I would suggest that you proceed with caution.

UWT doesn't offer as much degrees as the main campus but they do add more over time. It really depends on what you plan to study. I would suggest the main campus only if you have money to burn as commute will be at least 45 minutes. Of course, college culture will be more at main campus as UWT will have a bit of a commuter college feel to it. UW is definitely a big deal and a lot of people will not "appreciate" any Cougars mouthing off.

As for you, all I can say is that my cousins from the South found Tacoma beautiful but dreary.
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Old 05-31-2013, 12:16 PM
 
Location: Seattle
5,117 posts, read 2,135,650 times
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Hello...

My father was a career officer in the Air Force and he was stationed at McCord for 8 years when I was growing up. We grew up in University Place which is definitely one of the nicest areas of Tacoma. It's approx a 20-25 minute commute to the military bases.

Lakewood is closer but not quite as nice as UP.
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Old 05-31-2013, 01:07 PM
 
1,950 posts, read 3,511,076 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by MyManifestDestiny View Post
My husband and I are moving to the Tacoma area this year. Having never visited, we have a lot of questions. He's military, so I would love to know as much as possible about Ft. Lewis. We'd love to live near base, but in our experiences that usually is the worst part of town. We'd prefer not to live in a military area, so how is Lakewood or southern Tacoma in that respect? Is crime a problem near base? Any housing below $1k/mo (with a yard) or is this wishful thinking?

Any information about continuing my studies at UW Tacoma vs. at UW Seattle (plus the commute) would be appreciated as well. I'm coming from the rivalry-charged Tobacco Rd in NC, so how does the college culture compare?

And finally, what can we expect after having both been raised in the South? We're both pretty open-minded and left-leaning, but what kind of reactions will we see to our subtle accents? Any comparisons to NC? Weather, hospitality, cost of living, politics, public transportation, etc. You won't hurt my feelings; I just want to know it all.
I used to live in Raleigh, now live in Seattle. I am considering a move back to the Triangle, but not b/c this isn't a great area. My comments stem from my experience in Seattle, but Tacoma is similar. Things you'll notice: no A/C or need for it (only a handful of days are really hot), no umbrellas (the rain is a fine mist here, people wear raincoats or just walk in it), no college rivalries like the Triangle, rare bugs except house spiders, no screens on windows (people just let the breeze flow through the house), no lightening bugs, rare thunderstorms, no hurricanes, no oppressive humidity, no religious fanatacism or outspoken born-agains, mostly liberals (though not many political debates or conversations), and a love of dogs and coffee. Women wear less or no makeup, no hairspray or manicured looks, no tans. A lot of bookstores, coffee shops, and outdoor activities. Lots of places to take the kids. Gay marriage or biracial relationships are no big deal. People from all over the world. Accents unnoticed. People are friendly, but by far less warm than in NC -- very introverted, slightly uptight. Cost of living more expensive, especially housing and groceries (unsure about Tacoma housing prices). Houses are generally dumps compared to NC, but you get used to it. Bus system OK in Seattle, unsure about Tacoma. Beautiful scenery, but the grey drizzle gets to me during the winter. I really like Tacoma's downtown -- good bones just waiting for revitalization. Great zoo. Glass museum highly regarded.
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Old 05-31-2013, 01:28 PM
 
Location: Kirkland, WA (Metro Seattle)
6,031 posts, read 6,083,551 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by west seattle gal View Post
I used to live in Raleigh, now live in Seattle. I am considering a move back to the Triangle, but not b/c this isn't a great area. My comments stem from my experience in Seattle, but Tacoma is similar. Things you'll notice: no A/C or need for it (only a handful of days are really hot), no umbrellas (the rain is a fine mist here, people wear raincoats or just walk in it), no college rivalries like the Triangle, rare bugs except house spiders, no screens on windows (people just let the breeze flow through the house), no lightening bugs, rare thunderstorms, no hurricanes, no oppressive humidity, no religious fanatacism or outspoken born-agains, mostly liberals (though not many political debates or conversations), and a love of dogs and coffee. Women wear less or no makeup, no hairspray or manicured looks, no tans. A lot of bookstores, coffee shops, and outdoor activities. Lots of places to take the kids. Gay marriage or biracial relationships are no big deal. People from all over the world. Accents unnoticed. People are friendly, but by far less warm than in NC -- very introverted, slightly uptight. Cost of living more expensive, especially housing and groceries (unsure about Tacoma housing prices). Houses are generally dumps compared to NC, but you get used to it. Bus system OK in Seattle, unsure about Tacoma. Beautiful scenery, but the grey drizzle gets to me during the winter. I really like Tacoma's downtown -- good bones just waiting for revitalization. Great zoo. Glass museum highly regarded.
This was an interesting compare/contrast list. Thanks. Agree with most, "but":

Spent about six months consulting in Charlotte, latter half of 2010, and didn't get to know "the locals" all that well: we were all transplants or on the job from elsewhere (one of the major banks in town). Many of the company's staff were Indians or other ex-pats and/or consultants, so we were all foreigners (Yankees, extra-nationals) and treated accordingly.

The Seattle-Tacoma metro "dog" thing made me chuckle. I'm all-for limiting dogs to rural or protection-use-only w/licensing therein, but that is a minority view. They just cause trouble in urban and suburban environments, then people complain when the cops summarily decide to gun them down at first sign of trouble. There are plenty in the area, indeed (dogs, and police). Hmm.

Buddy of mine from the South echoes the "introverted" thing about Seattle metro. It drives him mad, half the time, 'cause he's definitely more-social. Couldn't quite pin it down, in Charlotte, personally: no one flipped me grief, given I'm not terribly social. Hmm, again.

I've observed houses are "dumps" in NW WA due to wood construction and the subsequent wear-and-tear to roofs, paint, and everything outdoors. Something is always growing (over-growing) homes in Seattle, it's work and expense keeping them nice. Many don't. I do, but then again I live in a part of Seattle metro where that is, shall we say, a bit more of a social expectation. Live in an area where people cannot or will not keep places going, yes it becomes unattractive quite quickly.

In my observation, condo/apartment complexes, especially, older than c. 15 years should be inspected CLOSELY for damage prior to purchase, or even rental: settling/structural, water damage, roof and grounds, mold, insects, etc. I'm watching my former condo complex, north-end, built in 1997, look more run-down year-over-year. Ten years from now, it won't be too pretty. I got out of there after 11 years while there was still equity.
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Old 05-31-2013, 01:55 PM
 
5,075 posts, read 11,007,724 times
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Big difference in culture. Down south, the football games are a big affair with students, family, alumni and even people that never went to college. At UW, the football program is managed more like an NFL team and the games are largely attended by weathier alumni, not the student body. It's not a big part of college life the way it is at other schools and isolated college towns. The UW Seattle is a big, urban campus so students aren't as tied to the school itself and tend to have a lot of outside activities unless they're in a program that takes up all free time.

The other thing about it is being the second largest research school in the US, there's a big divide between undergrad-only and the grad track students. The latter being favored by professors, many of whom have no interest in teaching classes other than to identify potential grad students. They tend to be very wrapped up in their research and teaching is more of a chore they are saddled with, which is why so many classes are taught by grad students that are equally thrilled about getting stuck with the task.

I understand the branch campuses are different in this regard, as they're not research focused. Back when I was in school, the branches were relatively new and students at the main campus were indignant that these "branchers" who were basically seen as community college students got a degree that said UW on it.
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Old 05-31-2013, 01:59 PM
 
Location: East of Seattle since 1992, 615' Elevation, Zone 8b - originally from SF Bay Area
44,105 posts, read 80,174,082 times
Reputation: 56936
You might look at Lacey and Dupont, far enough from the base to have nice, quiet areas to live without a long commute. Unfortunately in most of the Puget Sound area under $1,000/month means sketchy neighborhood or very small apartment with no yard. A small house with yard can be found for $1,200 but is rare, $1,400 and up is more normal even in that area
but is still less than Seattle metro. The UW rivalries with WA State and with Oregon are alive and well. Because over 60%
of residents in this area are from another state or country, accents are pretty much ignored as normal. You will find the cost of living considerably higher than NC.
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Old 05-31-2013, 04:02 PM
 
9,618 posts, read 27,234,771 times
Reputation: 5382
Steilacoom is close to the base, has awesome mountain and water views, and lots of cool old buildings. Oldest town in the state?
Tacoma itself has some great neighborhoods. Old Town .Proctor. Ruston.And a bunch of others. They'll likely be half an hour from the base, Steilacoom closer.
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Old 06-02-2013, 10:03 PM
 
Location: God's Country
611 posts, read 1,199,952 times
Reputation: 584
I would agree with the previous posts, go with University Place, Dupont, Steilacoom or Lacey. I can't speak for the other areas, but you should be able to find something decent with a yard for $1K in Lacey. Some commute from Yelm as well which would be cheaper but getting in and out can be a pain. I believe there are some back roads to the base.

I am originally from Greensboro but haven't lived there since I was a kid. I will second the opinions that you will find the PNW "cooler" and less social than the South. I left Washington recently to get back east. I missed the deciduous trees, seasons and the rain got to me, but I spent 22 very nice years in Washington. I lost most of my accent, but my parents have a distince SC twang and never got any grief. The one thing that I noticed was a bit of impatience from Washingtonians when speaking with my father who has the stereotypical Southern drawl and takes a little time telling a tale. My mother is a bit quicker to the point and never had any issues.

Personally I don't think much matches the Research Triangle and you won't find any really good rivalries like you will in the Carolinas. There are some die hard Cougar vs Husky people, but they really don't compare.
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