Best Places to live North of Everett, South of Mt. Vernon (Seattle: foreclosure, renting)

[vhei]

Hey everyone,

I'm moving to Washington for a job, but I'm having trouble deciding where would be the best place to put down roots. I'd like an area that is halfway b/t my job and Seattle.

Does anyone know anything about living in Arlington, Anacortes, Marysville, or Camano Island? Looking at google maps, these are all between Everett and Mt. Vernon. I would just like to find more information about what it is like living in those areas. Or if anyone knows of another place, please feel free to suggest it.

I've tried to use the internet for more information, but I'm not finding the detail I'm looking for.

Thanks for the help.

[JasR30]

Marysville is by far the biggest but I don't really recommend it. Although there is great shopping there and their are lots of decent restaurants popping up, it also has a terrible school district and a large drug population. For a safe, friendly community, I would look into either Arlington or Lake Stevens. Both small towns but both have their own charm.

[beautifulseattlehomes]

Arlington is cute with its adorable historic downtown. Lake Stevens is very nice with great schools but there isn't much of a downtown core. The living on the lake lifestyle really appeals to a lot of folks. Snohomish is wonderful! Small town feeling and incredibly charming with very good schools, a lovely and historic downtown core, great homes in every price range and easy access to nature. Anacortes is a bit far when you consider how far west it is off of the 5.

You didn't say where your job would be and whether schools are a consideration and what you are looking for in terms of lifestyle needs and wants. That would be helpful because some school districts are terrible and commutes can be horrendous depending on where you need to get to. Some towns are sleepy and quiet with nothing much happening and others are pretty vibrant like Snohomish which I personally, absolutely love.

[sll3454]

You left out Stanwood.

How deep are these roots going? Are you buying or renting? (I recommend renting until you know the areas better.)
Do you want to live in an older town? A newer development? A walkable/bike-able area? Near stores? Near a lake? In a beautiful setting? On acreage?

Will you be going to work five days/week and Seattle occasionally? Live as close to work as possible to start. If you don't have a long commute, you'll have more time and energy for the other things.

It depends on where the job is, but I'd rule out Anacortes and Camano Island - too far from the freeway. I wouldn't call them "between" Mount Vernon and Everett, as Anacortes is farther north and Camano is just too far out of the way. Lake Stevens is also far.

Rarely is anything nice said about Marysville on this forum, but in real life I'm sure many thousands of people like it just fine. If you want to be close to shopping and close to the freeway, and if you don't have children in school, Marysville isn't a bad choice.

Are Mount Vernon and Everett also included in your question?

[Bill Loney]

Anacortes is a great little town. But it most certainly isn't "south" of Mt. Vernon.

[vhei]

Mount Vernon is included in the question. I've heard not so good things about it so far, from what I've found on the internet. Is it true it has a lot of crime and gang activity?

I don't care so much about school districts, other than universities. I don't have kids, but I might go back to college soon. I was planning on buying. But it's hard to really know what you're getting until you get out there. I would just prefer not to pick a really bad area as far as crime or commute is concerned.

I've been looking in Arlington the most so far. I'm trying to find a property with enough room for horses. I've also considered buying land then building. But not sure how much that's going to run me. Would have to do more research. Trying to stay in the $400K and under range.

I don't mind living in a small town and commuting to town. I'd like to be able to visit Seattle fairly often, so trying to stick with no more than an hour outside of Seattle.

Really just need to know what are the safer and nicer areas that are commutable to Seattle and Mt. Vernon.

[Bill Loney]

Arlington and Stanwood

[xboxmas]

Camano Island is beautiful.

[sll3454]

Mount Vernon is nice. Everywhere has some crime, but most people live their lives without ever encountering anything gang-related.

You probably will be looking at a lot of rural and semi-rural areas in Snohomish and Skagit Counties. I wouldn't worry about which city name appears on the address. More important will be how long it takes you to get where you are going. Find a location that will allow to you get to your job quickly, and you will have more time to spend with the horses.

There are plenty of properties that are horse-appropriate. In fact, you might be able to get a good deal on a horse property if you aren't afraid of buying a foreclosure. (I know of one near me that just foreclosed and another that will at any time.)

If your job is in Mount Vernon, Arlington could be too far. Stay close to the freeway. If your job is closer to Hwy 9, you can venture further east and use Hwy 9 for your commute, but I don't recommend it as a regular commute. It is one lane each way, and an accident can close it completely. Yesterday an important section of it was closed because of a fire.

Also, if you buy, be careful that you get a good well. We nearly bought a house with an Arlington address until we discovered that the very-slow well had to be shallow because when they went deeper they got salt water. Of course, the same applies if you plan to build.