area info needed (Seattle, Everett, Olympia: rentals, low crime, roughest)

[corona68]

I want to re-ask a question on here, that I had earlier asked, but did not get a response to....What are the more affordable areas of Washington State to live in, that are Rural, and not withinn a city? We are wanting Western Washington, anywhere, just not East of the Cascades. It has to be close enough to a Wal Mart, that driving is reasonable, since I am in Management with the Company, and have to hold onto this job, for obvious reasons, until something better comes along.
If anyone could please give me the heads up on this, I would really appreciate it! Oh, and I want to rent, not buy.

[LMB]

There are three Wal Marts on Kitsap Peninsula, which has rural areas within easy driving distances of the stores. Poulsbo, Bremerton and Port Orchard on Kitsap have Wal Mart stores. All of these towns also have affordable rentals. I'm sure there are additional areas in western WA that would fit your criteria as well, and others here will probably add info about those locations.

Good luck with your search!

Lynn

[rikki_5]

Originally Posted by corona68

I want to re-ask a question on here, that I had earlier asked, but did not get a response to....What are the more affordable areas of Washington State to live in, that are Rural, and not withinn a city? We are wanting Western Washington, anywhere, just not East of the Cascades. It has to be close enough to a Wal Mart, that driving is reasonable, since I am in Management with the Company, and have to hold onto this job, for obvious reasons, until something better comes along.
If anyone could please give me the heads up on this, I would really appreciate it! Oh, and I want to rent, not buy.

I would recommend *NOT* living in Kitsap (Bremerton, Poulsbo, Kingston, Port Orchard, etc.) 1. You will have to live by the ferry schedule if you want to get to Seattle, and it is expensive. 2. Kitsap is filled with military folk- not that that is a bad thing but not very much diversity. 3. You have to deal with snobby Bainbridge Island people who think they are better than everyone else in Kitsap. It is true that it is more affordable to live in Kitsap and there is a wal-mart, but it is just too far out and isolated. I lived there for two years.
I wouldn't recommend living anywhere south or southeast of seattle. Everything in Seattle is expensive, everything on the east side is expensive..not sure where the walmarts are either.
Snohomish county would probably be your best bet, but you will have to go to Everett, Marysville, or Arlington, which to me are better than the Kitsap area and you don't have to deal with ferries. I would think twice about moving here though, it really sucks lately. If you really want to rent a house or apt..I would check out the Snohomish County Craigslist.

[joebarb]

I have been looking at the Olympia Peninsula to relocate and have found that Silverdale, in Kitsap County has a nice mall with just about everything you could need without having to go to Seattle. There are also large grocery store chains and other counties on the Peninsula that have Walmart stores, are rural, and not so expensive. Remember that not everyone likes living in small towns and need the pulse of the bigger cities such as Seattle, therefor, a rural county wouldn't work for them. But it certainly isn't necessary for everyone. I, for one could care less about what Seattle has to offer other than the airport. It's the type of place I want to get away from, so I will not be dependant on ferry service. Check out all your options. Google a city, county, and area and see what pops up.

[Fat Freddy]

Aberdeen has a WalMart, but not much else.

Rent's are cheap though, especially on the Flats.

If you want rural, five miles out of town in any direction is about as rural as it gets anywhere in the U.S. Rentals may be harder to find in the woods though.

Go ten miles outside of town and you can rent a cave from Bigfoot.

[corona68]

How much does Bigfoot charge to rent his cave?? Can you hook me up with his Number? That would be kinda cool living in a cave...Beats the heck out of a Card Board box.
I will keep a watch on this thread, and continue to look at the places that have been mentioned here.
The "Flats" in Aberdeen....What are those? That's not like the Ghetto is it? I know the "Flats" in Galveston here in Texas, are like a very bad place, drug's, prostitution, and if you park your Car outside your house, be sure to bring your tires inside with you....It's really that bad. Oh, and if you go outside at night, be sure to say your good byes to your Family, cause you probably won't be back...You get the general picture here.
I just don't want to live in a place that I'm afraid to step outside...Or haunted (go ahead, laugh!)

[LMB]

Originally Posted by joebarb

I have been looking at the Olympia Peninsula to relocate and have found that Silverdale, in Kitsap County has a nice mall with just about everything you could need without having to go to Seattle. There are also large grocery store chains and other counties on the Peninsula that have Walmart stores, are rural, and not so expensive. Remember that not everyone likes living in small towns and need the pulse of the bigger cities such as Seattle, therefor, a rural county wouldn't work for them. But it certainly isn't necessary for everyone. I, for one could care less about what Seattle has to offer other than the airport. It's the type of place I want to get away from, so I will not be dependant on ferry service. Check out all your options. Google a city, county, and area and see what pops up.

I agree, joebarb. Small town living isn't for everyone, but it is perfect for a lot of people. We love the low crime, low traffic, and friendly environment we've found here in North Kitsap. As far as shopping and services, Poulsbo has most everything we need, and if not we head to Silverdale, just a few miles away. Other than going to Seattle to visit family occasionally, we hardly ever go into the city. When we do, we take either the Bainbridge or Kingston ferry, and have never had a problem with either. Actually, we don't have to go often because our family members come over to see us frequently to get away from the city for awhile.

The ferry has been a total non-issue for us, and it was something I was very concerned about before moving here. I was worried about being ferry dependent, which seems so silly now. However, for trips to SeaTac airport we usually drive around through the Narrows Bridge, which generally takes less than 90 minutes from Poulsbo. Good advice to the OP to check out all possible options--and there sure are a lot of them!

Lynn

[portorchardsweetheart]

Hi Joebarb,
How's the search going? I'm new here from the Seattle area the most recent and from N. Nevada below Lake Tahoe about 2 years ago. We're in Port Orchard and I love it. There is a Walmart in Port Orchard. It's not a Supercenter but there is one of those right next to the "freeway" in Poulsbo about a half hour from here. Coming from Texas, it will be a total culture shock for you! I haven't heard a siren out here in the McCormick Woods area the whole time we've lived here. We can leave things out at night and I've even forgotten to lock my car (coming from Seattle--you do that there) several times and my car is still out there! hehe Good luck to you, you'll love it here. We're having snow today but supposed to turn to rain by 7 AM. Springs, summers and Falls are spectacular and the most desirable thing is....the temperature only fluctuates like 50 degrees year round. It's wonderful. The weather, REALLY, is a well kept secret to keep people away. hehe

[Fat Freddy]

Originally Posted by corona68

...How much does Bigfoot charge to rent his cave?...The "Flats" in Aberdeen....What are those? That's not like the Ghetto is it? I know the "Flats" in Galveston here in Texas, are like a very bad place, drug's, prostitution...I just don't want to live in a place that I'm afraid to step outside...Or haunted (go ahead, laugh!)

Aberdeen is in Gray's Harbor County which has one of the highest incidences of Bigfoot sightings in the world. However, those who see one, don't usually ever want to see one again. One of the best "true" Bigfoot stories took place just up the road a piece from Aberdeen. Look up "The Cow Man of Copalis Beach".

The Flats in Aberdeen and Hoquiam is the area nearest the bay. It's the oldest part of town and dates back to the logging days of the early 1900's.

It is locally considered a crime ridden bad part of town, but compared to similar areas in large cities, the crime there is negligible.

However, if you are concerned about ghosts, consider this:

"By 1900, Aberdeen was one of the roughest towns on the West Coast, with many saloons, whorehouses, and gambling establishments. Aberdeen was well known by sailors. It was nicknamed "The Hellhole of the Pacific", or "The Port of Missing Men", because of the high murder rate around the area. One notable resident was Billy Gohl, known locally as Billy "Ghoul", who was rumored to have killed at least 140 men."

Eventually, those who could afford it, moved up on the hill behind Aberdeen. There is a nice view of the Harbor and it doesn't flood up there.

[joebarb]

Hi Port Orchard Sweetheart,
I didn't post the original thread here, just had to give my two cents about what I've found out when researching Kitsap County. We are actually coming from the SF bay area and not Texas. We have narrowed it down between Sequim/Port Angeles (the weather there might be the winner) Poulsbo, Port Orchard, or Port Townsend. The county we live in here will not allow a Walmart. Sort of a "not in MY extremely over-priced back yard" People here don't want the "riff raff" that they believe a Walmart would bring (that's an actual quote). This is the land of the haves and the haves more, which is exactly why the Olympia Peninsula is looking so great to us. This is where a small 3/2 home, for upwards of 800K. Where the median income for a family is 90K a year (the things people say about Bainbridge, well, it would be heaven compared to here) Right now we drive 40 minutes for a SuperCenter, and the things people say about Seattle are some of the very same things people say about San Francisco. I, however, don't go into the city unless someone is visiting and wants to see what all the hype is about. Going for a day isn't bad, but making it a regular part of my daily life would make me dependant on expensive bridges and ferries. I have no desire for that. I'm guessing Seattle will fall into the same category for me.
I can't wait to move to WA. I know alot of people there don't like that so many Californians are moving there, people relocating from the East Coast to Marin County have turned the home of my childhood into a place in the very distant past (and I am only 40). I am looking for a place to call home. I don't want to change what you have, I only want to be a part of a place where living is realistic, not plastic. I would like to say hello to someone and not have them look down their nose at me because I'm driving a Pontiac instead of a BMW or Lexus.
I guess this turned into a bit of a rant, but I have to tell you all that one of the scariest things about moving is the things I've read about how you all feel about Californians. Just remember, we aren't all the same, just like not all from Washington are the same. I can't wait for the culture shock that your beautiful state has to offer.