Relocating from South Florida - where to live? (Seattle, Spokane: hardwood floors, apartment)

[ntwng]

Hello!

My boyfriend (32m) and I (24f) are looking to relocate to Puget Sound area this year. We both work full-time remotely so job location isn't an issue.. just need fast and reliable internet connection! I'm starting to get frustrated with the search because not having a location "constraint" means too many options. So I am hoping to get some advice here

Our primary reason for moving is to enjoy the beautiful views and outdoor activities that are available. We like to do a lot of hiking and snow sports. The weather will certainly be a change from South Florida but we're up for it! Not too social but enjoy going to restaurants and movies. We have visited Seattle proper a few times but were less than enthralled, would like an area less 'city' with better housing affordability.

Budget is ideally under $1800/mo (rent) for a nice 2 or 3 bedroom house/apartment.

Even areas further away from Puget Sound would be doable. Any recommendation is appreciated

[JackGrey]

Hi ntwng, it's great to hear that you plan on moving to our beautiful state. There are many places that are great to live in WA, all with their own pros and cons, and I have a few suggestions. If you are dead set on living in the city, I would suggest the western side. Despite being quite expensive, it is definitely the nicest part of Seattle. The nearby suburbs are quite nice too, but as I said, expect to pay high for rent (quite likely within your budget though) and similarly for a house. If you are looking for a more small town vibe, there are great communities throughout the state but Pierce county, more specifically Sumner, are great places to live and you can get much more house for your money. As goes with most places, the farther away from the city, the more you can get for your money. For example, the house that I bought in Sumner about five years ago is a fairly nice house in a very good neighborhood, 4 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms with plenty of yard and space between the neighbors, and is within walking distance of the town. For the same price in somewhere such as Enumclaw or Edgewood, we could have gotten a much nicer house (5-6 bedrooms and 4-5 bathrooms as well as upwards of an acre of property) for the same price, but you sacrifice the ability of being able to walk or bike into town. This idea extends itself to east of the mountains as well, even though that side does not get as much recognition as the west part. Eastern WA is incredible, lacking only the ocean (but is for the most part less than a half day's drive from it), and the cost of living there is incredibly low. The culture there is much different than here, but it is definitely not a bad thing. I would avoid the coastal regions (Ocean shores, Aberdeen, Hoqium, Neah Bay, etc.) unless you don't mind run down towns that are filled with people that look like you might find them in a "people of wal-mart" post. To conclude, I hope you have success in finding a new home, and I would strongly suggest Sumner or other places in Pierce county as a great place to start a family.

Cheers.

[509]

IF you need high speed fiber internet it is generally available in most counties in eastern Washington. Most communities have 100 Mbps standard and 1 Gbps is available for business connectiions.

Western Washington is hit and miss for high speed internet. My daughter lived in Seattle and came home just for the internet connection!!!

Check carefully before moving to a community. You will either be in the 21st century or 1985 depending on where you locate.

Research those areas in the state with fiber connections and then fly out and visit those communities. LOTS more variety in landscapes and communities than Florida. I have friends that have fiber 35 miles from a paved road. Lots of snow where they live!!

Basically, those areas with Public Utility Districts (PUD's) have the best internet connections. They are local government districts that provide electricity, sewer, water, internet, cable, and phone services to county residents. Most of the "wealthy" PUD's are in eastern Washington and they have the best fiber networks.

I assume you have seen this article: http://www.dailydot.com/technology/e...t-internet-us/

The internet in the larger cities in eastern Washington is just as good as in Ephrata.

[ntwng]

@JackGrey, @509

Thank you both very much for the thoughtful responses!

We have not previously considered Piece County, but a coworker mentioned to me recently that he used to live in the Bonney Lake area so I will look into this area more.

Ephrata is likely too far east for us but that's a great tip about the internet. I have heard about the spottiness in the congested cities as well and we definitely will need a reliable connection.

I'm also currently researching these areas: Issaquah, Snohomish, Port Orchard, and Oak Harbor. Any insights about those neighborhoods?

Edit: Editing to add that we do not have any children at the moment (and probably not for a while!) so school districts are not an issue. The safer the neighborhood the better of course

[Blondebaerde]

Originally Posted by ntwng

I'm also currently researching these areas: Issaquah, Snohomish, Port Orchard, and Oak Harbor. Any insights about those neighborhoods?

Edit: Editing to add that we do not have any children at the moment (and probably not for a while!) so school districts are not an issue. The safer the neighborhood the better of course

There isn't a "nice house or apartment" 2-3 bedrooms for $1,800/month in the nicer parts of Puget Sound area, near Seattle. Those days have been gone for years. You're looking at $2,500-3,500, realistically.

Issaquah is Eastside. Forget it. That's tech money and median home price of $522K, assuming you could find one. Nice place, if you can find something to rent in a competitive market and don't mind the hustle-bustle. (I live Eastside, in Kirkland.) Certainly closest to the action of any place mentioned (job centers).

Snohomish is a small-ish city just far enough out of the way that quality of life is actually pretty nice. Wouldn't try going anywhere near Seattle from there during commute hours.

Port Orchard and Oak Harbor are out in the sticks, but nice enough if you're into that. Might hit your price point there, who knows. Port Orchard is across from Bremerton, a 1.5 hr ferry ride to Seattle, and tons of people like living in that Navy town. Whatever makes you happy.

Raising kids in the nicer parts of Seattle area is fine, if you have combined $200K or so income. Friends of mine raised four well enough on that, carrying some debt and a mortgage on a Redmond house. Various threads on that in the Seattle section. Both worked in tech (Boeing, Microsoft).

[DogLovinGal]

Can't say for the other areas but Oak Harbor is basically 90% military/retired military. It's an isolated lifestyle. The biggest stores are 1 Wal Mart, and safeway for food (although there are other chains, but that's the most well-known). A few little boutique shops, and about a 40 minute drive to any sort of "bigger" center (I use that term loosely). For example, a night at a movie theater that plays more then 1 movie is a 40 min drive, when you're tired of the few restaurants that are there, then a 40 min drive.....oh, and at least 20 mins of that drive is on a road with only 1 lane each way that winds and twists, so good luck when you're stuck behind a travel trailer.

It is stunningly beautiful with bald eagles over the bay, a quiet little town. But not a place that's on the cusp of the mountains or outdoors life- unless you like kayaking and mountain biking. Why not look into places like Bellingham, Mt Vernon etc. Hour to Mt Baker ski area, or you can go 40 minutes out and kayak, tons of lakes around, small town feel while being in a bigger place then OH.

[dAqS6R0gRQet]

Originally Posted by ntwng

Hello!

My boyfriend (32m) and I (24f) are looking to relocate to Puget Sound area this year. We both work full-time remotely so job location isn't an issue.. just need fast and reliable internet connection! I'm starting to get frustrated with the search because not having a location "constraint" means too many options. So I am hoping to get some advice here

Our primary reason for moving is to enjoy the beautiful views and outdoor activities that are available. We like to do a lot of hiking and snow sports. The weather will certainly be a change from South Florida but we're up for it! Not too social but enjoy going to restaurants and movies. We have visited Seattle proper a few times but were less than enthralled, would like an area less 'city' with better housing affordability.

Budget is ideally under $1800/mo (rent) for a nice 2 or 3 bedroom house/apartment.

Even areas further away from Puget Sound would be doable. Any recommendation is appreciated

i just moved from FL last month but to the eastern side since west Oregon and Washington's temps and humidity (not even counting the rain) is only marginally lower than the south east in the summer

east side gets virturally no percipitation and drier.

as others mentioned PocketInet is rolling out gigabit fiber alraedy in Walla Walla and moving into the Tri-Cities area starting from the east side

there's also a gigabit option about an hour north of Spokane

i havent been to walla walla so i cant comment on if it has as many ammennities as the tri-cities does (everything is under 20 minutes away from furthest point end to end)

so id look for PocketIFiber server there, but the Charter internet of 100/5 isnt that bad either, currently have the $39 60/4 and have had zero streaming issues from my 75/75 Verizon Fios service i had for 5 years in florida (using my own top of the line Asus router with DDWRT, QoS ect.. and 3rd party DNS)


if you stay with the west side check out broadbandnow for the services, i know century link offers gigabit but theres also a bunch of places still stuck with their DSL service and i'd steer clear of the Frontier FIOS areas judging by how they handled the VZ takeover in April and no plans to expand or upgrade the infrastructures

[CrazyDonkey]

31723 53rd Ave SW, Federal Way, WA 98023 | Zillow

$1,795 3bd/2ba house, family room, patio/fenced backyard, 2-car garage. Easy walking distance to Dash Point State Park on Puget Sound. Best bet for Internet would be Xfinity/Comcast.

[CrazyDonkey]

Redondo Way S, Des Moines, WA 98198 | Zillow

$1,685 2bd/2ba condo, view of Puget Sound, walk to fishing pier/beach, deck, swimming pool, fitness center.

[CrazyDonkey]

30827 21st Ave SW, Federal Way, WA 98023 | Zillow

$1,750 3bd/2ba house, fireplace, hardwood floors, covered patio/fenced backyard, 2-carport.