Best downtowns of Puget Sound cities/towns (besides the obvious) (Seattle: 2015, apartment)

[texasdiver]

Tacoma actually has a surprisingly nice downtown for anyone who hasn't been there in recent years. We visited not long ago when my daughter was doing a college visit to UW-Tacoma which is on the edge of downtown Tacoma. The whole thing was surprisingly nice and well-scrubbed compared to what I remembered from the 80s and 90s.

[NW4me]

Another vote for Bham.

[mayfair]

I personally find Bham's main downtown area kind of sketchy at times. It seems to go through cycles. People sitting on the sidewalks doing drugs and small homeless camps with shopping carts forming. Then it looks better for a while. It isn't as bad as parts of Seattle, but it definitely can get a gross feel when the homeless and druggies start setting up there. Same with the parks by the waterfront.

We went to see the salmon run a few years ago during the covid times and Maritime park had a homeless person in almost every bush up the trail, many of them coughing badly and it was quite sad. A few were also sleeping out in the open grassy area of the park.

[rkcarguy]

Bellingham is struggling with homelessness drugs and crime equal to, but on a smaller scale than Seattle. Estimated over 1,200 of them in the ~19 square miles of town.
The camps grow and grow until crime nearby hits a boiling point, someone is shot, stabbed, set on fire, raped, molested, etc, and the camp is finally dispersed, but just pops up again elsewhere in the city. Lately it's been like a whack-a-mole game between retailer row on Meridian St. and downtown Bellingham. Camp Winco and Walmart were recently mandated to vacate and cleaned up, so the occupants are probably back downtown again.

[xPlorer48]

Originally Posted by mayfair

All true. I was thinking it hasn't changed much in recent years (Op seemed to be referring to recent changes and lots of growth). Bellingham has changed tremendously and gentrified over the decades. Fairhaven stabilized at an expensive level with boutique shops and seems to be holding steady as a fancy downtown for the wealthy.

All of the Puget Sound area has had huge changes since the 1970s. I don't think there's an area that is untouched if you go back that far.

I was born here and family has been in this area since before Washington gained statehood. My friends’s grandkids won’t be able to remain here unless they rent and even that is unsustainable. I used to hang out in Fairhaven as I lived close by. I bank there and my optometrist is there plus get my blood draws as it is closer, smaller and parking is easier. We are not into shopping, let alone at boutiques.

[bartonizer]

Sometimes I feel like I'm living in an alternative universe when reading comments from others online about Bellingham. I was down there for Artwalk on Friday night with guests from out of town, went to the Farmers' Market and lunch on Saturday, and then back with my wife on Sunday as the Pride parade was going on. All three days, DT Bellingham was absolutely PACKED with people having a great time and milling around. Families, people of all ages- seemingly enjoying themselves, no one fearing for their lives, how did we all survive? And yet if you listen to a few C-D posters or follow a couple of other angry social media groups, you might not think that it's possible to like DT Bellingham, let alone survive brunch.

I really think Bellingham in general is a complicated place to explain to others who aren't familiar. It's got an urban grit, for sure. And there are definitely homeless people around certain spots. I'm not denying that, and I would like to see areas get cleaned up and things like bike patrols return. But for reference, I live in an adjacent neighborhood, and my wife and I walk or bike through DT 3-5x per week- at all hours of the day and night- and have never experienced any issues. Again, it feels like a bigger city at times, and I get that. But we don't feel unsafe in the slightest, and it's also got a lot of really, really good things going on. For example, this weekend we'll head down to the revitalized Waterfront area for our three day long bikes, beer, and music festival. Another staycation, and we can't wait! https://nwtuneup.com/

[SciFiNerd1]

I am concerned by some posts about Washington State having problems with homelessness, drugs, and the lack of primary care doctors and health professionals if you need specialized care.

I understand that there are homeless camps due to skyrocketing housing costs. Can someone elaborate on how drug problems and the poor access to healthcare happen to me? I am still deciding on a possible move to Washington State.

The reason I am asking about healthcare is because healthcare is somewhat important to me. I am big on regular preventative care. Due to a family history of diabetes and other health problems, I am always cautious about my health and I try my best to take care of my body.

[MechAndy]

If you don’t hold people accountable for using meth, opioids or getting drunk every day you end up with a staggering amount of addiction which leads to being unemployable which leads to homelessness.
More so than people not being able to afford $1,500 a month rent or a 400k house.
Just saying.

Less than ideal healthcare (for us anyway and is our choice) is a byproduct of rural living.
Less people = less doctors and specialist.
I’m sure Seattle, Olympia and the other larger cities don’t have this issue.

[Diana Holbrook]

Originally Posted by MechAndy

If you don’t hold people accountable for using meth, opioids or getting drunk every day you end up with a staggering amount of addiction which leads to being unemployable which leads to homelessness.
More so than people not being able to afford $1,500 a month rent or a 400k house.
Just saying.

This is it. The homeless issues we are having are entirely due to a new resurgence of very addictive drugs. Both pills and needle drugs.

It's not a cost of living issue, it's a mental health and addiction issue.

As many regulars here know because I've repeated myself many times, I worked in homeless services as program manager in low income and homeless supportive services for over a decade in the 90s and early 2000s. We didn't have this issue then. We did not have tent cities on our sidewalks or along our freeways, or in our woods. We had a people who needed help, certainly, and I helped people get into shelters and programs that could help them find long term employment, housing and self sufficiency. Those programs probably still exist and are doing the same work now for those who can take part in them. People who just need a hand up can find it. The problem is, the most visible homeless we are seeing now can't.

It is not possible for people who are addicted to needle drugs and supporting that habit with criminal activity to stop doing that long enough to listen to a case manager or participate in self-help. They are not able to follow such programs voluntarily. The drugs they are on are stronger than they are. I don't think we will solve this problem until we design and implement a new strategy of involuntary commitment of these people, into programs that can dry them out and put them on a path where they might be able to recover long enough to think about a different future.

Until then, protect yourself and your own... Try to advocate for policies that might actually work. Right now, we're just giving them more stuff. Policy of acceptance and enabling from the top is not helping. Eventually, good people will HAVE to see and understand that. I hope.

Less than ideal healthcare (for us anyway and is our choice) is a byproduct of rural living.
Less people = less doctors and specialist.
I’m sure Seattle, Olympia and the other larger cities don’t have this issue.

Yes, this is an issue in very remote small towns, obviously... like the Peninsula and the Islands. Not an issue in towns along the I-5 corridor. We have very good access to health care in the Olympia area.

[MechAndy]

Are you saying that I’m beyond rural ?
Until recently I’ve never considered that I was remote but I guess it fits being that I’m over 2 hours away from a large city.
Even going to Sequim is a fair drive away.

For us, if we are lucky we figure we are a good 20 years away from needing constant medical care or even repetitious medical visits due to our family history.
It would be nice to be able to bank on the notion that we will have better medical up here down the road when we need it but I can’t rely on that.
That is one of the main reasons we keep our primary residence near San Francisco.
That plus we like it and the taxes will never go up.

Best downtown areas?
I kinda like mine .