Tacoma, Olympia, Bremerton, or...? (Seattle, University Place: crime, new home, neighborhoods)

[GoblinGal]

Hey folks,

I grew up in the suburbs north of Seattle, and after various travels and homes elsewhere, I'm looking to move back to the area (family lives here). I want to buy a house but am priced out of the north and east sides. Tacoma, Olympia, and Bremerton are all affordable and close enough that I could visit the family on the weekends, so I'm curious which of the three you'd pick (or something else altogether)?

Some criteria:

-I have dogs and like to be close to trails and dog parks.

-I eat takeout most nights, so it's nice to have a good selection of restaurants.

-I like to bike/inline skate so a paved route in the vicinity is a nice perk.

-I work from home, so commute is a non-issue.

-No kids, so I don't worry much about schools (though for resale, it's worth considering)

-It's nice to be within a reasonable driving (or ferry) distance of arts/theater/music, etc.

If you have any input, I'd love to hear it. Thanks!

[allforcats]

Olympia, Olympia, Olympia....
Has everything you say you want, except I'm not sure about the inline park.
Also, here's all the current off-leash dog parks in WA; Olympia isn't on the list, but you can always get involved, eh?
Explorer Dog! Offleash Areas
A beautiful area, well serviced by interesting shops, restaurants, etc. and a great Farmer's Market. And for resale, one of the top four or five school districts in WA.
I wish you happy hunting!

[Ira500]

Tacoma...Tacoma...Tacoma...well, parts of it, anyway. Don't know if Tacoma itself has an offleash area, but Steilacoom next door was supposed to be getting a big one, and Bandix Offleash Park is large and in Kitsap County, and Ruston and Old town in Tacoma have this amazing bikeway/walkway along the waterfront, and Pt. Defiance Park is absolutely gorgeous and huge, great for biking, and the Proctor District is artsy and has nice old houses and good restaurants and espresso shops and is very walkable.

[mthomson]

I'd say Tacoma as well. Steilacoom does have a great off leash park at Ft Steilacoom Park. The Bandix Park is a bit of a pull from Tacoma, but not too bad. Pt Defiance isn't an off leash park, but a dog's paradise. Ruston waterfront is great for roller blading (as is 5-mile drive in Pt Defiance), or try the new path over the new golf course in University Place...AMAZING views from there.
6th ave district is totally reborn, and you'll find theaters, art museums, farmer's markets, a huge variety of restaurants, and affordable housing. It's the most central place, too. 30 min closer to Seattle than Olympia.

[GoblinGal]

Thanks for the feedback all. I haven't spent much time in Tacoma and think I've only seen the ghetto areas, heh. I'll have to see if I can spend a few days in the Proctor District and check things out.

[Sandy Nelson]

Goblin Gal,

I think you'll love it in Olympia. Olympia is delightful and has a thriving theater and art scene, but Tacoma (40min) and Seattle (70min) are an easily commutable distance away.

Homes in Olympia are more affordable than in Tacoma or Seattle and there are lots of nice neighborhoods to choose from. Some of the brand new homes start at under $200K. Whether you like older Craftsman, or Victorian homes in the city, or prefer low maintenance living in the suburb communities, there is plenty of inventory to choose from.

The Olympia area offers an abundance of parks. I like to walk my dog at Priest Point Park, Pioneer Park, and Watershed Park. Each has their own distinct terrain features.

For Olympia being the smallest town of the three choices, there is no lack of restaurant choices in Olympia. Besides the staple of chain restaurants such as Applebees, Olive Garden, Outback, Ruby Tuesdays etc., there is any international flavor you can think of, from German, Greek, Italian, Vietnamese, to Thai, Japanese and more.

A great venue for inline skating is the Chehalis Western Trail. It's a completely paved and level trail that goes all the way to Yelm and all the way to the Puget Sound's Woodard Bay.

Olympia hosts a great number of unique annual festivals that are absolutely charming, such as The Wooden Boat Show, The Pet Parade, Lake Fair, Harbor Days, The Procession of the Species, The Lighted Boat Parade, Sand in the City and more.

The Olympia Farmer's Market is our local gem. It's open from Thursdays to Sundays and offers locally grown food, flowers, crafts, and live music and entertainment.

I would recommend you come down to Olympia and stroll the streets and parks, drive through some of the communities and sit at an outdoor restaurant to take in the local feel and see what kind of vibe you get. If the town is a good fit for you, you'll know it.

Good luck.

Sandy

[chris]

single with no kids, definitely Tacoma. You'd be bored out of your mind in Olympia.

[Ira500]

A little article about the Proctor District:

Friendly roots go deep in Proctor District (http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/getaways/361961_shorttrips08.html - broken link)

[fergus]

I would definitely stay away from Bremerton! I have friends in the Proctor district of Tacoma and it's pretty nice. Olympia is a very nice town but you should decide if you prefer a city of that size or not. Bremerton has little to offer at this point other than annoying crime. I live in Manette, the supposedly "nice" part of town and the latest thing on my list is coming home from work today and someone had dug up one of my flowers and stolen the whole plant - they did carefully place the plant label in the hole. I'm guessing so I'd know what I needed to replace. How considerate! But, my car was totaled in my driveway 2 years ago while I was home, hit and run. Other things have been stolen from my yard as well. If I made enough money to move I would - I'm sick of it. My neighbors have all had this kind of crime happening. I don't think things are going to change here anytime soon. People say it's gotten better. I've been here for 10 years now - there has been change but not enough. Don't be lured in by the somewhat lower cost of housing - you will get what you pay for!

[cobolt]

Well the offleash dogpark near Steilacoom is a cross town drive to Proctor district/N Tacoma, so that would be a drag. I think Olympia would be better. Less crime too.