Neighborhood Advice & Commuting from Seattle to Tacoma (Bellevue, Issaquah: renting, home)

[BostonBorn]

Hi Everyone,

This is my first post on this forum. I've very glad I've found it.

Nothing is written in stone yet, but it's quite likely my wife and I -- and our currently 3-month-old son -- will be relocating to the Seattle area in 6 to 12 months. If I get the Tacoma-based job I'm interviewing for, it will require me to relocate from Boston sometime this year.

We could use some advice regarding the best communities/neighborhoods for our needs. We'll probably want to start out renting in Seattle for a while so we can learn about the area, explore, experience the commute and see where we'd like to settle.

What neighborhoods in Seattle would you recommend that might hopefully meet most or all of the following criteria:

-- Safe and walkable with stores, cafes, restaurants, etc. within easy walking distance
-- Near nice parks; good for jogging, walking the baby in a stroller/jogger, etc.
-- Family friendly; other families in the neighborhood
-- Good location for daily commute to work in Tacoma

I am just guessing here, but I believe we'd be looking at about a $2,000 per month kind of place. We'd go a little higher for the ideal place.

Any and all suggestions and advice welcome.

Thanks so much and I look forward to (hopefully!) living near you later this year!

[BostonBorn]

Addendum: Just read about Issaquah and it sounds very nice. I realize that it's outside of the city, but it seems as though it has some urban amenities in terms of proximity to shops, etc.

Anyone have any experience there or thoughts about it?

Again, many thanks in advance to any and all responses.

[jwb123]

You should search the forums first... there has been many, many discussions on Issaquah - and most is generally favorable. It's a great place for a young family.

[chris]

Issaquah's pretty good for all those but I wonder about:

-- Good location for daily commute to work in Tacoma

Even with a zip down 18 you're still looking at another 20-30 minutes, so closer a one hour commute with no traffic. Or can you do 90-405-to-5 in an hour? That would get pretty old, pretty quick.

[617-206]

Hi there!

I was struck by your question, since it's exactly the same one I posed here several months back. I moved from Boston to Seattle in August, and work in Tacoma. So my question about the commute came up, as well, and this board was really helpful in answering my questions.

So currently I live in Seattle (Belltown) and commute daily to Tacoma and back. I have to say, it's really not a big deal. The commute was my biggest worry about the move, and it's turned out to be a non-issue. I chose to live in Belltown because it's close to downtown and Capitol Hill, which I like, and because highway access is easy. It takes me 30-35 mins in the mornings, door-to-door, and 45-50 mins in the evenings coming back to Seattle. The drive is fine, traffic moves, and there's no stop-and-go at all (except near Seattle on the drive home where, for some reason, people lose it and slow down for no reason...)

As far as neighborhoods are concerned, since I have confined myself to a small area and have no kids I may not be qualified to comment, BUT I'd say that Queen Anne is good for highway access and ease of commute, as is lower Capitol Hill and also maybe South Lake Union. These are all fairly distinct areas in terms of character. I didn't mention Belltown, but I get the sense it's not a kid-friendly environment. I lived in the South End in Boston, and was fed up with the pretention there. Belltown is what passes as pretentious yuppie-dom here but it's far more palatable and honestly, almost every area in Seattle has a down-to-earth quality I am sure you'll like.

Wherever you end up, make sure your I-5 access is easy, because that could make or break your commute.

I hope that helps! If you need any other info, don't hesitate to ask. Good luck with the move!

[BostonBorn]

Hi 617-206 -- so nice to hear the perspective from a fellow Bostonian. We currently live in Jamaica Plain, which as you probably know is what people say the South End was like about 15-20 years ago before it got, as you put it, a little pretentious. JP is still eclectic, funky and diverse. We'd love to find a similar neighborhood in Seattle, albeit a bit safer than JP. JP is better than it was 10+ years ago, but it can still be dicey in parts.

I should know within a couple of weeks whether the Tacoma job is going to come to fruition. If it does, I will definitely take you up on your kind offer to provide more info.

Thanks again and Happy New Year to you and everyone who took the time to respond to my questions. If anyone has any additional insights, they are always appreciated.

2008 is already a great year!

[617-206]

Hey there BostonBorn!

Happy '08 to you. Yes, JP is good - I think I would have enjoyed that, too. In terms of eclectic, funky and diverse, perhaps Fremont or areas closer to the lake like Eastlake (or Westlake for that matter) or Capitol Hill are what you're after. These are all cool areas and safe - the Broadway area in Capitol Hill is a little dicey but lower Cap Hill is great, and you might really score a great view (another thing Seattle has going for it!). I didn't mention the East side like Bellevue at all the last time, but I think that would be doable except the I-5 commute would be longer and the stretch you'd have to negotiate is hellish especially if you have to factor in a bridge like SR520 or I-90; the other option is I-405 but I'd rather eat my own eyeballs than have to negotiate that every day. So it boils down to ease of access to I-5, I think.

Feel free to ask anything else, I hope it's of some help! And good luck with the job!