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Old 02-27-2006, 04:23 PM
 
6 posts, read 54,027 times
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My husband just accepted a job in Lacey. He would like to live on the outskirts, on and acre or two...or maybe just a really big lot. Anyways, I have done some research and found that Yelm is a pretty affordable area...what is the town like? We have a very young family so I am looking for good school districts too. Any help will be appreicated.
Thanks!
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Old 03-01-2006, 02:05 PM
 
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Yelm was a rural community a decade or go that is now boom burb. In around town, it is becoming another city. A movie theatre opened in the 90's which brought along some restaurants and other development. You will find supermarkets and most other services and amenities in Yelm these days. Now driving through town is tough during high traffic times. Outside of Yelm is still rural. Many great views of Mt. Rainier and the area south of Yelm has rivers, lakes, and hills to enjoy.

Rainier just west of Yelm is more rural and isn't going through the same growing pains. Rainier has its own tiny school district so it may not have the same school related amenities as larger Yelm does. Rainier Rd. becomes Lacey's College St., so it is a very easy commute. The town of Rainier doesn't have the major services, supermarkets, etc., but it isn't too far away from Yelm or the major shopping area just to the north on the south side of Lacey where Rainier Rd. becomes College St.

Tenino is the next town west. It is bigger than Rainier, smaller than Yelm, and not going through the suburb boom like Yelm is. Most of the development out there is in rural subdivisions. Tenino is more hilly than Yelm or Rainier if that is your thing.

To the west of Tenino along I-5 is the Grand Mound - Rochester area. It is going through a mini growth spurt too, but not like Yelm. Most of its growth is spread out and Rochester hasn't seen the commerical boom like Yelm. Most of Rochester's growth has been fueled by Olympia area folks looking for affordable housing.

For info on school districts, go here:

http://reportcard.ospi.k12.wa.us

Here is a school district map of the area:




If you have any question, just ask. I work in Lacey and know the area very well.

Last edited by Andy; 03-01-2006 at 02:19 PM..
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Old 03-13-2006, 03:49 PM
 
6 posts, read 54,027 times
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Thumbs up thanks!

I appreciate your feedback. Housing is so expensive in Olympia, along with the taxes we are looking to live outise of the area but still trying to decide...thanks for your help and feedback!
Take Care!
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Old 03-15-2006, 05:37 PM
 
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Default Love Olympia, wish we didn't have to move.

Hello!
I currently live in Olympia! I am in the Capitol Forest (Delphi Hills) area. 5 acre lots and very nice homes. When we moved here 2 years ago the house we are renting was worth $250,000 and is now worth $500,000. We did some searching for property in Rochester and Chehalis and Centralia. Prices everywhere have gone up. These areas are perfect if you don't mind being out away from shopping and civilization. You are close to wal mart in Centralia and chehalis and Rochester you are only a half hour from Lacey. Rochester has nice new homes going in but the problem I had was they were not private, no trees etc. Rochester would be better for your husbands commute to Lacey. I don't know much about Yelm other than people who have lived there told me to stay away from that area. I did see some great new homes going up in that area. If you have any questions feel free! I love Olympia! Good luck to you and your family.
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Old 04-05-2006, 11:36 PM
 
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Default yelm,WA

hi,

I'm going to be moving into yelm. My family just bought a house there. Its a really nice house too. I'm 14 and I kind of don't want to moviem beacause of all my friends and a new school. but im looking forward to meeting new people. and maybe getting a babysitting job.

-melissa
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Old 04-17-2006, 08:55 PM
 
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My wife and I bought a fixer_upper here in Rainier about 4 years ago. We remodeled it and then a year ago when things were looking lean, accepted a job in the california bay area. after less than a year we are back and very happy we did not sell our house! It has surved to give a different perspective on country life. I'm just glad to be back!
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Old 04-20-2006, 05:58 PM
 
Location: Tri-Cities
148 posts, read 1,228,456 times
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Yelm is still very much a cowpoke town despite the big cheap homes that were recently thrown up. Very unattractive; no character whatsoever. I'd look towards Shelton or Aberdeen personally if your looking for a deal. Aberdeen is still the best value in the state, you're close to the national forest, the beach and lots of shopping. and some of the finest homes in town are $130k-$225k. Shelton has the same atmposphere with a shorter commute to Olympia, but the prices are slightly higher. Both are booming off of huge economic rebounds.
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Old 05-25-2006, 11:48 PM
 
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Default Yelm is Great

Hi there and welcome to the Olympia area.
You have received a lot of varied replies about Yelm. My husband and I moved here a year ago (we are military) from S. Carolina. Over the internet, we zeroed in on Yelm because of the affordable prices. Once we set foot in WA we looked for homes in Yelm, but eventually bought a home in Roy (teeny weeny town 7 miles from Yelm). We are THRILLED with our choice. My hubby is from Durango, CO and I am from Iowa. We find the Yelm/McKenna/Roy area to be a nice blend of the two. I agree with your other replies that Yelm is booming. There is a very nice Safeway grocery store, NAPA autoparts, a nice movie theater, many churches, Subway, Quiznos, DQ, Blockbuster video, Gordon's Greenhouse, family owned restaurants, RiteAid drug store, Farm Supply store, and a Wal Mart Supercenter is underway-and it only takes about 5 minutes to drive from one end of town to the other. Do your kids like Horses? Lots and lots of horse people here, and I am sure it would be no problem to get lessons for them! Lots of people in Yelm commute to Lacey for work. There are several elementary schools, a middle school, a high school, and an alternative school. Though Yelm is growing by leaps and bounds, it still has a wonderful small town charm and feel. The commute to Lacey is a beautiful, fir tree lined drive.
Unfortunately, I can not offer much advice about schools. You might find some information about the elementary schools on line: Ft. Stevens ES, Prairie ES, and Southworth ES. The Yelm Community Schools website may be helpful to you as well. When you visit Yelm, don't rule out McKenna and Roy, each also has its own elementary school.
By the way, I disagree with Ryan about Yelm being an unattractive cowpoke town. It has both country and sophistication rolled in to one, and some AMAZING views of Mt. Ranier! If you would like a few realtor suggestions, I can suggest two. Best of Luck to you and your family!
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Old 06-02-2006, 08:22 PM
 
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Default Yelm is a great town

I was raised here in Yelm as were my parents.It has grown quite abit and is still growing.The pluses to living here is that it is by many peoples standards,a small town.Great schools,lots of outdoor activities,lakes,rivers,great view of Mt Rainier and a close drive to Mt National Park.The town is still fairly small with all the businesses centered on the main drag,Yelm Ave and a few just off Hwy 507 as you turn towards Rainier.You can be just outside of town and feel quite rural because there still are farms even within the city limits.The commute to Olympia wouldnt be that far except traffic coming in and out of Yelm starting at 9am and again at 2:30-6pm is insane so if you're traveling at that time you can easily add a half hour to your commute time.
Rainier and even the the Bald Hill area is nice as you can shop in Yelm still as it close and commute across Rainier Rd.Rochester is great.I have several friends and family members that live there and commute to Olympia.It is not as big as Yelm as far as shopping but Tumwater is not too far away for that.Also,the Little Rock area is beautiful and still fairly reasonably priced compared to Olympia/Lacey.It is right outside of Tumwater.Shelton also is a very nice area that is still reasonable as is Elma/Mcleary.Aberdeen is abit farther away and it rains like crazy there.My husbands family is from there and yes,the homes are cheaper but theres a reason for this...Rain,constant grey depressing skies(more so then the rest of WA)highest suicide rates,lots of drug activity,depressed local economy,etc.
Good Luck in your search !

Last edited by THK9; 06-02-2006 at 08:27 PM..
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Old 09-28-2006, 03:27 PM
 
1 posts, read 9,537 times
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Question We are thinking of moving to Yelm also

We have decided to sell our home in Missouri and move to Yelm, WA. Can anyone tell me how far Olympia is from Yelm, since it seems that is where most of the good jobs are at. I would also like to know about the schools in that area. Our school system is alot of the reason we are moving now. We have been looking at houses in the Clearwood area. Anyone know much about that area? I have heard it is some sort of gated community... Does it rain or snow alot up there? I have about a million questions about this area...LOL We are mainly moving for the jobs, anyone know of any good places to work around there? Anyways, any info anyone can provide would be truly helpful, thanks.
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