I'm moving to Seattle

[Tishabet]

Hey guys,

Well, thread title says it all... Wife and I are moving to Seattle in two weeks for a new job. Wife headed back to the USA today, I head out on the 16th and start work on the 26th... One month before the due date for our first kid. Going to be an interesting couple of months!

I'll be working in South Lake Union and would be very interested in hearing the local opinion on housing which is commutable to that area, my employer will give me short term housing on arrival and we would like to rent for the year while we sell our home in the Boston area. Major preference for renting an actual home with a garage as my 38 Buick and all of my tools etc are moving across the country with us.

I'm really looking forward to Seattle and hope to catch up with some Pelicans over a beer or two.

[genrex]

Mercer Island is the best, head and shoulders above the rest, if you can swing it.

It's located on I-90, 10 minutes from your work location. Finding a parking space near your work might be an issue; best to talk with HR about that.

Welcome to Seattle!

Roger

_

[Gogar]

Congrats! There's lots of cool Pelicans in Seattle. Couplea poopy-heads, too!!!

[Joeaksa]

Sure will be a different world from either KL or Boston! Welcome home!

[LWJ]

Congrats! Welcome to the PNW.

Larry

[Porsche-O-Phile]

Wow what a change! Welcome back stateside. Let's hook up when you get back this way. Seattle>Lowell but I hope you like rain. And more rain. And more rain. And more... You get the idea. Congrats again!

[HardDrive]

You have lots of options. Its really going to come down to how you and your wife like to live.

South Lake Union is a rapidly changing area. Amazon has bought a huge piece of the area and transformed it into a campus. There are now lots of condos, and you might be able to find one that that fits your needs.

Not knowing you, its near impossible to recommend an area to live, but let me throw out some general stuff.

If you are going to be having a baby soon, I would be looking north of downtown Seattle. I'm sure you can find housing in 'Central' Seattle (Capital Hill, Beacon Hill, Mt Baker), but these areas are definitely more urban, and you are going to have to put up with more crime, graffiti, etc. Car break ins are common. The exceptions to this would be Leschi and Madision Park, which are more affluent areas along Lake Washington.

South of Downtown, I vote no.

Belltown, absolutely NOT. Terrible crime issues. Violent crime.

West Seattle is basically a different city. Lots of options over there, but I wouldn't recommend it if your working in SLU.

So lets talk about North Seattle, starting close to SLU. Eastlake and Queen Anne are the closest to SLU. Eastlake is a hip area, very close to SLU, but its squeezed between I-5 and Lake Union. Not a lot housing to be found that would suite young parents. Queen Anne could be a good bet. Queen Anne is the large hill to the west of Lake Union. Lots of different housing options, and you would have a short commute to work.

North of Lake Union there are lots of options. Moving generally from the west by the sound to the east, a quick list:

Ballard - Traditionally a working class area, still some crime issues to the far north, but the downtown has exploded in recent years. Tons of new housing, good restaurants.

Fremont - A hippy enclave, whose downtown is along the ship canal. Not so sure I could recommend it for new parents.

Phinney ridge - Just to the west of Green Lake. Cool area, especially close to the zoo. Avoid areas right along Aurora Ave.

Wallingford - Densely packed, tree lined streets with older homes. Quiet and safe, but still maintains a bit of a hippie feel to it. The downtown runs along 45th St.

Green Lake - Very popular area due to the lake and the parks along its shores. Good for kids, but $ if you want to live by the lake.

Ravenna - neat area just north of the UW, but you need to pick wisely, as some of the areas just north of UW attract criminal elements. Keep it north of Ravenna BLVD.

Maple Leaf, this is even farther north from UW. Used to be a bit more working class, but availability of affordable houses with decent yards and its immediate access to I-5 have definitely raised its stock.

(Dropping back down to the south now, these areas are good, but the commute gets a bit worse as they are farther from I-5. More suburban.)

Laurelhurst - This is where I live. Its an old, WASPy area. Lots of lawyers, UW professors, doctors. Wonderful place to raise kids, but its $$$ (I'm not bragging, we lucked out and got in before prices went crazy).

Hawthorn Hills - nice quiet area just north of Laurelhurst. More affordable homes.

View Ridge - Very suburban. Expensive. But like the name suggests, lots of beautiful views of the mountains.

Wedgwood - A bit more blue colar, but still nice and safe. Area is on the rise, with new business going in along 35th Ave. You'll get a lot more house for your $ here.


I'm running out of steam, and my child is getting rather insistant about eating I hope this helps. I have a 2 bedroom house in Wedgwood that is just being finished at the moment. Long, long story, but I don't think I'm going to rent it. I'll likely sell it in the spring. It has a tiny garage, and we might be able to work something out in terms of storing your car, but I won't be able to commit to that for a few weeks.

Feel free to PM with questions or if you need help.

[HardDrive]

BTW, my post completely ignores the suburbs. If you are looking at the burbs, keeps in mind that the 520 bridge is undergoing replacement, and there is likely to be closures and disruptions for years to come. There are tolls on the bridge, and the automated system they have in place is horrible. Avoid including this in your commute plans.

[on2wheels52]

Looks like some great local intel from HD, I'll remember to ping this forum if there's a move to a city in my future (unlikely though it may be).
Jim

[speeder]

Bring an umbrella.

[genrex]

HD, that was an amazing post. Bravo!

What have you been putting in your coffee lately...

_

[island911]

A kid... congrats. If you are going to be here a while do not live in Seattle. --Seattle schools are horrible. --They are something for kids to survive. BTDT.

You have some really good posts from HardDrive and genrex.
Our regional board gets decent local traffic. ...when you want to grab a beer w/ locals.

Originally Posted by speeder

Bring an umbrella.

. . .if you want to stand out like a Cali-refugee.

We have this stuff called Gortex. ..usually NorthFace brand found at REI.

[speeder]

I've only been there once. Beautiful city but it was pissing the whole time.

[HardDrive]

Originally Posted by island911

A kid... congrats. If you are going to be here a while do not live in Seattle. --Seattle schools are horrible. --They are something for kids to survive. BTDT.

Yes. I am generally open to public schools, but the Seattle school district seems to lurch from one disaster to the next. My child goes to a private school. There are many good private options in Seattle. Your commute would be long, but the eastiside (Bellevue in particular) has fantastic public schools.

Island911 lives on Mercer Island. A bit too country clubby for my taste , but a beautiful, quiet safe place to raise a family to be sure. Relatively painless commute as well considering its a burb. $$$ housing prices.

Originally Posted by island911

. . .if you want to stand out like a Cali-refugee.

We have this stuff called Gortex. ..usually NorthFace brand found at REI.

Yup. Only 'outsiders' use umbrellas. Sturdy jackets for the locals.

[gtc]

I live on Mercer Island. There are some reasonable rental houses around.

I would take a look at Magnolia or Wallingford. They are both fairly close to SLU, and I think you would have a decent chance at finding a house with a garage.

[LakeCleElum]

Good job HD....Settle close to work, major traffic issues.....Don't let the weather get you down. Summer is heaven.

[WolfeMacleod]

Originally Posted by LakeCleElum

Good job HD....Settle close to work, major traffic issues.....Don't let the weather get you down. Summer is heaven.

You win an award for understatement of the year!

Don't forget about Shoreline, just north of Seattle. Award winning school, from what I hear.

Ballard is nice, but the access is pretty limited because of Phinney Ridge.

I live in Lake Forest Park, just East of Shoreline.. it's a heavily wooded, forested area. If you like Nature, this is the place. Unless you have cats for the Coyotes to snack on.

[daiberl]

Also live in Lake Forest Park, great area, the Civic Club is great for families in the summer, schools are good, and where I live a lot of car guys with nice classic cars. I have a few friends who work in Seattle who take the bicycle every day (not me). We moved from Renton/Fairwood and it was a great decision.

- Juergen

[Tishabet]

Wow guys, I posted this before heading to bed and now I am having breakfast and reading the responses... Thank you so much for all of this info! I will reply a bit more in-depth when I am not trying to get out the door to the office but just wanted to say thank you for all of the response, I am flattered that you guys are taking the time to help me out with the intel... And thanks for the congrats!

[Superman]

Welcome. This calls for a celebration.