I live in Seattle and commute daily to Snohomish County, whilst my spouse (who also lives in Seattle, thankfully) commutes several times a week to Tacoma and/or Olympia.

Housing is more affordable in north Snohomish county (like Arlington) than closer to Seattle, while prices in Thurston County are creeping up but still not close to Seattle/King County standards. The commute from either town to Seattle is well over an hour; more like two in the case of Olympia unless you're in a vanpool that can use the HOV lanes.

There are some intangibles - Olympia has a cute downtown and well developed services like restaurants etc. due to the presence of thousands of reasonably well paid State employees (it's the capital), plus a broader retail base (malls, movies, all that) while Arlington is more dependent on services farther to the south (Everett) for those things. Both towns are close to outdoors resources - Mt Rainier, the Pacific coast, or the south Puget Sound region for Olympia, the North Cascades, San Juans, and Vancouver in the case of Arlington. Arlington is cozy close to a mega Indian casino; Olympia hosts several dozen gamblers every winter - guess whose money they're gambling with. My sense is that Arlington enjoys marginally better weather. Lacey/Olympia has a 4-year college (Evergreen State - cool, man) to liven things up, something Snohomish County is sorely lacking. Snohomish County is part of the regional transport planning area, meaning your taxes will be slightly higher.

Good luck with your research.

Thanks for the excellent info, ALF & Gardyloo! It is very much appreciated.

Another vote for downtown Kirkland. It's the nicest eastside city in my opinion with a pleasant urban feel and lively streets full of folks jogging, strolling, and (weather permitting) dining at sidewalk cafes. Clean, safe, and with lots of interesting shops. Bad summer parking though.

The Old Bellevue (near Meydenbauer Bay) area is somewhat similar in feel - though much smaller than the same type of area around downtown Kirkland.

Ken

Just wanted to say that many years ago my (then) husband and I moved to Seattle from Philadelphia. (How long ago was it? Starbucks was a single walk-up counter in the Pike Place Market.) The weekend we went to look for a place to live I could only think, My God Where Will I Wear All My Little Black Dresses. It broke my heart when we were transferred to Southern California two and a half years later. Seattle was just so great. We ended up on Queen Anne Hill, spent weekends in the mountains and on the Sound, learned to sail and do serious hiking, and drove up to Vancouver for the occasional urban experience. It won't be New York, but I hope you enjoy it just the same. I know I did.