rhea kulikova

In the near future my husband and I will be visiting Seattle in search of the perfect place to call home. In a year we will be transfering jobs and can't wait to make Seattle our home. we've heard there are so many great places and just want to get people's opinions and where they think is the best place to raise a family. We've heard a some things about Vashon, does anyone know anything about this Island. We are looking for a very community oriented neighborhood, one in which the kids can run about safely, everyone knows each other, and has such a unique feel, a true character. any suggestions?

Melinda

Will you be working in Seattle? We relocated from the East Coast two years ago to Bellevue and could not be happier here. We know all our neighbors and it is easy to make friends. Also what bracket of price homes are you looking for. Things here are expensive. E-mail me directly if you would like.

Cheryl Z.

Rhea - we really have a variety of neighborhoods here from A to Z, with varying strong opinions about each. and I think it's difficult to recommend a specific area. I understand the Bellevue school system to be better, but I'm sure other posters may disagree. Regarding Vashon - a wonderful little island BUT unless you're into a crowded commute (loooong lines waiting to get on the ferry) forget it. My favorite areas are more out in the country, but that too is being built up unfortunately. We have the same problems as other comparable sized cities - traffic, crime, schools, etc. but we've lived here for 30 years and love it.

sgorces

I agree with the above comments. Vashon will offer you a peaceful rural island lifestyle, but with all the accompanying inconveniences. I have a friend who was attracted to the isolation but now feels trapped by the long travel times. If you want an island, Bainbridge is somewhat more convenient and not quite as rural. But you still have the ferries. All the people who have responded here seem to be knowledgable about our beautiful city. How about some more clues to where you'll be working and what you want? You would not want to live in Bellevue and commute to Kent Valley. 405 is a notorious mess. I am a transportation engineer and a lifelong Seattle resident. I would be happy to advise you on best communities combined with best transportation routes. Will you be going to the airport a lot? Let me know.

Tim

As some of the other comments suggest, it depends a lot on where you are working and how much traffic you can tolerate. We moved to Kirkland (nice, young, eastside neighborhood) not too long ago, but when we go to buy a house we will move back to the westside (Queen Anne, Wallingford, Fremont, Ravenna). I would like nothing better than to move out to the country also, but it's getting a little difficult these days since development is the name of the game out here. I'm not particulary partial to Issaquah/Bellevue/Redmond, but they probably have great schools....

Tim