My DH s considering a job at Microsoft in Redmond. It would be a big move for us - we're currently in NJ and know nothing about the area. What towns would you recommend looking at? We have 1 child and would like to live somewhere that is walkable to shops, restaurants... Any other thoughts about the area to consider?
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Most places on the Eastside (of Lake Washington) aren't very walkable. However, there are some very nice areas in Redmond (look for the area around Bella Bottega movie theater), and in the Issaquah Highlands. Bellevue is also nice, but can get pretty pricey. Both of these areas have a lot of townhouses and condos. The houses may be a little further away. I think MS sets you up with a realtor that can help find the right location too.
And of course, I would always recommend Seattle itself, but there is a toll bridge in between so I'm not sure your DH would want to do that daily.
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Thanks Mrs Someone! I just want to get an idea of where to look before we make any decisions. What do you like about living there?
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The Eastside isn't as walkable at Seattle proper. My husband worked in Bellevue but lived in Maple Leaf which was the perfect walkable City neighborhood while being quiet and family oriented. Microsoft has a shuttle that he can take daily unless he's on a release schedule. The benefits there are fantastic especially the health care.
If you want to live more rural, there's Issaquah or outer areas of rural Redmond... They're beautiful, but you are more likely to live near a farm that raises organic eggs and honey than boutiques and restaurants.
Congrats on the offer! I think you would love the Seattle area!
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We are in the same boat! And from NJ as well. We've bee looking for some time and have good friends from here with kids who are in Issaquah and Green Lake. We were looking for the same things, so we were steered towards the parts of the city like Ballard, Wallingford, Queen Anne, Green Lake, Phinney Ridge, etc. If we both end up going out, we will have to have to meet up and discuss missing the east coast.!
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Thanks @mrsjacks! We currently live in a rather rural area of NJ after living in NYC and I miss the more up tempo feeling.
@tidybee: That's too funny! We'll definitely have to share stories. I'll check out the areas you mentioned.
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I moved to Seattle from Philly sight unseen a couple years ago, and it's definitely a bit of an adjustment! I would say if you want to live in Seattle but work on the Eastside, stick to neighborhoods closer to Lake Washington than to the Sound -- Madison Valley/Madison Park have cute "downtown" areas with shops and restaurants and have good access to the 520 bridge, Montlake and the area around the University of Washington are also convenient but I'm not quite sure how walkable they are (right around UW has tons of stuff, but is very student-y, while there are nice neighborhoods a few blocks further away). Wallingford is great, but I don't think I'd go further west than that. Definitely not Ballard, Fremont, Magnolia, and I'd even say not Green Lake, most of Queen Anne, or most of Capitol Hill, as getting cross-town is annoying at the best of times and a nightmare in traffic. Also, keep in mind that 520 is tolled. The I-90 bridge isn't (yet) but isn't the greatest option for commuting to points north of Bellevue.
I'm not that familiar with the Eastside, but downtown Kirkland is cute and I've heard nice things about Woodinville (in addition to all the winery tasting rooms there!). And I have a friend who lives in Issaquah Highlands who loves it, but it's not at all walkable.
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@Purplepeony: Thanks for your help. What do you think the biggest adjustments were for you? We're still deciding whether or not we want to go, so hearing about your experience would be helpful...
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@mrsbookworm: I moved from the Philly suburbs to the Seattle suburbs about 5 years ago. I wrote about the adjustment here.
I'm not familiar with Redmond or North Seattle but I know most of my coworkers (with kids) live north of the Seattle. . Lynnwood area.
I live in a city about 20 miles south of Seattle.
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@mrsbookworm: I mentioned Maple Leaf because it's one of the fastest commutes in the city to the 520 bridge (unless you live in Montlake). I hope you read my silly post on the thread that Bluestripe posted too
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@mrsbookworm: I also posted about my experience moving here on the thread bluestripedbee linked to. It has some good perspectives generally, though it's not very specific about neighborhoods, commuting, etc.
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@mrsbookworm: I totally forgot about the MS Commuter buses. If your DH is ok taking them, then I would definitely recommend Seattle proper
Like others said, North Seattle is great (where I live). Maple Leaf, Wallingford, Greenlake, and all the areas around there. I love Ballard, but I agree that during rush hour its a pain to get to. To answer your question, I love that Seattle is a very laid back and liberal city. People are generally friendly in passing. Also, the scenery is beautiful. Lakes all around and mountains on either side. The summers here are usually awesome, not too hot or too cold, and I love that the sun sets so late in July (almost 10pm!)
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Thanks for pointing me towards the other thread. It definitely had some good insight! Though now I'm worried that if we move there, I'll have no friends ; ) I'm currently on maternity leave, but if we move to Seattle, I'm going to be a SAHM. It might be hard to meet new people...
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@mrsbookworm: I can hook you up with some mom groups such as PEPs and the baby/ toddler class we went to that helped our social life immensely. We still hang out with many of Those folks! It is so much easier with kids.
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@mrsjacks: I'll definitely take you up on that if we move! That would be really helpful - thanks!
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Aww, Mrs. Bookworm, I'll be your friend! Really, I think whenever you move somewhere new, it takes awhile to build up a community, regardless of where it is. Once you hit your adult years, the opportunities and the easiness of making friends just aren't like things were as kids or in college. And everyone has a million things pulling on their few hours a day of free time, so it's just hard. It takes real effort, but it can absolutely be done!
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@Mrs. Jacks: I'd love to hear about those resources, as well! I'm scared about finding parent friends after LO is born...I've heard about PEPS but may not be able to join (they require everyone to have the pertussis vaccine, which I think is generally a good thing but I'm deathly allergic to tetanus so I can't have the shot
I haven't looked into whether they can/would make an exception yet but I'd feel almost guilty asking even though there's nothing I can do about my allergy). It's scary to think about being all alone as a new parent, though!
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@PurplePeony: I think you can get an exception and I also think you can get the acellular pertussis by itself (I'm not 100% on that, but I'll check).
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@Mrs. Jacks: My MW looked into it and said it's approved for children but not adults; she consulted some specialists at UW (the practice I go to is part of the UW health system) and they said they recommended foregoing the vaccine and just being careful until the baby can be vaccinated.
ETA: Sorry for the threadjack!
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I grew up in Redmond and the Eastside area. I would concur with others who have said that it is not very walkable but it is a great area! Kirkland is nice and depending on what kind of home you are looking at there are neighborhoods that are a little more walkable. For a little while I lived in Seattle (U-district area) and worked in Bellevue and the commute was a real pain. Currently I live about 30-40 minutes outside the city and commute into the north end of Seattle and that is also a pain.
When we bought our house I wish I would have thought about choosing a more centralized location which would make it easy to get on the freeway since things are a little spread out once you get outside of Seattle.
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I lived in Kirkland for quite sometime. It is very nice, family centered, close to Redmond and there are parts that are very walkable, the waterfront area has a nice strolling path. A lot of people from Kirkland originally are from Issaquah and Woodinville but I don't know how walkability is there. Bellevue is also a well known swanky family community. Lots of shops (Belle Square) and restaurants. Again, not sure about the walkability.
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@mrsbookworm: I just wall'ed you!
Although the Eastside isn't walkable, I really enjoy living here. It's really safe and there are a lot of child friendly things to do. People are generally really nice (yesterday I went into downtown Seattle and ran into 2 crazy rude people... coincidence? Hmmm...
).When I first moved here, I commuted by car from Seattle into Bellevue and I hated it. It took me 60 minutes and it was really stressful for me. I was much happier living on the Eastside and cutting my commute time to 15 minutes.
Btw - Bellevue is actually a pretty big city. There are definitely neighborhoods I would avoid and there are neighborhoods that are generally unaffordable for about 99.9% of the population and everything in between!
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P.S. I just looked at your profile b/c I rarely meet people from my old area and visit once in a while still. Just to let you know I was a wannabe librarian before! Actually was an interim elem. school librarian for a year. I also lived in Jersey for a couple years before Kirkland when I was very small!
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@808love: Being a librarian is great! I teach in a combo elem/middle school. I definitely enjoy it. Where did you live in NJ? I'll check into the Kirkland area based on your recommendation - thanks!
I haven't looked into whether they can/would make an exception yet but I'd feel almost guilty asking even though there's nothing I can do about my allergy). It's scary to think about being all alone as a new parent, though!
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