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(26 posts)

Nice neighborhood

Started 2 years ago by carmamea
Latest reply from JoB

carmamea
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Single white male looking for a great neighborhood to live in no further than 30 minutes outside of Seattle.

Posted 2 years ago #
JanS
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Admiral District in West Seattle. I'm in the heart of it, a block from the main intersection. I can shop Safeway, PCC or Metropolitan Market, all within walking distance. There is a theater, good restaurants, bars, library, park (Hiawatha - commmunity center for basketball, etc), express bus service to downtown...20 minutes maybe. Shuttle service to Elliot Bay Water taxi in the summer, which is free and goes by Alki, also Metro to Alki. And decent places to live.

But then...I love where I live and am a bit prejudiced :)

Posted 2 years ago #
Bonnie
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I think all of West Seattle fits your criteria.

Posted 2 years ago #
Sue
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There are so many diverse areas in and around Seattle that it would be hard to say without more info. What area do you work in, and do you want to drive or take public transit? And how long do you want your commute to be? That would be the first thing I'd look at.

Then, what is important to you? Do you want to be in a thriving atmosphere with everything within walking distance, nightlife, etc., or do you want to be in a quiet little area that's off the beaten path?

Are you looking to buy or rent? What type of price point are you looking at?

Posted 2 years ago #
carmamea
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Coastguard's transfering me from northern Calif. Looking for a townhouse or condo to rent hopefully in the $800 range. Commuting is not an issue, I have my own transportation, but 30 minutes from the base is as far as I'd like to go. I'm not picky about the extras just don't want to be in the getto.

Posted 2 years ago #
SarahScoot
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Oh, goody! I was wondering when I'd next see someone refer to a less-desirable area as "the ghetto" (or "getto," in this case). Seriously, people, using "ghetto" in this way is offensive.

Posted 2 years ago #
flowerpetal
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I bristle at the use of this word too. It seems though that it has become an acceptable word for many people to use it without even thinking if it is offensive. When I call someone on a word such as ghetto, I make sure to let them know that it is offensive to me. It may not be offensive to others.

Posted 2 years ago #
JoB
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carmamea...

standing at your new base looking east... there are a lot of rentals in your price category on the hill.. and you can walk to the base if you have to...

in West Seattle, you would be within 30 minutes of the base nearly anyplace north of Roxbury... and within an easy 30 minute bus commute at any of the three California St junctions.. Morgan, Alaska or Admiral... there are very good bars, eateries and grocery stores within walking distance in all three locations...

at least until the work on 1st avenue starts... and it is scheduled to start this summer. We haven't' seen what the adjusted bus routes will be yet... but you should still be within 30 min by car.

if you will be commuting by car, you might want to consider the Arbor Heights or Westwood areas of West Seattle since there is an alternate route that avoids the West Seattle Freeway and the off ramps they will be working on that will get you to the base within 15/20 minutes... that is.. north of Roxbury.. south of Morgan and east of 35th...

you will not be able to walk to work from West Seattle.

North of town, you will find the neighborhood of Ballard lively.. and it has good public transportation... and is within your commute time.

I have a bias towards West Seattle because it really is a beach community with access to everything a big city has to offer.. and easy access for water sports, huge old growth parks, bike paths, people watching, nightlife, great food, exceptional groceries and half the congestion of urban life..

What's not to like about that?

Good luck with your housing search. Whatever you are looking for.. you can find it here within your budget if you are patient.

the best advice i can give is to drive around a neighborhood and look for for rent signs.. and don't be afraid to negotiate. there are a lot of empty rentals right now.

Posted 2 years ago #
carmamea
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Thanks to those of you that offered information to my request. JoB, you were especially helpful. Anyone and everyone, please continue to offer your advise.

SARAHSCOOT AND FLOWERPETAL, my poor choice of words was not intended to offend anyone. Unfortunately, the english language is filled with too many derogatory words. I actually thought twice about this one but had already hit the send button. Some people are too quick to judge, too cynical and need to find something better to do than obsess over someones words and blow it out of proportion. After reading some of your other posts SarahScoot ("sign failures"), I wonder...do you have many friends? It is people like the two of you why I don't participate in forums. But this time I needed a little help and all you could offer was your pessimism.

Posted 2 years ago #
EmmyJane
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Hi Carmamea- do you mind if i ask how old you are and what sort of neighborhood you are looking for? You have tons of great options and Seattle is a great place to live. I think I can offer more advice about what neighborhood might be a good fit based on age/what you are looking for. Good luck, and welcome to the Puget Sound.

/Edited to correct the word "whyou" which was formerly edited by Max, the evil cat, by walking on the key board/

Posted 2 years ago #
carmamea
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Hello EmyJane, I am 23 years of age. Just looking for a quiet, decent place to live where I can meet new friends. I'm not too much into the party scene but looking for good, clean fun once in a while. I'm out doorsy and don't like to sit around for long. That's me in a nut shell.

Posted 2 years ago #
JanS
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awww...Max was just trying to help :)

Posted 2 years ago #
EmmyJane
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Hmm, I'm thinking West Seattle is a good fit. Greenlake would also be nice (long walks around the lake, softball games in the summer) or Fremont. You should look into Underdog Sports League for some teams to join to meet people. http://www.underdogseattle.com/ I hope you find something great and meet the wonderful people of Seattle when you get here! We're a little reserved so you might have to make an effort to connect with us, but then we're pretty loyal. :-)

Posted 2 years ago #
carmamea
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EmmyJane, Sounds like I'll fit right in, thanks!

Posted 2 years ago #
flowerpetal
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I think you misread my post carmamea or I didn't communicate it very well. If so, I apologize. I was clearly saying that "ghetto" didn't work for me; and that it was perfectly acceptable for many. I did not put judgement on you at all. It was my issue about that word and I was not disparaging you. So before you decide to participate in a forum or not; please read and take responsibility if you misunderstood.
I was writing in your defense.

Posted 2 years ago #
carmamea
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Flowerpetal: Thanks for the clarification, I really appreciate it. I, too, apologize for the back lashing.

Posted 2 years ago #
dawsonct
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And to clarify a bit further carmamea, there really isn't any place in Seattle that would bring to mind the term 'ghetto' for most people in this country. While there are certainly areas of this city where ethnic/religious groups concentrate, you get none of the homogeneous populations or the thoroughly trashed parts of the city like you would find in a rust-belt city or a Southern city where communities actively segregate themselves.
The best reason to know where the various immigrant populations congregate in Seattle is so you can find the good restaurants.
-
Something else to think about, the light-rail has a stop not much more than a five-minute walk to the CG Station. Lots of great, racially and economically diverse neighborhoods along that line.
Another bonus, whenever people flew in to visit you, you would have a built-in excuse to not drive to the airport to pick them up.

Posted 2 years ago #
Smitty
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Carmamea,

This thread is the PERFECT example of what you are getting into by moving to Seattle! Choose your words carefully, compost and recycle and use water barrels(to capture the rain we don't get;see below). Do not, I repeat do not even think about having anything but a drought tolerant yard (not enough rain in Seattle, apparently). Never use chemicals on your grass, frown on those driving SUVs, use those spiral light bulbs that suck, get a "Bush's fault" bumper sticker and make sure you never, ever vote Republican (and tell your friends). It means you watch Fox News and are ignorant.

edit: Forgot one! Make sure that NPR (94.9) is programmed on your car radio and ALWAYS press it before giving anyone a ride.

BTW - Ghetto="racially and economically diverse" in Seattle lingo.

Welcome to the politically correct capitol of the World!

Posted 2 years ago #
dawsonct
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Oh yeah, another thing, carmamea, smitty is always angry and feels persecuted.
Poor, poor smitty. Wah.

Posted 2 years ago #
JoB
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and be ready for a heavy dose of sarcasm ;->

delivered regularly by people who live in such a great place that they have to really work to find something to gripe about... smitty posts that he lives down on Alki beach... rough life:)

Ghetto does NOT equal racially and economically diverse in Seattle lingo... at least not by anyone who has actually lived in or near a ghetto.

We do have some areas that are rough around the edges.. but you don't have to be quite as careful about where you land as you may other places.

dawsonct has a great point about the light rail. It does pass through some racially diverse areas.. but you would not be unsafe or feel isolated near any of the stops...

there is no light rail connecting West Seattle with the airport.. but there is a direct bus ... You might wonder how we got so lucky :)))

Seattle is very ethnically diverse... so if you are looking for a wide range of ethnic foods.. this is a good place for you... but if not, you will find bbq joints and chili and southern cooking... and pizza and great burgers and.... all in the same neighborhoods with the ethnic joints... My favorite ethnic neighborhood also boasts one of the cheapest and best breakfast joints in town so appearances can be deceiving.

have you visited googlemaps yet to get an idea of the lay of the land?

The downtown core will likely bend your budget.. at least it would have a couple of years ago when i was helping a young friend newly stationed at the Coast Guard unit find a place to live... he landed up on the hill i mentioned and loved the convenience but told me he wished he had followed my advice and rented in West Seattle. He pretty much had to go to town to do anything over there.

EmmyJane is right.. greenlake might be both affordable and a good fit... i know a lot of the ounger coast guard guys live in that area... there is a substantial park in there and lots of opportunities for a single man to meet other people and plenty of services for a guy with a car... and great freeway access to get out of town.

the getting out of town part is really good if you are an outdoors sort of guy... real mountain hikes within a half hour of town... and ocean (sound) bluff hiking much closer...

but check out alki beach.
it is possible to find a rental there within your price range... if you are looking soon you might even find one in one of the funkier buildings with a view. Don't let the "character" exterior stop you.. some of those are very nice inside. At the time you will be coming and going from work, traffic shouldn't be much of an issue.. but like any beach community it gets pretty congested on a nice day... there are some pretty good events on the beach that attract a shapely crowd... and the water taxi to downtown a short hike for a fit fella.

oh.. and some grumpy old men hanging out at the local fish joints and coffee houses who would love to bend the ear of a young man serving his country in the coast guard:)

in other words.. Seattle is just like most other places you have lived...
maybe with a little more variety:)

Posted 2 years ago #
carmamea
Member Profile

You all are so informative. It's great. Thank you so much! My internet searches on the rental sites have not brought up too much in the areas that have been mentioned here, most of it is south, east or too far north. Does anyone know of a really good site or on-line newspaper that I can search for housing?

BTW: I see the "edit" now ;-)

Posted 2 years ago #
Semele
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I agree with Smitty about this being one of the most PC places around. Incredibly annoying but hey, just have to deal with it.

I will say that Seattle does not have a "ghetto", if you want that just go to Chicago, New York, D.C. or L.A. here we just have some areas that are a little more crime ridden but nothing too bad. We live on Delridge and I get people saying "ohhh that's such a bad area" and I laugh at them. I think our neighborhood in Chicago had more crime there and was a fairly decent neighborhood.

But, if you decide to make W Seattle your home be welcome, it's a pretty great place to be :)

Posted 2 years ago #
Ken
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ok maybe I am confused, but is the CG station not on the waterfront just across from the tip of Harbor island? Are you with the ESU unit? I know the BX is there...
http://www.uscg.mil/mlcpac/esuseattle/

The water taxi would make that a pleasant walk from anywhere on the shuttle route.

And there are actually people in WS who commute by kayak in good weather.

When I did a commute to downtown, as long as I left before 6:45 am, it was 15 min from most of WS. If you leave at 8 it can take an hour.

And as someone who has lived in Boston, NYC, Atlanta and DC, there are no ghettos here.

Posted 2 years ago #
dawsonct
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I thought the whole "PC" canard was out the window after sister Sarah's double-standards fest last week between Rahm and Rush.

Posted 2 years ago #
velo_nut
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"PC" is so retahded.

Posted 2 years ago #
JoB
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try here..
i put in seattle and 500-1000 thismorning and came up with an apt for $725 in the admiral district... just for starters..

http://www.housingmaps.com/

there is also a rental and/or real estate company on Alki beach that had the words Alki in it's name that handles a lot of the rentals down there...

but to be honest, the best bet is to simply drive a neighborhood...

are you trying to rent long distance or just scope out your options before you get here?

Posted 2 years ago #