Issaquah or Bellevue Washington

[*LC]

I have a friend who is moving to one of these area? Any opinions on either of these areas? Their kids (jr high and high school age) went to private school previosly, but I don't know the plan for Washington. I do know they plan to rent for at least the first year. They have never moved before, so this is something new for them.Thanks

[tntgoodwin]

A church I really like is in Bellevue.

That's all I've got, sorry.

[Stacia]

You may want to look at this thread:

http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/showthread.php?t=294753

 

(Part way through, I asked where the best school districts were in the Seattle area....)

[vonfirmath]

I have a friend who is moving to one of these area? Any opinions on either of these areas? Their kids (jr high and high school age) went to private school previosly, but I don't know the plan for Washington. I do know they plan to rent for at least the first year. They have never moved before, so this is something new for them.Thanks

 

I lived in Bellevue for a while and LOVED it. It is an expensive area to live -- both of these cities are. Newcastle is close by, much more affordable. I forget whose schools they use. Issaquah and bellevue schools are excellent. WA is also great for homeschooling.

[DawnM]

First of all, lucky friends! I would have the house packed by next week if DH would agree to move.

 

Either town is probably great. Bellevue is where my uncle lived for a long time.

 

My BFF lives in Kenmore, which is a little more affordable maybe and close. Kirkland is also right there. Her kids went to private Christian school, Cedar Park.....and they have been very happy with the school.

 

Dawn

[milovany]

If they have any desire to live in a more rural, less expensive location, they could check out Roslyn and Cle Elum. These are located on I-90 eastward over the mountain pass, which makes it a 90-minute commute. We live another half hour east from these towns, but have friends who live in them who commute to Seattle. They like not living in the highly populated areas.

[Jean in Newcastle]

Bellevue has one of the best school districts in that general area. Issaquah's school district is pretty good too. Both are very nice places to live with nice parks, wonderful libraries and lots of activities. Newcastle, is just south of Bellevue and just west of Issaquah. Half of Newcastle has Issaquah as it's school district :thumbup1:, half has Renton (my half:confused:) as it's school district:thumbdown:.

[msjones]

Bellevue is much closer to Seattle than is Issaquah.

 

Issaquah is much closer to the Cascade mountains (skiing, hiking, camping, beauty-in-general).

 

Parts of Bellevue are extremely expensive (i.e. Bill Gates lives there).

 

The traffic is very bad in both areas. It will be getting worse in parts of Bellevue as they are beginning major work on a new bridge.

 

Bellevue High School is very highly regarded.

 

The downtown area of Bellevue has just about anything anyone would want from a suburban area. Incredible shopping and restaurants, great parks, libraries, a small art museum, very nice grocery stores, golfing, a Christmas parade, five-star hotels. It's a ritzy place to live.

 

The 'downtown' area of Issaquah is cute, charming, and considers itself 'historic.' It has some good restaurants, a great theater, some nice boutique-y shops, and a pleasant, small-town feel. It's easy to forget you're in the sprawling suburb.

 

Rents will probably be higher in Bellevue, but I suppose that depends on what they're looking for.

[gardenmom5]

I have a friend who is moving to one of these area? Any opinions on either of these areas? Their kids (jr high and high school age) went to private school previosly, but I don't know the plan for Washington. I do know they plan to rent for at least the first year. They have never moved before, so this is something new for them.Thanks

I live in Bellevue, and grew up on the eastside. (the conglomeration of Bellevue, Issaquah, Kirkland, Redmond, Woodinville). Most schools are very good, and are program based as well. so what are they looking for? For the most desirable schools, you must live in their attendance area.

 

Issaquah also has very good schools.

 

Lake Washington School district, covering Kirkalnd, Redmond, and Woodinville also has good schools, so they might want to keep those in mind.

 

A really big issue (not to be underestimated) is residence vs employment locations. commutes are measured in minutes, NOT distance. Because of the topography - hills, lakes, bridges, tunnels - there are varying impediments to commuter movement.

Edited August 5, 2011 by gardenmom5

[gardenmom5]

The thing that I have to say is that the closer you get to the Cascades (up I-90), the more rain you will have. A friend of mine found it very depressing living in Eastern Issaquah.

 

and snow in the winter, duration and frequency of power outages due to storms bringing trees down, icy hills you can only drive up with all-wheel drive. maybe. . . .

 

oh, and since metro transit thinks all roads lead to seattle, the further away from seattle you get, the worse public transportation is.

[NorthwestMom]

If they have any desire to live in a more rural, less expensive location, they could check out Roslyn and Cle Elum. These are located on I-90 eastward over the mountain pass, which makes it a 90-minute commute. We live another half hour east from these towns, but have friends who live in them who commute to Seattle. They like not living in the highly populated areas.

 

 

These towns are very far from metro Seattle, and if Snoqualmie Pass closes in the winter the commuter will be trapped on one side or the other OR, even worse, in a vehicle on the closed road for hours. The gas costs for commuting would be outrageous too. I would never recommend this. Anyone who wants to live rurally could live outside of Duvall, Carnation, or North Bend and not have the Pass to contend with.

[anotherbrother]

We live a little further out than Issaquah, but ultimately I would say that it would come down to what they want to spend and how much space they want.

 

Neither city is going to be inexpensive, but you'll probably get slightly more for your money in Issaquah than you will in Bellevue. I would also say that the Issaquah schools are probably more equally rated to each other while Bellevue schools vary widely depending on where you live.

 

A pp mentioned Bellevue High (where I went), I actually think that Newport Highschool is higher rated currently. It also has a ton of AP classes available and is newly remodled.

 

For me a major consideration would be if there was a commute to Seattle involved. If there was I would do whatever I could to stay as close as possible to the I-90 corrider and away from 520. 520 will have a toll very soon and it is going to be very expensive.

[milovany]

These towns are very far from metro Seattle, and if Snoqualmie Pass closes in the winter the commuter will be trapped on one side or the other OR, even worse, in a vehicle on the closed road for hours. The gas costs for commuting would be outrageous too. I would never recommend this. Anyone who wants to live rurally could live outside of Duvall, Carnation, or North Bend and not have the Pass to contend with.

 

Yes, the above is something to consider, to be sure. And yet even with it all, there are lots and lots of people who do it because they prefer the slower pace of life and the lower cost of living over here. Their jobs allow for it, so that of course is part of the decision making process. Just trying to give the OP a full slate of options. :001_smile:

[gardenmom5]

you'll probably get slightly more for your money in Issaquah than you will in Bellevue.

 

there are still affordable houses in bellevue, and on larger pieces of dirt than new construction further out. but they are older (1950's/60's), and generally in need of updating. people are doing that as you can fix up a house, but can't change location. if they are willing/able to do that, they can end up with a nice place for not alot of money.

 

I would also say that the Issaquah schools are probably more equally rated to each other while Bellevue schools vary widely depending on where you live.

 

A pp mentioned Bellevue High (where I went), I actually think that Newport Highschool is higher rated currently. It also has a ton of AP classes available and is newly remodled.

 

 

I would also recommend Newport HS over Bellevue HS. It is brand new construction (tore down the old buildings) four years ago. very nice. *great* computer technology programs.

 

:iagree:schools vary - especially elementary schools. Issaquah schools are more homogeneous.

 

For me a major consideration would be if there was a commute to Seattle involved. If there was I would do whatever I could to stay as close as possible to the I-90 corrider and away from 520. 520 will have a toll very soon and it is going to be very expensive.

 

520 also has bridge construction starting now, and it's just going to get worse in the next few years. I-90 has higher vehicle capacity, and express lanes for two or more. BUT the on-ramp from WI90 - NI405 is generally backed-up. (SB is fine) There are also park-n-ride lots where you drive to the lot, park, and ride the bus where you're going. for some locations, this works well. but not all locations.

 

It can also vary according to employer or job. (e.g. I told my brother boeing engineers get sent all over, and to buy in the "middle". He didn't believe me and ended up with a commute that was one and a half hours each way. If he'd stayed where he started, it would have been <20 minutes tops.)

[anotherbrother]

there are still affordable houses in bellevue, and on larger pieces of dirt than new construction further out. but they are older (1950's/60's), and generally in need of updating. people are doing that as you can fix up a house, but can't change location. if they are willing/able to do that, they can end up with a nice place for not alot of money.

 

I Would tend to agree about Bellevue and the older homes. Personally I grew up in an older smaller home in Clyde Hill, those same homes are now going for $600K +. The other areas in Bellevue that you might find something in, I probably wouldn't choose to live in. Which is why we don't live in Bellevue anymore. For $600K in Issaquah you could get quite a bit of house.

 

Ultimately I think this will all come down to the persons budget. I don't think Bellevue is better than Issaquah and vice versa. They both have a lot to offer today.

 

On a side note, Bellevue is not the same Bellevue that I grew up in. It seems more like DT Seattle to me now. Most of the buildings didn't even exist when I was growing up.

 

I would also recommend Newport HS over Bellevue HS. It is brand new construction (tore down the old buildings) four years ago. very nice. *great* computer technology programs.

 

:iagree:schools vary - especially elementary schools. Issaquah schools are more homogeneous.

 

 

 

520 also has bridge construction starting now, and it's just going to get worse in the next few years. I-90 has higher vehicle capacity, and express lanes for two or more. BUT the on-ramp from WI90 - NI405 is generally backed-up. (SB is fine) There are also park-n-ride lots where you drive to the lot, park, and ride the bus where you're going. for some locations, this works well. but not all locations.

 

It can also vary according to employer or job. (e.g. I told my brother boeing engineers get sent all over, and to buy in the "middle". He didn't believe me and ended up with a commute that was one and a half hours each way. If he'd stayed where he started, it would have been <20 minutes tops.)

 

 

I forgot that the OP said that her friends were thinking about renting. I think they could probably find a lot in both Bellevue and Issaquah. Rentals do seem to go pretty fast these days. Depending no their budget they might also be able to find something on Mercer Island. Mercer Island is especially beneficial to a Seattle commute. My husband loved that commute when we rented there.