townhouse choices

[KnottedYet]

I have several friends who live in West Seattle, been there 15-20 years, raising kids, etc.

They talk about how they like the smaller-town feel of it and the strong sense of community. The views are gorgeous, too! Lots of nice parks.

Closer to Seattle than a lot of the suburbs, but it has a strong identity of its own (partially because it is a bit isolated by the water).

I've always had a good time in West Seattle. It's pretty low-key, lots of local artists, easy-going.

[indysteel]

I know nothing about Seattle, but I do understand commutes. How long timewise would it take to commute those 15 miles versus the 6-7? Do both places lend themselves to commuting by bike? How much does it mean to you to be able to ride easily from your home? Does driving stress you out?

I went from being 5 minutes from work to being 45 minutes to an hour. And from a small home of about 1,000 sq. feet plus a garage to a bigger home. I miss the ease of my former life in many ways. Driving and traffic wear me out. On the plus side, I can easily ride from home now, but it doesn't make up for it.

I don't have a strong sense of community at either place, but that would be a huge selling point for me, especially if I were new to an area.

[KnottedYet]

Oh, and from West Seattle, if you don't feel like dealing with the bridges, you can take the very cute little pedestrian/bike ferry from West Seattle to Seattle.

(you can also take the ferry home again)

No cars allowed on the West Seattle ferry, just bikes and pedestrians. One of my coworkers was doing it every day while she worked down town, she really liked it. I've never ridden it, so I can't tell you much about it personally.

[tulip]

I've only been to Seattle once, in 1996, when West Seattle was just starting to get trendy according to my host. I loved it then, with all the water.

And with the closer commute and the ferry--it's a no brainer in my book.

Of course, I've never been to Renton.

I live quite comfortably in 900SF, so both options seem quite big to me.

Wherever you end up, I hope you enjoy it!

[bmccasland]

Well the house was really too big for me - it was a single family house, not a townhouse. So the search continues.

Unfortunately my office isn't in downtown Seattle, it's in "South Seattle" - in an industial area, north of Boeing Field - so lovely ferry rides to work aren't in my future. Or taking the light rail.

The daily hunt on Craig's List continues...

And I came "home" to a sick diabetic kitty.
I have some recovery Rx food that I'll try to feed him to see if he can hold that down. Finding a new Vet wasn't exactly in my plan right now.

[XMcShiftersonX]

Well the house was really too big for me - it was a single family house, not a townhouse. So the search continues.

Unfortunately my office isn't in downtown Seattle, it's in "South Seattle" - in an industial area, north of Boeing Field - so lovely ferry rides to work aren't in my future. Or taking the light rail.

The daily hunt on Craig's List continues...

There are at least two townhouses for sale in my neighborhood if you're interested, it sounds pretty close to the area of the place you just looked at. I think some people may also be selling their condos. I PM'd you the name of the development earlier, I'm sure you could find info. online if you were interested.

I feel like I should chime in on the opportunities for water enjoyment since others have been doing the same about W. Seattle In Renton you have Coulon Park, which is on Lake Washington, and then maybe 15 minutes south, Lake Meridian in Kent. There's also the Cedar River in downtown Renton, with an 11 mile paved trail that runs right next to it that is fun to ride on in itself or to use as a connector to go many places including up to Tiger Mountain, or to go on some longer loops like a 45 and 55 miler through country roads with farms, etc.

Commuting to S. Seattle via bike wouldn't be too bad either. In fact, that's part of the S. Lake Wa loop that many people really enjoy. By car you could also take back streets that are not very congested and prettier than I-5 too because they go along Lake Washington (I used to do it all the time when I was going to Seattle U)! Good luck in your search!

[Grog]

Shorter commute always wins. People with shorter commutes are happier according to research cited in Carjacked (could look it up if challenged).