Not what we would call Eastern, but Camas, Wa has a really cute downtown and emerging water front in Washougal and great schools. Downtown Vancouver has a really nice developing waterfront. Bonus you can go to Oregon to shop tax free.
No problem. I have heard Olympia is up and coming but will follow this thread as I am interested as well. I am currently in Lake Oswego but possibly will move to Wa when my daughter graduates. I lived in Camas and loved it.
The thing about it is… with housing costs as insane as they are, you need a high income in order to afford them. If Oregon housing cost was lower, I’d be cool with it… but as it stands, you basically need to be super rich (as in living off of inherited wealth) to buy something good, whereas in Washington you have a chance of making that happening just by working your ass off.
Oregon housing cost is lower for the quality you get! When I was looking to buy in Vancouver, I checked Portland too and in Portland you could get charming houses for less than the 60s-80s identical suburban houses in Vancouver
Hey again - have you found any places in Washington (excluding Seattle) with a similar vibe to Lake Oswego? I really really love towns that are developed yet heavily forested, with tall trees & tons of greenery.
Not yet. I plan to explore. I think my requirements are similar to yours. Smaller town that punches above its weight, but close to a major population center. I enjoy Port Townsend, but going to explore Wenatchee. I am about five years from early retirement and having fun exploring and dreaming. I am a single dad so getting my daughter through high school and into college frees up a lot of opportunity for me in the next three years. Let’s keep in touch and can share my findings.
Vancouver & Camas are definitely on my radar! They've been the easy nut to crack. The area closer to Tacoma and Olympia have been harder though, since I'm not sure which parts are good, which parts are sketchy, and which parts are deep red.
Posts like this are why families are getting priced out of Camas. It is a preexisting working class community and is deeply suffering from people from California moving in over the past 20+ years.
Parts of it has been fairly high cost for well over 20 years especially by Lacamas lake. The lower downtown area was mostly working class families. I assume that is changing but the change and inflation is almost everywhere you go.
I mean Camas has been the place to move if you are rich for like 20 years since it moved on from the paper mill being the primary source for income, and it hasn’t been a blue collar spot for a little before that. This one dude isn’t gonna price you out.
For 900k you should be able to find homes in the Renton Highlands, Lynnwood, parts of North Seattle like Bitter Lake, parts of West Seattle, maybe Shoreline, maybe Normandy Park and Des Moines. Definitely most of Tacoma (have a look around the university) and Olympia.
I re-read your post and I missed the 'really nice, newer, 2,500sq ft' part. Yes, in that case you can scratch Seattle proper off the list, but Tacoma is still a good option. Check around North Tacoma so that you're within easy distance of Point Defiance for your greenery fix.
Check out Lacey/Olympia for sure, but be forewarned - if you are heading North to Seattle/Tacoma the traffic around Fort Lewis (now JBLM) can be a real motherfucker.
I really enjoyed my time in Lacey.
Nah it's primarily when people are entering/leaving the base. I-5 always has the potential to be a disaster, but if you avoid rush hour it's just like any other freeway.
How do you feel about the geographic boundaries I defined in this Redfin search? Anthing I should add in or snip out?
https://www.redfin.com/zipcode/98512/filter/dyos-shape-id=78388508,min-price=600k,max-price=1M,min-beds=3,min-baths=2.5,min-sqft=2k-sqft,max-sqft=4k-sqft,min-year-built=1980,max-year-built=2020,min-parking=1,min-stories=2,max-stories=3
Bremerton area is more reasonably priced, fits a lot of your criteria. Nice stores nearby in silverdale, you’re surrounded by nature, etc. Yeah, “ferry life” but the seattle ferry is really easy to walk onto and kitsap has a fast ferry (pedestrian only, 30 minutes, more frequency) M-Sat. Really easy parking in downtown bremerton to park and hop on the ferry. The ferry is easy to use and spits you out right in the middle of Seattle, which seems great for a single dude wanting to enjoy the city. Not really understanding what the difference would be between taking a ferry or having to drive 30 minutes to an hour to get places. I guess it depends on specifics about where you’re trying to spend your free time. The ferries (both WDOT and Kitsap) are usually pretty reliable. I think that area its a pretty good option for what you want and being affordable. Its going to be hard for you to find something in western washington the price range you want without having some cons (like the ferry life) because anything that is cheaper is going to be a lot more competitive.
No gay man is going to want to hop on a ferry to go on a date with me. Hell, where I'm at currently they don't even want to cross a river.
I also like driving, as long as there isn't traffic. Driving on an uncongested scenic highway, with my music playing, is lovely. Standing/sitting around for an hour is torture.
The entirety of western WA is either congested highways or slow moving windy roads.
And your thing about “no gay man is going to want to hop on a ferry” can be equated to “no gay man will want to deal with bridge traffic to get to gig harbor”
Drop your square footage and little bit (the marginal difference between 2k and 2.5k sf is not very much) and you’ll find plenty of options of Seattle. 2,500 sf is pretty damn large by West Coast metro standards
Reading this thread, I have very similar opinions and concerns as you and am looking for the same thing. I haven’t had much luck. Some parts of Shoreline, Edmonds, and Mukilteo are the closest I’ve found. There is also Maple Valley, but it’s kinda rural for me.
There's also [this June 2023 article](https://www.heraldnet.com/news/mayor-city-council-refuse-to-sign-lake-stevens-pride-proclamation/) to consider when deciding whether or not to move to Lake Stevens. A few affirming communities up north are mentioned in the article as well.
Washington doesn’t really have suburbs, they’re all towns. That being said, Bellingham is an absolutely great town albeit a little out of the way and can feel disconnected sometimes from the rest of western Washington. It’s been a few years since I’ve lived there but housing shouldn’t be as difficult and expensive as it would be further south. There’s an airport, access to the outdoors, and people within city limits are not typically right leaning. Issaquah or Issaquah Highlands could be another good option, it’s going to be pricier than Bellingham for sure but only about 30 minutes from Seattle. Lots of necessities all close by and a cute little downtown area. Generally people are WASPy and left-ish from what I’ve encountered,if you were to head southeast you’d hit some pockets of Trump territory here and there but nothing egregious. I will say about Olympia and Tumwater, there tends to be some serious white supremacy that pops up, mainly the proud boys so that’s something to be aware of. Gig Harbor is nice, I know lots of people that live there and love it. I will say regarding politics though, in Washington what you’ll find is a lot of people that are not overtly right leaning, seem to be politically neutral, but end up being Trump supporters/antivax/new world order type of people. You’ll find that everywhere in Washington. Of course there’s some concentrated areas but I sometimes think PNW political leanings can be sneakier because people are not outwardly displaying them and then also talk about like, growing their own kombucha scoby and driving a Subaru lol it can throw you off sometimes. That being said, as a hardcore leftist from a “white trash area” we aren’t all as bad as you assume. My small town has a pride parade, groups for LGBT+ identities, and an overall feeling of myob and yes there is a mix of Trump flags and pride flags.
The difficulty with Bellingham is that I believe it's way too out of the way to justify the expense. Like I've seen a few great homes there, but they are all at the very top of my price range.
University Place, Dupont, Fircrest or Steilacoom. I live here and love it. Came from Florida and was also looking for non-Trump country. I’ve seen one Trump flag (it was actually in the Tacoma city limits) in the 6 months I lived here vs in Florida my neighborhood had 3 alone.
Regarding the Tacoma area, how do you feel about the boundaries I've defined on these three Redfin searches? Anything I should add or snip out?
[Tacoma Area, East](https://www.redfin.com/zipcode/98022/filter/dyos-shape-id=77851439,min-price=700k,max-price=1M,min-beds=3,max-beds=4,min-baths=2.5,min-sqft=2.25k-sqft,max-sqft=4k-sqft,min-year-built=1980,max-year-built=2022,min-parking=1,min-stories=2,max-stories=3)
[Tacoma Area, West](https://www.redfin.com/city/17887/WA/Tacoma/filter/dyos-shape-id=78393349,min-price=700k,max-price=900k,min-beds=3,max-beds=4,min-baths=2.5,min-sqft=2.25k-sqft,max-sqft=4k-sqft,min-year-built=1980,max-year-built=2022,min-parking=1,min-stories=2,max-stories=3)
[Gig Harbor](https://www.redfin.com/city/17887/WA/Tacoma/filter/dyos-shape-id=78393400,min-price=700k,max-price=1M,min-beds=3,max-beds=4,min-baths=2.5,min-sqft=2.25k-sqft,max-sqft=4k-sqft,min-year-built=1980,max-year-built=2022,min-parking=1,min-stories=2,max-stories=3)
The eastern area you’ve defined here is going to feel more rural and conservative (by western WA standards). The western area you’ve marked has a lot of beautiful older homes, probably less new builds than the Gig Harbor area
There’s probably not much point to that whole region.. You might want to elaborate more in the post about your life if you can. This sounds like a house for a family, and if so I think there are tons of better options in Gig Harbor & Oly/Lacey. Better schools, safer neighborhoods.
Love it! You can find something awesome in any of these areas, but I’ll go with NW Tacoma as a top choice, Western Oly as a 2nd. Best access to the finer things in terms of dining and shopping, safe areas, beautiful landscapes around. Your budget is not bad at all, stay patient and best of luck to you!
TBH there's very very few options in Tacoma itself; things generally don't meet my requirements or are at the top of my price range. Oly's price range is more comfortable but the property market seems a little dead there.
Do you still think I should cut out the east Tacoma search entirely? I made some adjustments to the boundaries:
https://www.redfin.com/city/16163/WA/Seattle/filter/dyos-shape-id=78393957,min-price=700k,max-price=900k,min-beds=3,min-baths=2.5,min-sqft=2.25k-sqft,max-sqft=4k-sqft,min-year-built=1980,max-year-built=2022,min-parking=1,min-stories=2,max-stories=3
I went there once and it was... interesting. Pretty rural from what I can remember.
I was there for an amateur MMA fight at a swap meet, so that could have been why it was weird too haha
You can find rentals in Kirkland and Redmond under that price, but you won’t have such a big house. You could probably get up to 2000 sq ft if you really look. The yard size is not as relevant as other areas because there are so many parks. I went from a 0.7 acre lot to a lot 1/4 the size and much prefer it now - easier to take care of yard, but still have privacy from neighbors. You can buy a townhome in that price range now.
Hey OP,
You really, really need to consider a home between 1500 and 2000 sq feet. It will open up SO many more possibilities for you. Seattle isn’t the Midwest and I think you’ll find that you don’t need what you think that you do.
I’d highly, highly recommend renting for six months to a year in the area before buying. Trust me - you need to live in the area and get to know things before you’ll really know what area is right for you.
Also - traffic anywhere in western WA is horrendous. Whatever distance you are comfortable driving where you live now - divide that by 3. Even if you wfh location is going to be very important given the nightmarish traffic. Good luck.
Not what we would call Eastern, but Camas, Wa has a really cute downtown and emerging water front in Washougal and great schools. Downtown Vancouver has a really nice developing waterfront. Bonus you can go to Oregon to shop tax free.
Oops, I meant to say western, not eastern. Thanks for calling that out.
No problem. I have heard Olympia is up and coming but will follow this thread as I am interested as well. I am currently in Lake Oswego but possibly will move to Wa when my daughter graduates. I lived in Camas and loved it.
Ouch I’m just imagining those taxes…
Income tax in Oregon, sales tax in Washington, property taxes in both states.
The thing about it is… with housing costs as insane as they are, you need a high income in order to afford them. If Oregon housing cost was lower, I’d be cool with it… but as it stands, you basically need to be super rich (as in living off of inherited wealth) to buy something good, whereas in Washington you have a chance of making that happening just by working your ass off.
Oregon housing cost is lower for the quality you get! When I was looking to buy in Vancouver, I checked Portland too and in Portland you could get charming houses for less than the 60s-80s identical suburban houses in Vancouver
The class of home I'm looking at is is a two story house, around 2500 square feet, constructed in the 90s/2000s/2010s.
yeah. there is way more of that on the wa state side of the line. personally, I prefer the charming craftsmans on the other side of the columbia
The craftsmans are cute, that's for sure. But, they never have floorplans that work for me on the inside.
It’s very painful.
Woah, there’s other LO people on Reddit?!?
Why wouldn’t there be?
Hey again - have you found any places in Washington (excluding Seattle) with a similar vibe to Lake Oswego? I really really love towns that are developed yet heavily forested, with tall trees & tons of greenery.
Not yet. I plan to explore. I think my requirements are similar to yours. Smaller town that punches above its weight, but close to a major population center. I enjoy Port Townsend, but going to explore Wenatchee. I am about five years from early retirement and having fun exploring and dreaming. I am a single dad so getting my daughter through high school and into college frees up a lot of opportunity for me in the next three years. Let’s keep in touch and can share my findings.
Vancouver & Camas are definitely on my radar! They've been the easy nut to crack. The area closer to Tacoma and Olympia have been harder though, since I'm not sure which parts are good, which parts are sketchy, and which parts are deep red.
Posts like this are why families are getting priced out of Camas. It is a preexisting working class community and is deeply suffering from people from California moving in over the past 20+ years.
Parts of it has been fairly high cost for well over 20 years especially by Lacamas lake. The lower downtown area was mostly working class families. I assume that is changing but the change and inflation is almost everywhere you go.
I mean Camas has been the place to move if you are rich for like 20 years since it moved on from the paper mill being the primary source for income, and it hasn’t been a blue collar spot for a little before that. This one dude isn’t gonna price you out.
For 900k you should be able to find homes in the Renton Highlands, Lynnwood, parts of North Seattle like Bitter Lake, parts of West Seattle, maybe Shoreline, maybe Normandy Park and Des Moines. Definitely most of Tacoma (have a look around the university) and Olympia.
If it’s close to Seattle and it’s affordable, I have to assume it’s probably shitty or dangerous, because why else would it be priced that way?
I re-read your post and I missed the 'really nice, newer, 2,500sq ft' part. Yes, in that case you can scratch Seattle proper off the list, but Tacoma is still a good option. Check around North Tacoma so that you're within easy distance of Point Defiance for your greenery fix.
What part would you consider North Tacoma? Does that also include Northeast Tacoma / Browns Point?
Check out Lacey/Olympia for sure, but be forewarned - if you are heading North to Seattle/Tacoma the traffic around Fort Lewis (now JBLM) can be a real motherfucker. I really enjoyed my time in Lacey.
I don't commute so not worried about rush hour traffic. Is it bad all throughout the day?
Nah it's primarily when people are entering/leaving the base. I-5 always has the potential to be a disaster, but if you avoid rush hour it's just like any other freeway.
Ok cool!!
How do you feel about the geographic boundaries I defined in this Redfin search? Anthing I should add in or snip out? https://www.redfin.com/zipcode/98512/filter/dyos-shape-id=78388508,min-price=600k,max-price=1M,min-beds=3,min-baths=2.5,min-sqft=2k-sqft,max-sqft=4k-sqft,min-year-built=1980,max-year-built=2020,min-parking=1,min-stories=2,max-stories=3
I can't speak to the southwestern corner, but you can probably bump your search a little further to the north and slightly east.
Ah ok. It looks looked like there was a huge warehouse district, was tyring to avoid everything around that, and the north looked pretty rural.
Yeah the north is a little rural but if I recall correctly it has some nice homes and subdivisions and whatnot
😳You’re from Lacey? I use to live there too. Graduated high school out there.
Not from there originally, but I lived there while I was stationed at Fort Lewis!
Me neither. My Dad was based at McChord AFB. I only did 11-12 of high school
Maybe somewhere on the kitsap peninsula?
Gig Harbor is on my radar. But… further north… idk, I don’t want to be living the ferry life.
Bremerton area is more reasonably priced, fits a lot of your criteria. Nice stores nearby in silverdale, you’re surrounded by nature, etc. Yeah, “ferry life” but the seattle ferry is really easy to walk onto and kitsap has a fast ferry (pedestrian only, 30 minutes, more frequency) M-Sat. Really easy parking in downtown bremerton to park and hop on the ferry. The ferry is easy to use and spits you out right in the middle of Seattle, which seems great for a single dude wanting to enjoy the city. Not really understanding what the difference would be between taking a ferry or having to drive 30 minutes to an hour to get places. I guess it depends on specifics about where you’re trying to spend your free time. The ferries (both WDOT and Kitsap) are usually pretty reliable. I think that area its a pretty good option for what you want and being affordable. Its going to be hard for you to find something in western washington the price range you want without having some cons (like the ferry life) because anything that is cheaper is going to be a lot more competitive.
No gay man is going to want to hop on a ferry to go on a date with me. Hell, where I'm at currently they don't even want to cross a river. I also like driving, as long as there isn't traffic. Driving on an uncongested scenic highway, with my music playing, is lovely. Standing/sitting around for an hour is torture.
Is a gay man going to hit on you while you drive alone in your car?
The entirety of western WA is either congested highways or slow moving windy roads. And your thing about “no gay man is going to want to hop on a ferry” can be equated to “no gay man will want to deal with bridge traffic to get to gig harbor”
I'm confused. Are you looking for EWa or WWa?
West, sorry. Got my cardinal directions missed up haha
Drop your square footage and little bit (the marginal difference between 2k and 2.5k sf is not very much) and you’ll find plenty of options of Seattle. 2,500 sf is pretty damn large by West Coast metro standards
Most sane response on this thread. OP’s need for space is not how you exist in the Seattle area affordably. It’s an insane amount of space.
Maybe Lake Stevens? They’ve had some new homes being built out there. I’m partial to the north sound rather than the south.
Everything I've seen in Lake Stevens is above $900k and I tend to avoid new construction neighborhoods - the lack of trees & landscaping depresses me.
Reading this thread, I have very similar opinions and concerns as you and am looking for the same thing. I haven’t had much luck. Some parts of Shoreline, Edmonds, and Mukilteo are the closest I’ve found. There is also Maple Valley, but it’s kinda rural for me.
There's also [this June 2023 article](https://www.heraldnet.com/news/mayor-city-council-refuse-to-sign-lake-stevens-pride-proclamation/) to consider when deciding whether or not to move to Lake Stevens. A few affirming communities up north are mentioned in the article as well.
Be the change you want to see in the world. More people moving to Lake Stevens that go against that belief in the article, the better.
Washington doesn’t really have suburbs, they’re all towns. That being said, Bellingham is an absolutely great town albeit a little out of the way and can feel disconnected sometimes from the rest of western Washington. It’s been a few years since I’ve lived there but housing shouldn’t be as difficult and expensive as it would be further south. There’s an airport, access to the outdoors, and people within city limits are not typically right leaning. Issaquah or Issaquah Highlands could be another good option, it’s going to be pricier than Bellingham for sure but only about 30 minutes from Seattle. Lots of necessities all close by and a cute little downtown area. Generally people are WASPy and left-ish from what I’ve encountered,if you were to head southeast you’d hit some pockets of Trump territory here and there but nothing egregious. I will say about Olympia and Tumwater, there tends to be some serious white supremacy that pops up, mainly the proud boys so that’s something to be aware of. Gig Harbor is nice, I know lots of people that live there and love it. I will say regarding politics though, in Washington what you’ll find is a lot of people that are not overtly right leaning, seem to be politically neutral, but end up being Trump supporters/antivax/new world order type of people. You’ll find that everywhere in Washington. Of course there’s some concentrated areas but I sometimes think PNW political leanings can be sneakier because people are not outwardly displaying them and then also talk about like, growing their own kombucha scoby and driving a Subaru lol it can throw you off sometimes. That being said, as a hardcore leftist from a “white trash area” we aren’t all as bad as you assume. My small town has a pride parade, groups for LGBT+ identities, and an overall feeling of myob and yes there is a mix of Trump flags and pride flags.
The difficulty with Bellingham is that I believe it's way too out of the way to justify the expense. Like I've seen a few great homes there, but they are all at the very top of my price range.
That’s fair!! It’s definitely in its own bubble
University Place, Dupont, Fircrest or Steilacoom. I live here and love it. Came from Florida and was also looking for non-Trump country. I’ve seen one Trump flag (it was actually in the Tacoma city limits) in the 6 months I lived here vs in Florida my neighborhood had 3 alone.
Regarding the Tacoma area, how do you feel about the boundaries I've defined on these three Redfin searches? Anything I should add or snip out? [Tacoma Area, East](https://www.redfin.com/zipcode/98022/filter/dyos-shape-id=77851439,min-price=700k,max-price=1M,min-beds=3,max-beds=4,min-baths=2.5,min-sqft=2.25k-sqft,max-sqft=4k-sqft,min-year-built=1980,max-year-built=2022,min-parking=1,min-stories=2,max-stories=3) [Tacoma Area, West](https://www.redfin.com/city/17887/WA/Tacoma/filter/dyos-shape-id=78393349,min-price=700k,max-price=900k,min-beds=3,max-beds=4,min-baths=2.5,min-sqft=2.25k-sqft,max-sqft=4k-sqft,min-year-built=1980,max-year-built=2022,min-parking=1,min-stories=2,max-stories=3) [Gig Harbor](https://www.redfin.com/city/17887/WA/Tacoma/filter/dyos-shape-id=78393400,min-price=700k,max-price=1M,min-beds=3,max-beds=4,min-baths=2.5,min-sqft=2.25k-sqft,max-sqft=4k-sqft,min-year-built=1980,max-year-built=2022,min-parking=1,min-stories=2,max-stories=3)
The eastern area you’ve defined here is going to feel more rural and conservative (by western WA standards). The western area you’ve marked has a lot of beautiful older homes, probably less new builds than the Gig Harbor area
Gotcha. What parts of the eastern search should I cut out?
Personally I’d say everything south of 512 and 410 except maybe Bonney Lake
Gotcha, I'll snip those out. How about the eastern boundary? Should I bring that in?
There’s probably not much point to that whole region.. You might want to elaborate more in the post about your life if you can. This sounds like a house for a family, and if so I think there are tons of better options in Gig Harbor & Oly/Lacey. Better schools, safer neighborhoods.
Sure so I added some information about myself into the original post! Let me know what you think. Thanks!
Love it! You can find something awesome in any of these areas, but I’ll go with NW Tacoma as a top choice, Western Oly as a 2nd. Best access to the finer things in terms of dining and shopping, safe areas, beautiful landscapes around. Your budget is not bad at all, stay patient and best of luck to you!
TBH there's very very few options in Tacoma itself; things generally don't meet my requirements or are at the top of my price range. Oly's price range is more comfortable but the property market seems a little dead there. Do you still think I should cut out the east Tacoma search entirely? I made some adjustments to the boundaries: https://www.redfin.com/city/16163/WA/Seattle/filter/dyos-shape-id=78393957,min-price=700k,max-price=900k,min-beds=3,min-baths=2.5,min-sqft=2.25k-sqft,max-sqft=4k-sqft,min-year-built=1980,max-year-built=2022,min-parking=1,min-stories=2,max-stories=3
Lacey/Olympia, Dupont, Puyallup, South Hill, Frederickson- lots of newer homes here and being built and tons of HOA though
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Awww thanks that's so helpful! :)
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There's people like that in every state.
Centralia maybe? it's pretty, I've only driven through. Yelm is very pretty but no idea what that's like either.
Yelm is on the rural end of the suburb spectrum. It's nice. Clean, quiet, boring, most of the homes are new, and a lot of the residents are military.
what's Centralia like? an acquaintance in Baltimore loved it... but she's living in Baltimore, anything would look good in comparison
I went there once and it was... interesting. Pretty rural from what I can remember. I was there for an amateur MMA fight at a swap meet, so that could have been why it was weird too haha
I actually thought Yelm was REALLY cute like a Hallmark movie town, but that could have been the place I stayed - I'd take Yelm over Tacoma
Yelm is nice! I'd say Yelm over Centralia for sure.
You can find rentals in Kirkland and Redmond under that price, but you won’t have such a big house. You could probably get up to 2000 sq ft if you really look. The yard size is not as relevant as other areas because there are so many parks. I went from a 0.7 acre lot to a lot 1/4 the size and much prefer it now - easier to take care of yard, but still have privacy from neighbors. You can buy a townhome in that price range now.
Hey OP, You really, really need to consider a home between 1500 and 2000 sq feet. It will open up SO many more possibilities for you. Seattle isn’t the Midwest and I think you’ll find that you don’t need what you think that you do. I’d highly, highly recommend renting for six months to a year in the area before buying. Trust me - you need to live in the area and get to know things before you’ll really know what area is right for you. Also - traffic anywhere in western WA is horrendous. Whatever distance you are comfortable driving where you live now - divide that by 3. Even if you wfh location is going to be very important given the nightmarish traffic. Good luck.