Congratulations on your husband's new job! You may also want to consider West Seattle. It's just a short 10 minutes to the airport, and the reverse commute to Federal Way, so there's very little traffic. West Seattle has some of the best elementary schools in Seattle, and has tons to offer families. There are great parks like Lincoln Park, fabulous beaches (Alki), and a strong community feel. As a long time resident of West Seattle, I can tell you it's like a suburb in the city! If you'd like more info. on West Seattle, send me an email or check out the West Seattle Blog http://www.westseattleblog.com

Best of luck in your search!

There is St. Anthony in Renton and one in Federal Way. There's also St. Paul in Skyway, but that would be out of your way, and doesn't fit the "newer homes" critieria for your neighborhood to live in criteria.

A decent commute would be up to 30-40 mins. I realize that it is much different out there and it may not be possible. We are spoiled now with a commute of 15-20 mins.. Desirable neighborhood features are newer homes, not looking to do major remodeling, cosmetic only. Somewhere with families with young children, easy access to daily necessities (grocery, drycleaner, restaurants, shopping etc.), relatively easy interstate access, reasonable distance to airport. Will consider a neighborhood with a good Catholic elementary school as well. Your feedback is much appreciated. It makes sifting through all of the information much easier!

Okay..I have to chime in here ... I grew up in fedway and spent 20 years of my life there and was a product of the fed way schools and I'd like to think I turned out pretty good. If you look at their rankings, they're just an average school district. I don't think any of the school districts in south king county are outstanding, but look at the referenced website to judge for yourself. You can drill down to get stats for specific schools and compare them to other schools in other districts or the same district...really cool website.

I'm going to side with Kary on the Gig Harbor idea. That is in no way an easy commute to Fed Way or the airport. FedWay to the airport is pretty good .. my first job out of college required me to fly out weekly so it was definitely convenient.

There's lots of areas in FedWay itself that could fit your requirements. There's a bunch of new developments popping up, but some established areas to consider .. Twin Lakes, West Campus, Campus Highlands to name a few. Just know the further East you go toward the freeway, the more commercial the area gets.. Once you hit Highway 99 (aka Pacificy Hwy) ...it's pretty much all high density and commercial. East of the freeway are more residential areas but not as well known (in my opinion) for residential stuff (ie ..houses all around military road.

Fedway in general is nice cause it's got ...everything. shopping, entertainment, restaurants, etc. Not sure how great Fedway's night scene is, but the same can be said about any south king county city.

As for airplane noise. Parts of North fedway can get some airplane noise, and as you get into Burien, you get into the take-off/landing path. South/West fedway ...there's planes, but they're waaay high up that it's not too noticeable.

There are some areas just south of fedway that are into pierce county (tacoma) like Brown's point that's not too bad. Other areas to consider have all been mentioned but I'll throw in my vote for Kent/parts of Renton ... Covington has been mentioned, but... you'll need to clarify what you mean by a "decent" commute. Covington is starting to get out there. Maple Valley is even further.

Can you share what your ideal neighborhood would be ..besides the great schools?

nvrhome, just to be clear, I didn't have anything positve to say about Federal Way. My main complaint about the area is airplane noise--I'm a bit hypersensitive to that.

As to the areas you mentioned, Gig Harbor is nice, but I don't think it would be a good commute to Federal Way. Gig Harbor would require a commute through Tacoma and across the Tacoma Narrows Bridge. Not only is that a toll bridge, but traffic can be bad at times. Maple Valley might be okay through Hwy 18. Another area you might look into is Covington, if you're looking at Maple Valley. We just had some buyers who were concerned about schools for young children buy in that area.

check out http://www.schoolmatters.com

Hi,

Since you're moving from Ohio, you might even be interested in the Kitsap County, area! We're less expensive than some of those other areas, and you might feel more at "home" in our more rural area.

On Friday, June 5th, the "US News" had an article that said, "The Top 10 Housing Markets for the Next 10 Years", and voted Bremerton-Silverdale area as #1 in the country!! A 45 minute commute each way, could well be worth it to you. About 30% of our workforce commutes to the Tacoma/Seattle area. Port Orchard is in Kitsap Co., just west of Gig Harbor, which is in Pierce Co.

During your house hunting trip, If you've never visited the Puget Sound in the past, then be sure to get out in the 6:00-8:00 AM traffic, for a "test drive" from your new employment location and potential living areas.

No matter where you choose to live in WA, I have a "link" on my website that will help you: At the bottom of the page, click on "Kitsap Schools and More", and you can check out all the counties, cities, schools, crime rates, and just about anything you want to know about our State!

If I can help you in any way, please get in touch,

Jean Bradford
Associate Broker, ABR,GRI,CRS,CRB

Thanks for all of the input. We actually hadn't considered living in Federal Way as it seems everything I've read suggested that the schools were not that good. I will look into the school district further as it seems you all have good things to say about the area. Other areas we've considered are University Place to the South, Gig Harbor, Maple Valley and Renton. This is based on the schools in those areas, didn't seem to have as many houses for sale in our price range though. Plus, it looks like some of those areas might present a significant commute to Federal Way based on what I've read about the traffic. Keep your suggestions coming...they are most helpful!

A lot of complements to Federal Way here, which is fine, but I've not seen anyone comment on the schools in Federal Way, nor have I ever heard any buyer specifically request Federal Way schools. I'm admittedly ignorant on the quality of Federal Way schools, but that seemingly was a big factor in the buyers' decision, so it would be nice if it would be addressed.

Federal Way offers several nice communities that would fit your needs for between $325 to $375. At his time there is between 50 and 60 homes in that price range. If you are working with a relocation firn they will have information on the local schools. If not my web site donnafraser.mywindermere.com has a link to the local schools and there ratings. Federal Way also offers easy access to two of our State Parks within 15 minutes, I-5 and SR 18, and easy access to airport. Good luck in your search for a new home. I lived in the Federal Way area for 20 years and have worked in the area for 16 years. It is a easy commute and has lots to offer.

Patrick's right - Federal Way itself is a great location.

Another area to consider is Brown's Point - just around the corner and a wonderful, quiet community between Fed Way. In your price range, you may even get glimpses of Commencement Bay and/or the Olympics.

Just west of the main Federal Way Drag is Twin Lakes - another great little community.

There are plenty of homes to choose from, so enjoy the esearch. Set up an automatic email and see what's out there.

Have you considered Federal Way?

There are hundreds of homes available in Kent, Auburn, Federal Way and Des Moines. Here's a look at what's out there over 2100 sq ft, at least 3 br, 1.75 bath.

http://locator.nwmls.com/scripts/mgrqispi.dll?APPNAME=Locato…

A lot of buyers seem to like the Kent school district, which also services part of the areas in the south that have a Renton address. Kent is a bit northeast of Federal Way, and you would effectively have a reverse commute, against the traffic. It's also fairly close to Sea-Tac, but east of it, so you don't get much airplane noise. A lot of other areas close to Federal Way (including Federal Way) will have a lot of airplane noise at times (traffic patterns are dependent on the weather, and right now on runway construction).

Kent is a very varied area, with a wide variety of housing prices, so finding something in that area in that price range should not be a big problem. The main concern would be finding a neighborhood that would be kept up over time--some of the newer developments are untested in that regard.