The title pretty much says it all. I'll be in Tacoma on June first and I'm only going to know like one person there.
Who needs a hand wrenching on something?
The title pretty much says it all. I'll be in Tacoma on June first and I'm only going to know like one person there.
Who needs a hand wrenching on something?
Hungary Bill and I are in the Tacoma area...I'm on the road for the better part of June, but if you're not going anywhere, we'll have lots of chances in the near future.
What brings you to the area?
Wish I could do this after my recent move to Flagstaff but no GRMers in the area.
I'm in seatttle proper
I'm hoping for a better job and life away from the rat. But mainly... rally racing.
What line of work are you looking for Clockwork?
Tacoma is a great town that is proud of its gritty history. Lots of great food and plenty of gravel roads in the nearby areas for rally action. How'd you choose to move here?
Hey! How did I miss this thread!
Not sure how June is looking at the Hungary house, but I get the feeling there will be a free weekend or four in there 
Not sure what your hobbies are, but you picked a great time to move. The weather's been uncharacteristically fantastic this year.
Hit me up with a PM when you get the chance. Also, if you need help unloading a U-haul I can pitch in there as well 
Zombie thread and shameless hijack!
I too am researching Tacoma and the surrounding 'burbs and am also looking for first hand input.
Any suggestions of where to live for a young, middle class family? Housing budget would be sub $150k. The budget could be adjusted if need be, but I like to live well within my means. Schools would be priority one then, the crime rate, then outdoor activities, etc...
A town that keeps coming up is Puyallup. I like most of what I've read so far but it may be a bit too long (time) of a commute with traffic. My potential employer is located at 3628 South 35th Street in Tacoma.
I did a quick google search and came up with:
Gig Harbor (probably too expensive and too far)
University Place
Eastern Tacoma
Milton
Edgewood
Bonney Lake/Sumner
Puyallup/South Hill
Any poop on these?
Thank you, kind GRM brethren and sistren.
How do you like it so far, Clockwork?
Ill let the real Tacoma guys comment but IMO i think Gig Harbor is the nicest, followed by bonney lake and puyallup.
Commuting anywhere sucks. But its a great area to live, desert, mountains, lakes and Ocean are all close by.
Hungary Bill wrote: Hey! How did I miss this thread! Not sure how June is looking at the Hungary house, but I get the feeling there will be a free weekend or four in there
Do you know I JUST noticed you are Hungary Bill and not Hungry Bill? (facepalm)
Looking at an aerial map, I'm most drawn to the Waller area thus far, strictly based on the amount of green vs city blocks.
The_Jed wrote: My potential employer is located at 3628 South 35th Street in Tacoma. I did a quick google search and came up with: Gig Harbor (probably too expensive and too far) University Place Eastern Tacoma Milton Edgewood Bonney Lake/Sumner Puyallup/South Hill Any poop on these? Thank you, kind GRM brethren and sistren.
I would probably avoid the eastern side of Tacoma. Personally, I think Tacoma is hit and miss when it comes to crime (but I'll admit to having much less tolerance for such things than I used to). The other area to avoid is the "Hilltop". Although that's an area that's much improved over what it was in the 90's. woof.
University place can be nice and so can Lakewood (not on your list) but they do have pockets of crime too.
Puyallup/South hill is great for your budget but when you start getting toward South Hill you start running into congestion problems as there are only a handful of streets that feed the highways. If your commute involves a street named "Meridian" then I'd add almost an hour (exaggerating just a little). Very "suburban" though, and lots of strip malls and chain restaurants. Canyon road is a little less busy, so if you can make your commute through there you'd be saving a lot of headache.
Tough market right now for this area. Last I heard from our relator it was a sellers market and already our house value (as per zillow) is about 20% more than what we paid 3 years ago.
If you'd like me to put eyes on a house on your behalf don't hesitate to ask. If you want a relator referral, I know a good guy.
Also: Gig Harbor may be a bit expensive, but the commute you're talking about isn't that long. There is a toll of about $6 to come into Tacoma across the Narrows bridge but it's a great area that's up and coming (and not a lot of crime). Mezzanine lives out that way, if he catches this maybe he can chime in with a more "hands on" opinion
More food for thought: Your commute from gig harbor to the proposed location would be lots less time on the road than South Hill/Puyallup to the same area and a lot less headache as you wont have to deal with getting on to 512 and then merging onto I-5, and then again on to wa-16
If this reads like a five-year-old wrote it, I'm sorry. I pounded it out right before work 
spitfirebill wrote: Do you know I JUST noticed you are Hungary Bill and not Hungry Bill? (facepalm)
I'm both actually
Wow, thanks for the info! I found a cheap house on Gig Harbor that looks like a double wide trailer but the exterior pics are amazing!
The toll bridge doesn't sound too bad since it's only on one side of the road.
The_Jed wrote: Wow, thanks for the info! I found a cheap house on Gig Harbor that looks like a double wide trailer but the exterior pics are amazing!
It is, and it's more annoying than anything else. It works as a nice bottle neck to keep rif-raf off the peninsula though.
Lots of nice houses out there, and some with rather large plots of land ("large" in the sense that you'll probably want a riding mower, but not large as in "farm land").
Some people who work where I do opt to live in Yelm (I work just south of tacoma). If the people I work with are any indication then it must be a haven for bro-country types, but there is housing/land to be had out there relatively cheap. Most of the guys have huge shops, and a decent amount of grass to mow.
If you're feeling brave, you can try Anderson Island (zillow link)
Plots start at about $2500 The catch is the ferry is your ONLY way on or off and it has limited hours of operation.
Woah! You weren't kidding about the housing market. The vast majority are auctions... 
I'd live in a mobile/manufactured home.
Too bad there's a 99% chance the spousal unit would not.
I love those trees!
Try Olalla or Port Orchard (just north of Gig harbor). Try to stay south of where hwy 16 meets hwy 3
$140k but "needs work"
Don't do Anderson island. There is a reason houses are cheap.... My inlaws have a place there. It's nice if your retired.
I was thinking of buying a plot as a bit of an investment when my boss heard me. Apparently he bought a plot out there for $5000 in 1980-something. It's still worth....
Well, I don't know but I bet I could get it from him for $3000 if I showed him cash
(read: you know its bad when property depreciates)
Sticking with the gig harbor area, I bumped up the budget a bit and expanded the area to include some of Port Orchard and Olalla, and got more options: Zillow link
The_Jed wrote: I'd live in a mobile/manufactured home. Too bad there's a 99% chance the spousal unit would not.
That house looks really cool and can't argue with the price. A $200 a month mortgage would be awesome.
Bonney lake is nice and you can take the train to Tacoma.
Port Orchard or Olalla as mentioned above will generally be better value than Gig Harbor. We love it in GH, but house prices are creeping back up again. Bremerton Motorsports Park is just up the road, and is a venue for several auto-x clubs in the area if that floats your boat (SSCA, BSCC, PCA, etc.).
You could look south of Tacoma too. Some good values down there.
I live in Olalla, about half a mile from the county line/border with Gig Harbor. The commute into and out of Tacoma (especially where you would be going) is very easy, as long as you don't mind paying the toll. Should be about 25 minutes door to door from my area.
If anyone here lives in Puyallup, consider skipping this next part of my message, because I will disparage your community.
Berk Puyallup. That place can bite my ass. It is classic suburbia and strip-mall central, which doesn't really bother me much...The thing I can't stand about it is getting in or out of the area. Traffic SUCKS for everything in that area. I would encourage my enemies to look for a house there.
Regarding Tacoma, I love that town. It has a bit of grit that most of us are proud of and embrace. There are some really great restaurants sprinkled all over, and plenty for families. The Tacoma School District is really great - they have a few under-performing schools, but I know a number of people who work for the district, and they are making huge strides in all areas. I would not hesitate to put my daughter into school there.
Like Hungary, I'm willing to put eyes on anything, or offer some neighborhood advice if you want to PM or chat. Tacoma is a GREAT town, and I'm proud to be a part of a lot of community activities that set Tacoma above many others.
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