Tacoma WA and surrounding areas

[Rob Jones]

Good Morning BP, My wife and I are moving to Washington in January for my job. Our plan is to rent for a year, determine the area in which we want to live, then buy. I've only been to Washington once so I never got a feel for certain good/bad areas. We'll be going for a house hunting trip next month so we are trying to plan as best as possible. The bulk of my work will be done in Seattle and Olympia. I'll be working from home so proximity to an office is irrelevant. What areas/cities should I look toward and what areas should I stay away from? We've been looking at Tacoma simply because it's between Seattle and Olympia. We love to get out and be active so close proximity to lifestyle activities would be ideal but not a must. My wife is a teacher so good schools are relatively imperative. Any insight would be great!

[Timothy Tooker]

@Rob Jones

There are a ton of great area's. Puyallup, North & Northeast Tacoma, Steilacoom, University Place, Dupont, Sumner, Bonney Lake and parts of Lakewood. Lakewood, Puyallup/Sumner have park & rides for the Sounder Train if you did not want to drive up to Seattle.

You could also look in Federal Way & Auburn in South King county to put you closer to Seattle

Area's to stay away from: South & East, Hilltop area of Tacoma... Lakewood & Spanaway close to JBLM (Military Base), Midland, Parkland.

Pierce County is a strange area, as some cities very street to street.