Apartments in Seattle/Bellevue/Mercer Island (?)

When we first started looking for a place to buy here my husband's uncle's primary advice was "Don't make him cross any bridges!" Traffic is nasty over the bridges, and with severe weather or a large accident it can add hours to the commute. I live in Bellevue and if my husband worked in Seattle we would probably try to move over there.

Find a house or apartment to rent in Seattle and get to know the area. There are some fantastic neighborhoods over there. Should you still want to be in an Eastside school when she starts kindergarten, Mercer Island has open enrollment, but then there is that daily commute again. :) There are a lot of options in the area. My advice is that you live close to work and then explore for the next two years while you decide what kind of education you want your child to have. There are a lot of school options too.

I live in Seattle, congrats on your transfer. Bellevue and mercer island are very expensive to live. Mercer island is just out of the city. I would try Magnolia( we call it Mayberry bcuz folks are so nice. Queen Anne(expensive but gorgeous and Ballard are great, easy going with most things at your disposal. Schools are good as well, 10-15 min bus ride.

I would not move to the east side (Bellevue) or Mercer Island if working DT. The 520 bridge is probably being replaced pretty soon and commuting will be even more of a nightmare than it already is.
Look for a place with a reasonable commute. Queen Anne and pretty much all the neighborhoods north of the ship canal are pretty nice. West Seattle is OK too and I have friends living in Belltown and on Capitol Hill who love it, but that would be too much IN the city for me.
If you are intending to stay for a while make sure you check the schools where you moving, again, north of the ship canal it's not much of a problem, but in West Seattle or closer to DT it can be so-so.
Good luck.

Don't live in Bellevue or mercer island if your husband is working in Seattle nasty commute... Lots of great areas.. Maple leaf, wedge wood, Ballard, even outside city limits.. Shoreline good schools and u get more rent or hose for your buck.. Shoreline is about 12 miles north of downtown or lake forest park.
L.

We moved to Bothell last year and love it. The schools in the Northshore District are fantastic and you can commute downtown via bus (several park n ride stops here). Good luck with your move and welcome to Seattle :-)

Bus is definitely easiest to that location, unless he has parking at work or in a garage! We are definitely bike friendly here too! I'd say yes to mercer island, Bellevue is okay but traffic will be worse. I grew up in west Seattle (stick to zip codes 98116, 98136, and 98146), live in Edmonds (98020, 98026). Madison park is super nice but not many apartments, also Ravenna, laurelhurst, Bryant, Wallingford, Madrona, Ballard, and Fremont (those are all areas of Seattle proper, surrounding downtown or just east, west, or north of downtown). Other than west Seattle I wouldn't go south of downtown.

Check on craigslist, you can get a house here for $1500/month in some places. Feel free to message me any other questions you have about places you find or anything else!

But yes the eastside schools are better (Bellevue, MI, lake Washington school districts, also northshore and parts of Edmonds school district). More info on schools at www.GreatSchools.net. Welcome to Washington soon, you'll love it here!

T.

I live in downtown bellevue and love it!! There are a ton of family friendly activities here, the transit station is here and takes about 25 mins to where your hubby works (directly). The mall, grocery stores, library are all within two three blocks. I would suggest looking at apts or condoa in bellevue with zipcode being 98004. Many many mamas here too!

I'll add more in a minute... but a KEY thing about where to live, is where your husband will be working. Commutes in Seattle/Bellevue can easily start running into 2 hours each direction depending on the neighborhood. Is his office downtown seattle, bellevue, redmond, elsewhere?