Hi everyone! My husband and I are moving up from Texas soon, and we are very excited. However, we have been struggling to identify a neighborhood to live in, as he will be working in downtown Seattle and I will be working in Woodinville.
Currently, we are considering Kirkland vs Seattle. If commuting were not a factor, we would both prefer to live in Seattle proper, as we love the city/urban life and it would be closer to his work (I worry that he’ll face more traffic going towards downtown). However I’m wondering if the commute to Woodinville will be gnarly for me? Google Maps tells me that the commute from the north cap hill/Montlake areas are 25-30 minutes during rush hour, and wondering if this is realistic or if that’s an underestimate. We’d each be okay with up to a 30-40 minute driving commute but ideally no more than that.
Thank you guys so much!
Additional info about us:
-Our housing budget is up to $5,000 per month, and we are looking to rent not buy.
-We are in our early 30s, no kids, just 1 small dog.
We prefer a neighborhood where it would be easy to meet other people around our age. Our ideal Saturday night is dinner, drinks with friends (we don’t have many there and are nervous about feeling isolated), hanging out with our dog.
-If we are in Seattle itself proximity to a light rail would be great so that my husband can take that instead of driving to work. We are also totally ok with one of us taking the 520 bridge to commute even with the tolls.
-We would like to be near a grocery store, coffee shops, restaurants, parks or trails. Dog-friendly spaces, decent parking, and reasonable commutes are also important.