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Moving to Seattle

Moving to Seattle

Old May 21st 2014, 6:30 pm
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Hi,

In June I will move to Seattle. I will be there on business reasons, and will be around the Tukwila region. I plan to travel by public transport. Where would be best to live in terms of transport?

Anywhere should I avoid?

Thanks!
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Old May 21st 2014, 7:37 pm
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Default Re: Moving to Seattle

It really depends where you are travelling to when you leave home. Bus routes in the US are generally far apart and the buses likely less frequent than you're used to. If you insist on using public transport, look where the buses that pass your destination come from, then look for housing close by. Google is your friend, tip: Google <tukwila wa bus service>.

Last edited by Pulaski; May 21st 2014 at 8:11 pm.
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Old May 21st 2014, 8:05 pm
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Default Re: Moving to Seattle

Er, I'd avoid Tukwila! At least don't go near the mall after dark.
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Old May 22nd 2014, 4:38 am
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Default Re: Moving to Seattle

Originally Posted by Anian
Er, I'd avoid Tukwila! At least don't go near the mall after dark.


That and Felony (Federal) Way, Tacoma, Lakewood, SeaTac....

I'm sure there are more.
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Old May 22nd 2014, 8:33 am
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Default Re: Moving to Seattle

At a general level you need to understand that public transport in the US is nothing at all like public transit in the UK. It is not designed as a replacement to a car, rather, it is either a spoke-hub commuter network for larger cities or a minimal, bare-bones service for those who cannot afford a car (or can't drive due to legal reasons like a DUI). Services are minimal and sparse, and timing is infrequent enough to double your total commute time with time in transit matched by time waiting for transit. The population density of the US is much much lower than the UK and car ownership is much much higher such that it's difficult to lay out routes in the US that are cost effective and popular, unless you are living in a dense urban core (i.e. NY, Boston, etc). The population density of Seattle is 1/4 that of some of the inner boroughs of London for example and Tukwila is only 804/km2 (which is about the same as Milton Keynes).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of...lation_density

That said, I haven't much of an idea of the actual services in Tukwila. If you take a look at Google maps they should have a transit option that will show you the light rail and bus routes, which might help a bit in your housing decisions.

Last edited by penguinsix; May 22nd 2014 at 8:37 am.
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Old May 22nd 2014, 2:06 pm
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Default Re: Moving to Seattle

There are some good (well for the US) public transport around here though. For example my husband takes the train into Seattle to his office (the train does stop in quite a few different locations) He has never tried the bus because it would take him twice the time for his journey and not worth it.

There are ride share schemes available, but I don't know how well they work. I would suppose research is your best friend right now. You might try your place of employment. Asking someone from work can perhaps point you in the right direction.

http://metro.kingcounty.gov/tops/van-car/van-car.html
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Old May 22nd 2014, 4:56 pm
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Default Re: Moving to Seattle

When I lived in Seattle and worked in the city centre we had such trouble parking we ended up giving up using our car and just relied on walking/public transport/scooter. That was living in Capitol Hill though which is very central.

No idea about Tukwila though.
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Old May 22nd 2014, 6:10 pm
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Default Re: Moving to Seattle

I forgot to say, I-405 tends to get backed up at commute times the nearer you get to Bellevue, so don't live too far away if you don't like sitting in traffic. I recall that Tukwila and nearby has a lot of apartment complexes on horrendously steep hills so make sure you have an automatic car or are very good at hillstarts in a manual.
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