I just got orders to the Midgett and was hoping that someone on here might be able to share a little info on the area. Me and my fiancee' are thinking about trying to find a house in Tacoma. Not sure if this is a good idea or not. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.
Most of the areas are nice, it all depends on how much of a comute you want. Tacoma, your looking at a nice drive time unless you want to take a early bus or train. Shoot me a email in the global I will give you more info/any questions.
If you want a second opinion, I would stay away from Tacoma. It has it's bad parts, however, a lot of cities do. The commute is a huge pain and they just built a new toll bridge. Tacoma also has a nickname of "aroma of Tacoma" due to it's not so plesent smell. Seattle is a great place to live with lots of affordable housing. If you plan on buying a home, unlike the rest of the country, Seattle still has a bit of a seller's market so you shouldn't get stuck trying to sell your home for a long time when it's time to move.
Thanks for any info. I appreciate it lots. Thats disconcerning to hear Tacoma is a smelly town. We're trying to be closer to the mountain range is the only reason we wanted to look out there first. Any other towns close to the mountains?
In that case you have a ton of options. Issaquah, good comute using I90. Sammamish, Maple Valley, Monroe (North). Basicly it depends what your budget is and how far your willing to drive. Also rent vs buy. The further you get away from seattle the more sq footage you will get for the dollar. Now here is the bad news, base parking is terrible. So, you either have to come in really early (5:15-5:45) to grab a spot, or use mass trasit. So pick a place near a park and ride. You might be able to get in a ride share, a couple of us at NESU do it. I come in early, I cant seem to get away from having my truck.
Your'e a single, E-5 going to an HEC...best check first about what's the policy about single, E-5s living off the boat on the economy. Maybe you can recieve housing allowance, more likely not.
Is your fiancee planning on working, going to school, both, neither, what? Working 'live-ins' gives you greater choices on where and how you can live. But check the housing allowance situation, first.
Originally posted by Badge3157: Your'e a single, E-5 going to an HEC...best check first about what's the policy about single, E-5s living off the boat on the economy. Maybe you can recieve housing allowance, more likely not.
Yes you will recieve BAH as a single E-5 assigned to a WHEC. I was a single E-5 assigned to Mellon 01-04 and I got BAH. BAH for a single E-5 in Seattle is $1047.00 per month. E-5 with dependants is $1339.00. They even let single E-4s live on the economy for several years now.
I lived in Federal Way when I first got there. It was about 1 minute from the freeway, and a 25 mile drive. I always hit traffic both ways! About a year later, I moved to a nice apartment complex up in Mill Creek (close to Everett) and it was also about 25 miles to work. I lived in the same complex as my MK1, and we both shared the same duty days. So we did the car pool thing. He drove one day, I drove the next. We were able to get into the HOV(carpool) lanes and get to the pier 36 in half the time it would have taken if you didnt take the HOV lanes. You can take that HOV lane headed south in the morning, and after noon, it changes to go north. So we were able to bypass most of the traffic jams. We did live less then a mile from a park and ride, but we didnt bother with that since it would have taken longer to get to work and home. And, parking was easier back then, before they didnt have the huge building right in the middle of where the parking lot is. I never had a problem finding a place to live when stationed in Seattle. There are tons of places to look, I just prefered to live outside the city. Good luck with the transfer!
I'm selling my home in Puyallup, it's about 44 miles to the boat and 40 miles to Mt. Rainier. Let me know if you would like more information. bflawau@yahoo.com
This message has been edited. Last edited by: BFlawau,
I'm really not looking to buy right now. I'm trying to get out of my house down here in Florida. But if you're having trouble selling and you would like to rent it out, I'll be there for 3 years.
I am currently stationed on the Midgett and would be glad to help a shipmate out in any way possible. Since the ship is not in port and it will probably be a bit challenging for your sponsor to get the info you might be looking for. As for me I have lived for the last couple years on the south end of Seattle and find it to be a fairly easy commute to base. It seems that the further south you get the cheaper the rental rates are. Like mentioned before though you have to get there early to get parking on base. I have lived all the way out in Puyallup and as far north as Kent. It's a long drive if you do live down by Tacoma or Puyallup but would suggest Sound Transit's Metro Rail. That's what I use right now and feel it is fairly convenient. Well I could probably ramble on and on but wont anymore. Just get ahold of me here or on global. Wait till next week for global though because I am at school and wont be back to work till next week. Welcome Aboard Shipmate.
Issaquah, good comute using I90. Sammamish, Maple Valley, Monroe (North).
Issaquah and Sammamish are two of the nices areas to live, but housing is quite pricey. Another option may be to live in Port Orchard, Bremerton, or Silverdale. There is a large Navy base in Bremerton and a very nice submarine base (Bangor) in Silverdale (one of the best military bases I've seen), so you could take advantage of the military hospital, commissaries, NEX's, MWR events, etc. You could also bypass all the traffic. The catch? You would have to take a ferry into work every day, which could add up. However, it may be comparable to gas prices driving. Anyway, something to consider (www.wsdot.wa.gov/ferries/).
I'm currently on the Mellon, here in Seattle. I live in Monroe and prefer being away from the traffic/crime issue. I'm leaving this summer from my 4 bed/2.5 bath/2 car garage/fenced yard for $1350/mo. Stick to the HOV lanes whenever possible. Even if riding your scooter, you're good to go. I'd suggest staying away from Seattle proper, east (on US90), and the Bellevue area due to the cost of housing. Also, though the Peninsula is cheaper and more laid back/relaxed, you'll have to contend with the ferry system. It's pretty "reliable", if they don't find problems with the ferries, but you'll have to ride it for at least an hour before you even get to Seattle. Then a 15-20 minute walk to the base. As mentioned before, parking on this facility SUCKS! You'd figure they'd rectify that, but no joy. Ride your motorcycle, bicycle, or the bus (free transit passes for the buses, train, and pedestrian ferry) but refuse to park off-base. MANY people, whether the base chooses to acknowledge it or not, get their cars broken into if they park off-base. Good luck. Email me if you have further questions.
