Slums made of ticky-tacky?

Parent Cafe
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<p>[The</a> Next Slum?](<a href=“http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200803/subprime]The”>The Next Slum? - The Atlantic)</p>

<p>I would have been happy if we had bought the house where I grew up in the burbs- my kids could have walked to their schools- I would have had a big yard to play with- although public transportation is even worse than in Seattle & I would have annoyed the neighbors by ripping out my sod.</p>

<p>But we stayed in Seattle- for lots of reasons & now years later- it is ironic that while we originally purchased our house in an area that was “affordable”- it seems to have been in retrospect a wise financial decision. ;)</p>

<p>Its a toss up, IMO. Seattle would be much improved if our public transportation was not buses than ran on the same streets as auto traffic.</p>

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<p>Other studies have shown a huge population boom on the horizon with the growth in immigration and their proclivity for larger families. Also not every older person is so fired up to live in the city in a small condo. Been there and done that. All I want is peace and quiet which my far out planned community has in abundance. No panhandlers, sirens, and oddballs walking our streets. On the rare occasions I need to go out on the town it’s there–but that need is very rare. And many services are following the people to the burbs. There are great restaurants all over the eastside now and more shopping than anyone needs in downtown Bellevue. But mostly I enjoy the quiet and the views of ther mountains. I can get my movies On Demand from Comcast–the greatest thing since sliced bread.</p>

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<p>I think the article has some good points though.
I have been noticing that crime has been increasing in suburbs at least crime that gets reported in papers & many families must be shocked to learn that crack houses and houses of prostitution are in their cul-de-sac.</p>

<p>Just the way that some developments are set up, everything is directed towards car use.Even the area where I grew up, had few sidewalks, big front yards that no one used & if your kids didn’t attend the same school, you would have a hard time getting to know your neighbors.</p>

<p>When we lived by Chism park on Lake Washington we did know our immediate neighbors, but that was because they were retired and home all the time & I was stuck in bed with my pregnancy and they jumped at the opportunity to help.- </p>

<p>But without sidewalks as in older areas of Eastside, it is harder to get to know people. My sister has lived in her house, longer than we have lived here & she has to drive to get everywhere & doesn’t know people around her.With dense landscaping you can’t necessarily see what is happening next door, hence the surprise when the Swat teams come in.</p>

<p>I don’t mind the sirens- that is just a sign that someone is getting help & having experienced the reverse, when aid cars/fire trucks aren’t sure of how to find your address- with all the courts/drives/places that have virtually identical house numbers- I appreciate having an area where you can tell where something is, by reading the address- without even looking on a map.</p>

<p>I would whole heartedly agree that piles of condos are not the answer to anything & I hope that we can sit on Mr Nickles before he boots out all affordable housing for families.</p>

<p>But there are a heck of a lot of condos in Bellevue- my mom lives in one on main street and the sky rocketing costs are out of proportion to what she gets for them. ( a new carpet for the hall and lobby every couple years? new siding on a less than 7 year old building? ad nauseam)</p>

<p>Id also agree that with the increase in immigrants to the eastside the dining out possibilities have dramatically increased.
I think there are even farmers markets on the eastside & I love what Ron Sher did with Crossroads- ( although it is mindboggling what Woodinville has turned into)</p>

<p>I have an former sister in law who lives in a planned development in Dupont- that while I think the homes are ridiculously sized ( you could house a developing country and still have room to host Thanksgiving dinner), I like how the homes are very different looking, and that shops and services are part of the whole package ( as well as a community park) It would be especially great if you telecommuted for much of your job ( although neither she or her husband do) & they have room for other things like a church and library to go in. It is like a self contained small town.</p>

<p>( it also has a better layout than some of the developments on Eastside, that have one road in with lots of dead ends & it is impossible to find your way out because the houses all look the same- next time I am bringing bread crumbs)</p>

<p>[Washingtonpost.com:</a> Crime in the Suburbs - Part One](<a href=“http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/local/longterm/library/crime/crime0405a.htm]Washingtonpost.com:”>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/local/longterm/library/crime/crime0405a.htm)</p>

<p>[Local</a> News | Big-time pot growers use Seattle-area homes | Seattle Times Newspaper](<a href=“http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2003775260_kingcountybud05m.html]Local”>http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2003775260_kingcountybud05m.html)</p>

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<p>I like my in between location. Older suburb, pretty dense. I’m with half a mile of a deli, an art gallery, restaurants, but I still have a garage and a yard. No panhandlers in my neighborhood, but there are occasional ones downtown (2 miles away). Sirens? The last time I noticed them was when I called 911 for a blowback in my furnace. The fire department arrived within minutes of my call. Luckily just a big bang and a lot of smoke but no fire.</p>

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<p>We’ve moved downtown, granted its in a small, unique, city, into a brand new condo with a wall of windows overlooking one of the downtown lakes. Couldn’t be happier. Bus is one block away and a 10 minute ride to work. My wife walks two blocks to work, and I can walk if necessary. We can, and do, walk to restaurants, theaters, and museums. The dog park is a block away. We have great access to major highways, and the airport is 15-20 minutes away. The train does run below our window but the city recently finished some rr crossing stuff and the Federal Railroad Administration has allowed the trains to stop blowing their whistles.</p>

<p>Things are pretty good. And over a million Democrats turned out for the primaries.</p>

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<p>Hey, I live next to a small development that could be a twin to the one in this article. 2-3 years ago about 50 new houses were built next to ours, they are about 1900sf and built at 6 per acre. They cost about $360,000 at the time, and there are a couple for sale signs up now at about $335,000 – but none are selling even at that price. I have seen several folks move out with no for sale signs going up – in other words the properties are rentals. When you go past the place it is basically just boxes and cars. It is hard to imagine people paying as much as they do every month for such a place. At least the inside of the box is new and nice for some people.</p>

<p>EK4 – I live about 30 miles away from you in Kent.</p>

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<p>Kent is the hip hop happening new place I hear. My H’s sister and her boyfriend just built a huge place in Kent ( not sure why huge- she is 48 and doesn’t have any kids- but whatever) ( the Kent womens rugby team also creamed my daughters team)</p>

<p>[I feel slighted Ballard didn’t even make top 10](<a href=“Seattle Metropolitan ranks the 2007 Best Places to Live | Seattle - Yelp”>http://www.yelp.com/topic/seattle-seattle-metropolitan-ranks-the-2007-best-places-to-live&lt;/a&gt;) ;)</p>

<p>And Kent made the cover of the Seattle weekly a month ago as the trendy new place!.</p>