Best areas to live in Washington

Climberchef-RN · Oct 6, 2013

I am also planning relocation to that area next summer from Texas. I'm in the process of submitting app for Endorsement through the WA DOH. I have been researching the different municipalities there for rental costs, demographics, crime etc. Also been looking at the job market there for a year or so. Olympia, Lacey, Puyallup and many parts of Tacoma all seem to be reasonably decent. I have spoken to a couple of RN's currently working in the area as extended travelers and I also work with a nurse from that WA who confirms this info (her personal opinion). The real catch is where I/You would be able to get a job. this will weigh heavily on where to look for housing in order to stay within means and limit commute. A lot of research is needed in lieu of boots-on-the-ground info. That is my main reason for joining this community.

neurogirl77 · Oct 6, 2013

Thanks for the reply! Do you feel concerned about finding a job? I see that the nursing market isn't great but I am hoping to find something with my experience. Seattle would be lovely but I could not afford that high cost of living. I'm looking heavily at Tacoma. I have a friend that lives and works there and she has told me that I should have no problem finding a job at her hospital. I just have heard that there are some bad areas in Tacoma and I wanna make sure that I don't select that area to live in. I thought about doing travel nursing there first to check out the area but I am not sure that I would like that. I imagine it would be lonely. What area do you work in?

Climberchef-RN · Oct 7, 2013

The job search is going to be the kicker for us. Patience/Persistence is going to be the key. I am currently working in Texas. And yes I am concerned about getting a job there. I hope to have my endorsement done by Jan-Feb and find I have been checking the job posting for the different healthcare systems there i.e. Providence & Multicare for more than a year now. they always have postings but not tons of them. I do ER but I have also done CCU so I have some flexibility. There are some sketchy places in Tacoma and other places. Just start doing your research now so that when you get interviews you know where to concentrate your housing search. Living in Olympia and working in Tacoma General or Puyallup's Good Sam is a commute of approx. 45mins (lots of variables with this estimate) so there are a lot of options for housing regardless of where your job is +/-. I've been looking at Craigslist to get a feel for the housing cost issue. I checked apts, houses, duplexes, trailers for rent. A lot of them have pics and maps so you can eyeball the area. An apt is probably the way to go initially. Then I Google the municipality and checkout what "city-data" has to say about the stats here's an example: Olympia, Washington (WA) profile: population, maps, real estate, averages, homes, statistics, relocation, travel, jobs, hospitals, schools, crime, moving, houses, news.

neurogirl77 · Oct 7, 2013

Thanks! Im planning on doing lots of research. I have 5 years of acute care neuro experience. Planning on getting my CNRN as well as ACLS to increase my chances of finding a job. I need to start my endorsement soon.

Elizabeth Renee · Oct 7, 2013

There are many nasty places in Tacoma and Lakewood, and is quite the drive from Seattle if you end up getting a job there. I live in Federal Way (again, not the best of places) but it is not far away from Seattle (as long as traffic isn't an issue).

Traffic will be your enemy here. Everyone is either trying to go to Seattle to work or is commuting home from Seattle at the end of the day. And in the areas you're looking in, you'll be facing the daily torture of traffic from the base (Ft. Lewis). It's a large base - lots of people going on/off!

Before Federal Way, hubby and I lived in Lacey and LOVED it. The area is great, good neighborhoods, schools, etc. Nice quality of living. Dupont is great also (Lacey, Olympia and Dupont are all kinda clustered together). We had to relocate though to be closer to Seattle when he got a civillian job out of the Army. He didn't want to be making a 1-2 hour commute to Seattle each morning, then again at night!