You could actually find out a lot of this through the labor contracts, start with SEIU1199nw, and WSNA, those are the two big ones that cover most of the hospitals: Chapters | SEIU Healthcare 1199NW Union - Washington State Nurses Association As for a place to live, I'd steer clear of southern suburbs and parts of peirce county. You can use Neighborhoodscout to get an idea about crime rate and public school quality: Washington Real Estate Information - NeighborhoodScout I personally grew up around Kitsap County- Bremerton and Port Orchard. If you work in Tacoma, it's a 30 minute commute, or you can take the Fauntleroy ferry to south Seattle- ~40-45 minutes to cross. In Northern Kitsap county, you can use the Edmonds ferry to cross to northern Seattle, about the same commute time. I could also recommend living on the east side, though it's a bit more expensive. Issaquah, Bellevue, Kirkland, and all the areas surrounding it to the north. 30 minute commute time in average traffic times to Seattle, probably a good hour to commute to Tacoma though. Just my two cents. I don't know a whole lot about this area, Someone that's from the eastern side could probably tell you more.