Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums Branches Northwest Help....Moving from Portland to Tacoma

Well, Intel is moving my job form Hillsboro, OR up to DuPont, WA. So, obviously, I'm moving as well.
Looking for input on some good areas & apartments that anyone can recommend.
Also, any recomendation on bars, clubs, etc!
Thanks

There's LOTS of housing and health clubs at Fort Lewis. (j/k)

Sleeper, I didn't know you worked for Intel in Hillsboro. I've got a bunch of buddies at the Ronler facility, at least they're staying put.

Intel has a facility in DuPont? The only employer I knew of there was State Farm Insurance. DuPont is also close to Olympia, in case no one has good info on you about Tacoma. How soon is this move likely effective?

I've worked contract on/off for Intel for about 6 years.
I've worked at Jones Farm, Ronler Acres, Amber Glenn, Cornell Oaks (twice), and Hawthorn Farms (twice).
I am currently at Hawthorn Farms.
I will be moving either the week before or after (I hope after) Christmas.
The DuPont campus is about 7-8 years old, and is still only about half full.
Its basicly across the street from a part of Fort Lewis. I think its a firing range.

I live in Tacoma and work in Lacey (just north of Olympia and just south of DuPont) as far as Olympia goes the west side is nice SAFE and by the mall. Lacey is a good area to live but you will pay a lot for not very much. DuPont has lots of nice housing but it will cost you, avg. 1bdr is like $900+ a month but you get what you pay for. Lakewood for the most part is no good, not to say you can�t find something nice there, but it has a higher crime rate then the towns around it. Tacoma is your best bet. Its only 15-30 mins from Dupont. Has stuff to do movies, mall, and miner league baseball. In Tacoma stay away from downtown and most anything east of I-5. North Tacoma Is the safest part by far. The small town of Ruston (its not a suburb but its like one) or near it is the best place to live (and of course its where I live ) Parkland Is not to bad if you live by the collage; the rest of it is just as bad as Lakewood. Spanaway/Graham are a little bit Father away 25-45 mins from DuPont and are both Suburbia HELL. Graham is cow country. Spanaway dose have Bad traffic at rush hour and the north side of Spanaway is not all that safe but not to bad. Spanaway dose have the Wal*Mart. Witch led's me to my last town. Puyallup Safe, clean, mall, Wal*Mart, movies, and home to the second biggest fair this side of the Mississippi (look it up) but there is alot of traffic back up in this town, like 24hrs a day. The only part that really has any Apt.s is in South Hill. I would look on apartments.com or forrent.com for a place. If you have any Q's fell free to ask me.

Tyson

A couple of places I was looking at (on forrent.com) were;

On The Green At North Shore
4901 Fairwood Boulevard Northeast
Tacoma, WA 98422

Westminster Towers
10925 Park Ave South
Tacoma, 98444

Stone Pointe at University Place
3806 78th Avenue Court West
University Place, WA 98466

WestMall Terrace
4720 South Pine Street
Tacoma, WA 98409

Bella Sanoma Apartment Homes
2301 62nd Avenue East
Fife, WA 98424

Montair at Somerset Hill
1704 Barnes Blvd. SW
Tumwater, WA 98512

Thoughts or Recommandations?
I'll be driving up this Saturday to look at some places.

I'm looking for a 1 bed, 1 bath less than $800 a months, more than 650 sq ft.

hey, i only know places in everett, so i'm not that helpful, but heres what i used that helped me out alot.

www.rent.com

maybe you can find what your looking for right there.. hope it helps

Aaron

On The Green At North Shore

This is a nice place. As you can tell by the name its on a golf course, it has security on site at night (or it used to) and is in real good area. To get to the complex (the fastest way) you will go thru Federal Way.

Westminster Towers

I don�t know of this one, sorry.

Stone Pointe at University Place

I think I know this one, but only by driving by. I forgot to tell you about University Place. This is a REAL good town. VERY safe, good schools (not that you care) almost no crime. But if you speed, even just 1-2 mph over you will get a ticket here. Close to freeway and almost everything else in Tacoma.

West Mall Terrace

STAY AWAY FROM THIS ONE! Believe it or not I used to live here. The management is the worst part. You will most likely not get a parking spot at night. It is gated but there are like 200 units so the gate is always opening (I lived right over the gate). And the worst part (and the reason why I left) was the guy who lived on the bottom level of my building and his wife were at the gas station right across the street and some 16 yr old kid decided he wanted there money. The guy told him no and started to dive away so the kid shoot and killed him. Luckily the wife got away but not before being shoot at. I was just getting ready for work when it happened and heard the shoots and the women screaming, went out on my porch and could only see the guy laying in the street. The next month I was out.

If you do have to live here make sure you get one of the newest Apt.s (That�s what I had and it was real nice. Very livable. Plus there only like 3-4 yrs old.) The rest of them are like 15-25 yrs old and need a remodel real bad. I think that was in the works when I left.

Bella Sanoma Apartment Homes

Fife is just a little north east of Tacoma. I don�t know anything about apartments in Fife. The city its self is mostly industrial and as far as I know it�s a safe place.

Montair at Somerset Hill

Tumwater Is just as far from DuPont as Tacoma is but there�s nothing to do there. It�s an ok place if you have a wife and 2.5 kids. I did look at two Apt.s in Tumwater and they were nice.

Hope this helps you ot just a little.

Tyson

Hey thanks for the helpful responses tjbugs1.

Looks like I'll be living in corporate housing for a month, so I'll have some time to look around and check out more places.

Well thats good that you have some time to look, and anytime man.

Tyson