re: Seattle Autonomous Zone now has a warlord. It’s been 2 days.

I mean, most people commute. I know people who commute from Issaquah, which is a really eastern suburb of Seattle, all the way to downtown Tacoma. I commuted from Capitol Hill to Tacoma for work every day, and while the reverse commute was way better than going from south to north, I was still exhausted by the end of the week, as I-5 between Tacoma and Seattle is a time warp. Ultimately, where you live should be determined by where you work, and how far you are willing to go. I wasn't willing to commute any more, so I moved to South Sound, and got a large house close to the water, with my note the same price as my rent in Capitol Hill.

Just a couple of suggestions. If you work in Seattle proper, do not live too far south. If you have a job in downtown Seattle, for example, I wouldn't move farther than a place like Kent or Renton, if you don't want to live downtown. North of Seattle has somewhat better road infrastructure than the southern portion, which makes things like Lynnwood or Bothell options too, among many other places. If you live in Seattle, West Seattle is a great option, but there is only one way to downtown Seattle. If you are getting into Seattle itself, don't be afraid of the areas south of I-90, including Columbia City and Rainier Valley. Those areas were quickly gentrifying when I was there, and though crime might be worse than other areas, I never felt unsafe in any of those areas. Likewise, there are a ton of areas on the Eastside that are among the best suburbs in America, in my view. You can even live on any of the islands west of Seattle, as the ferry system is good, with ferries from Bremerton and Bainbridge going straight to downtown, and ferries from Vashon to West Seattle.

It's also just as easy to live in or around Tacoma and get a lot of the same benefits, but Tacoma has less public transportation in comparison to Seattle. Tacoma is relatively cheaper, though that's quickly changing. When I bought my house, I was able to take advantage of some peculiar issues, and get it at under 300k, which is an absolute steal for this area. The same houses in Tacoma that were going for around 330k in 2016 are now near 500k.

There are some great areas of Tacoma too. North End, Ruston, and University Place are really nice, and areas like Hilltop are getting nicer.