Seattle people, some questions for you...

[tom3]

Hi there,

I will be moving to the Seattle area in the next couple of weeks. I hope I can have some questions answered on the forum by the kind people from the area.

My job will be in Kent, WA, and either there, or Renton will be where I'll live for the first few months. How do the two neighboring towns compare? What other towns in the vicinity will you suggest me looking into for settling? Things most important to me are safety, convenience (close to stores), and cost of living..

Also, I am choosing a cell phone carrier, probably choosing between T-mobile, Cingular, Sprint and AT&T. Which one of these have the best coverage and reception in the area? (greater Seattle, particularly Kent and Renton).

What broadband providers are available? and which one would you recommend?

That's it for now. Thanks in advance for your input..

 

[BlackAdam]

SEAHAWKS SUCK! GO RAMS!

 

[mrrman]

Ive worked in both places before but do not live in the area. Renton has the Boeing plant so the town is fairly large plus there is a FRYS there lol. They are both nice places and I personally felt safe in either place. Near Kent there's a community called Redmond which is nice and the surrounding areas have major shopping. The best way is for you to drive around both locations to see what suits your needs.

 

[GonzoCircus]

I'll be in seattle for the first time Jan 12th. woot.

 

[UncleWai]

Both cities are huge and they are just really neighboring each other.
Renton really depends on where you stay, the area near north (Newcastle) is a really nice place to live in.
Kent if you go south, it's fairly white dominant I think. The area between Renton and Kent is the mix bag area. I really hate going to the Renton Walmart because the people there are all A-holes.
SouthCenter (the largest real mall in western washington) is in renton, it has everything: Bestbuy, CC, crapusa, guitarcenter, etc. Frys is in Renton too.
So if you afford to spend a little more, it's best to stay in the northern edge of Renton.

Traffic will suck on 405 during rush hour.

Phone carrier I can't comment much in those areas, but i have no problem with T-mobile in Bellevue Seattle.

Regarding broadband, Comcast chooses you.

 

[Orsorum]

I grew up in Kent, have friends and family in Renton and Redmond, and I currently live in Seattle attending the UW.

So, Kent. Not a bad area, depending on where you want to live. Parts of the East Hill area are a shithole, other parts are fairly nice. Kent's mostly blue collar workers, with pockets of upper-middle and upper-class types. If you want I can walk you through the Kent area back through Covington street by street.

If you're looking for convenience, Kent's East Hill is a good place to live, as are a number of areas along Benson (road that runs from East Hill through Renton's Petrovisky road).

Cell phones - I had AT&T for a while, no big complaints. Broadband - my mom has MSN DSL, I'm not really sure what else is offered. I'm not a huge fan of her DSL service, but it's better than dialup.

 

[Orsorum]

And UncleWai is right (UWer's REPRESENT!), Renton/Kent/Tukwila/Covington tend to blend together. My mom lives out in Covington and it's close enough I can get to Southcenter Mall in 20 minutes.

 

[tom3]

Thanks for all your responses! This is really helpful..

bump for more input..

 

[tom3]

bump again!

I think i'm going with T-mobile...

 

[AreaCode707]

Renton is going to be pricier than Kent by a little bit, from what I've seen. Kent is an agricultural valley, so if you're not the city type there are a few places outside the city limits that you can live and still be close to everything. The two towns are very close together though. I live in Des Moines, pretty close to both, and I like this area better. Closer to the water, some nice views.

I've had AT&T, Cingular, and T-Mobile since living up here. AT&T was so-so, Cingular SUCKED, and T-Mobile hasn't let me down yet. I work for T-Mo, so you think I'd be biased, but I'm not really. I'd go T-Mo or Verizon. T-Mobile's based out of Bellevue, so their service kinda has to be good in this area.

 

[shimsham]

Originally posted by: BlackAdam
SEAHAWKS SUCK! GO RAMS!

j-e-t-s jetsjetsjets!

put my aints in the playoffs, please. providing we wiin in carolina.

 

[RossMAN]

Get ready for rain, lots of it