Olympia questions

[Nosy]

Olympia meets our criteria for "dream spot" in many ways. I'd like to also see if it fits the "can we afford a house there" criteria, but I'm having trouble locating desirable neighborhood names so I can scope out house prices. Our perfect neighborhood would be not too urban, yet walking distance to a library & health food store, not busy streets, sidewalks, trees, access to water. I know that's a lot to ask, but what would neighborhoods meeting some of those things be?

Another question is what kind of secular homeschooling community is there? Where we are now, there is not much of one, so this is an important consideration.

Finally, our second choice is Corvallis, OR. Can anyone compare Olympia to Corvallis (where we've actually been)?

Thanks!

[boysrus]

I only have a second here, but there are a few neighborhoods like that.
My nieghborhood, up by Roosevelt Elementary, is a sweet neighborhood. I don't know how you define "Not too urban" It is all houses and the only businesses are a couple of corner markets and an awesome bakery with a beautiful garden to sit in while yuo eat. We are a mile from Budd Inlet and the farmers market, a little over a mile from the library and downtown. Health food store is abuot 1.5 miles, and Ralph's is a mile, which has a lot of organics. As long as you don't live on Puget, Bethel, or Central, the strets are really quiet. I just sw a 10 year old boy walking his big dog down my street, and that has been the only activity in a few minutes. lol. Cetnral isn't busy, but the bus goes down it.
We have lots of trees and sidewalks adn our neighborhood is actually looking into doing a volunteer run sidewalk building project that I am really excited about. The only downside is that Olympia is built on hills and so in order to get into town, you climb down a hill and then back up it to home.
The neighborhood by the Capitol is simply gorgeous also, tons of trees and sidewalks, and a flat walk to the library and downtown. But it isn't walking distance to the co-op and houses are really pricey.
I gotta go now. I will try to add more later, because there are a couple of other neighborhoods.
There is a thriving secular homeschooling community here, I will tell you more about it later