{"data":[{"author":"MegaRAID01","author_flair_css_class":"flair","author_flair_text":"Hillman City","body":"My wife and I bought a house just north of there in February. I know the exact area you are talking about.\n\nThe area is very middle class. Incredibly diverse compared to the rest of Seattle, but mostly just families being raised.  Very quiet at night.\n\nI feel 10x more safe here than I did on Capitol Hill.  Neighbors around here are friendly.  Tons of parents walking strollers and people walking their dogs at night.  Haven't heard a gun shot or heard/read about any muggings so far. I haven't seen any gangs.  The area has a large Vietnamese and Filipino population, so you can sometimes run into language barriers, but everyone is friendly. \n\nRainier Valley is kind of tricky because you will see houses being kept up nicely, across the street from a house that isn't being kept up.  But more and more houses in the specific area you talk about are being fixed up and put on the market.  You kind of have to look at it on a street by street basis.  In that area of Rainier Valley, you can travel 10 blocks east and reach multi-million dollar houses, which are less than a mile from some run down places.  \n\nI'd definitely recommend driving around all the blocks around the house you are looking to put an offer on.  Then park and walk the neighborhood for yourself.\n\nPeople have this idea that the Rainier Valley is all one big dangerous section of town, but you really have to focus on a neighborhood level.  Like I said earlier, The Rainier Valley can feel very different almost on a block-by-block basis.  \n\nOne more pro-tip is to check online if the house and block you would be in is zoned for single-family or other use.  That could change the feel of the neighborhood quickly if you see a 6 story apartment building going up next to you.  ","controversiality":0,"created_utc":1469725385,"distinguished":null,"edited":1469725799,"gilded":0,"id":"d5unwos","link_id":"t3_4uxz18","parent_id":"t3_4uxz18","retrieved_on":1471754552,"score":3,"stickied":false,"subreddit":"Seattle","subreddit_id":"t5_2qhad","ups":3,"name":"t1_d5unwos","permalink":"/r/Seattle/comments/t3_4uxz18/d5unwos"}]}