There may still be one part of King County that has affordable housing, but apparently only to the detriment of pretty much every other quality of living measurement:
South King County residents have more problems with obesity, feel less safe from neighborhood crime, and are more likely not to have health insurance than those who live elsewhere in King County, according to a report issued today.
The Seattle Foundation’s report, "A Healthy Community," says South King County lags some or all of the county on nine quality-of-life indicators, while scoring best in one area: affordable housing.
…
"We have been the poorest part of the county for years," said Duclos, chief executive officer for a nonprofit agency that provides temporary and permanent low-income housing.Families with low incomes are drawn to South King County for affordable housing, said Kathryn Horsley, of Public Health – Seattle & King County.
"They may be able to afford to live there but they can’t afford health insurance," Horsley said.
…
But the cost of housing in South King County has now increased to the point that some are moving to Pierce County, Duclos said. That means driving farther to jobs and spending more on gas.What people need are better-paying jobs and help saving money, Duclos said.
"When you don’t have money to spend, it’s real hard to learn how to save," Duclos said.
Unless wages start to see some serious increases, if the cost of homes keeps going up for much longer, and rents really do increase the way that some people seem to want, it’s only a matter of time before the Seattle area population stagnates and begins to shrink. I mean, if people can’t afford to live, they’ll leave, right? What other choice is there?
(Steve Maynard, Tacoma News Tribune, 06.27.2006)