What are the best towns to live in near the Seattle area?

My husband and I are looking at moving to the Seattle area within the next year or so. We both love Seattle but want to look at the surrounding cities to live in. There are so many great job opportunities in Seattle but we're not sure we want to live in the city.



What are the best towns to live in near Seattle? Which ones have the best housing accommodations? I'm impressed with Bremerton but it seems somewhat far away from the city. Ideally, we'd like to work in Seattle but live elsewhere. Are there any suggestions?What are the best towns to live in near the Seattle area?
You would have to take a ferry in to Seattle if you lived in Bremerton, but it is nice there! North Seattle, Shoreline, Edmonds or Lynnwood are all north of Seattle and far more affordable. East you have Bellevue, Kirkland, Redmond. They are more expensive and you have to deal with going over the floating bridges to get to Seattle. South you have West Seattle, Rainier, Takwilla, Southcenter or Burien. They are less expensive but more getto type, but have nice areas. But no matter where you live traffic SUCKS!!! I live in Lynnwood and work just south of downtown Seattle and in the morning @ 5am it takes me about 35 minutes to get to work but going home at 2pm can take over an hour!!! Living in the Seattle city limits is expensive but you can find some good deals. Ballard, Greenwood, Greenlake, Queen Anne, Fremont, Wallingford are all near downtown.

This area is very diverse and the water %26amp; mountains are incredible!!!! Welcome!