Issaquah is Seattle metro area's top commuter city, study finds

Issaquah is the best city for commuters in the Seattle metro area, according to a new study released this week.

The survey, by real estate site commercialcafe.com, ranked cities between five and 30 miles from Seattle by criteria considered important to commuters, including length of the average commute time to Seattle, housing values, crime rate and school quality.

Issaquah had the highest score of 81.3, ranking above average across all four criteria, the study found, with the second-shortest commute time of all cities in the top 10, a lower average home price than many other commuter cities and a highly ranked school system.

The other top 10 commuter cities in the Seattle area are:

2. Kirkland, with a score of 77.7, has above average scores in all criteria.

3. Lake Forest Park, with a score of 77.5, ranks above average across the board.

4. Redmond, with a score of 74.1, has a comparatively short commute and the second-highest ranked school system.

5. Shoreline, with a score of 73.2, has the longest commute among the top 10 cities but makes up for it due to its comparatively affordable housing and above average school system.

6. Kenmore, with a score of 71.3, has the second-lowest crime rate of all the top 10 cities.

7. Bellevue, with a score of 70.7, has one of the shortest commutes but ranks lower than other cities due to its higher housing prices.

8. Mountlake Terrace, with a score of 70.5, has the most affordable housing of any of the top 10 cities.

9. Edmonds, with a score of 70.2, boasts a good blend of all criteria important to commuters.

10. Mercer Island, with a score of 69.8, has the shortest commute of any top 10 city, along with the highest-ranked schools and lowest crime rate, but ranks lower due to its $1 million median home value - twice as high as Issaquah.

You can view the complete study here <>><>>