u/BlueberryClear3293

My family and I are from Japan and are considering moving to either Bellevue or Issaquah with our young child, and I’d really appreciate hearing from people who currently live there (or have within the last couple of years).
From a day-to-day perspective, how safe and stable do you honestly feel living there?

The specific areas we’re considering are:
Bellevue: near Downtown Park.
Issaquah: Gilman area

I’m especially interested in things like:

Whether you feel comfortable walking with young children during the day or evening.
Whether homelessness, drug use, theft, or crime have affected your daily life in any meaningful way.
Whether you’ve changed your routines because of safety concerns.
Whether you feel the area has improved, stayed about the same, or gotten worse over the past few years.

I’m looking for honest firsthand experiences—positive or negative—not trying to confirm any particular opinion. Thank you!

*edited to add specific areas we’re interested in