What's the best way to learn about Seattle neighborhoods?
July 27, 2010 10:18 AM Subscribe
What's the best way to learn about Seattle neighborhoods for someone moving there?
My dad's moving to Seattle next month. He'll be working on 6th Avenue near Union Square, and he's looking for an apartment that's nearby (<2 miles walking or <30 minutes by public trans), close to good groceries and public trans, and cheap (<$900). Looking at past questions people are pretty unanimous that Craigslist is the best way to look for apartments, but he's not very familiar with the City. Are there any particular neighborhoods he should focus on? Do you have a favorite resource for learning about neighborhoods in Seattle? Thanks!
My dad's moving to Seattle next month. He'll be working on 6th Avenue near Union Square, and he's looking for an apartment that's nearby (<2 miles walking or <30 minutes by public trans), close to good groceries and public trans, and cheap (<$900). Looking at past questions people are pretty unanimous that Craigslist is the best way to look for apartments, but he's not very familiar with the City. Are there any particular neighborhoods he should focus on? Do you have a favorite resource for learning about neighborhoods in Seattle? Thanks!
Reading old AskMe threads was a big way I learned about Seattle neighborhoods before I moved here. City-data is also useful for this, although it tends to be full of people who think every urban neighborhood is a crack-infested ghetto, so take safety warnings with a healthy grain of salt.
Off the top of my head, I'd say the best neighborhoods within a 2-mile radius for your dad to look at would be First Hill, Belltown, Lower Queen Anne and Capitol Hill. Under $900 is stretching it in any of these neighborhoods unless he's willing to get a studio.
The 30-minute transit commute radius is easier to accommodate. Fremont, Wallingford and Ballard might be good options, although the latter is pretty expensive these days. And then there are all the neighborhoods on the light rail to the south of downtown, but I don't know those as well.
One final thing to be aware of is that, unless your dad likes hills and is in great shape, judging walking distance just by mileage (ie, as the crow flies) is not so useful in Seattle because of the hills. A one-mile walk that would take 15 minutes on flat terrain can take more like 45 minutes with a few Seattle hills thrown in.
posted by lunasol at 10:28 AM on July 27, 2010
Off the top of my head, I'd say the best neighborhoods within a 2-mile radius for your dad to look at would be First Hill, Belltown, Lower Queen Anne and Capitol Hill. Under $900 is stretching it in any of these neighborhoods unless he's willing to get a studio.
The 30-minute transit commute radius is easier to accommodate. Fremont, Wallingford and Ballard might be good options, although the latter is pretty expensive these days. And then there are all the neighborhoods on the light rail to the south of downtown, but I don't know those as well.
One final thing to be aware of is that, unless your dad likes hills and is in great shape, judging walking distance just by mileage (ie, as the crow flies) is not so useful in Seattle because of the hills. A one-mile walk that would take 15 minutes on flat terrain can take more like 45 minutes with a few Seattle hills thrown in.
posted by lunasol at 10:28 AM on July 27, 2010
That's a couple of blocks from Westlake Center, which is a transit hub, and also right next to Pike and Pine which have frequent buses up to Capitol Hill. The 30-minute transit should be easy as long as he doesn't have to transfer, so look for any place near a direct line to downtown.
For groceries I highly recommend walking distance to Trader Joe's.
posted by qxntpqbbbqxl at 10:43 AM on July 27, 2010
For groceries I highly recommend walking distance to Trader Joe's.
posted by qxntpqbbbqxl at 10:43 AM on July 27, 2010
Looking at the bus system is going to be key here. There are some lines that run north-south and your dad could easily live in North Seattle neighborhoods and still be a non-transfer 15-30 minute bus ride from downtown (thinking routes 5, 16, and 358) yet pay cheaper rent for a bigger place than living in Belltown, downtown, or in the heart of Capitol Hill.
posted by proj at 11:00 AM on July 27, 2010
posted by proj at 11:00 AM on July 27, 2010
If you aren't counting the walk to/from the stop, and the time one might spend waiting for a bus, 30 minutes by public transit to downtown covers a lot of area, including parts of the east side.
Close to good groceries can mean a lot of things. If you live downtown (not sure that's possible for $900/month), you have some great options at Pike Place market, and, I guess, Whole Foods, but a decent supermarket with decent prices and decent stock is probably a long walk or bus ride to Lower Queen Anne, Capitol Hill, or, perhaps, Uwajamaya in the International District. There is a small IGA supermarket in the middle of downtown which isn't bad, but it is tiny.
If I were him, I'd seriously consider springing for a few months at an apartment or hotel targeting long-stay business travelers so I could have some time to explore before signing a lease.
posted by Good Brain at 11:35 AM on July 27, 2010
Close to good groceries can mean a lot of things. If you live downtown (not sure that's possible for $900/month), you have some great options at Pike Place market, and, I guess, Whole Foods, but a decent supermarket with decent prices and decent stock is probably a long walk or bus ride to Lower Queen Anne, Capitol Hill, or, perhaps, Uwajamaya in the International District. There is a small IGA supermarket in the middle of downtown which isn't bad, but it is tiny.
If I were him, I'd seriously consider springing for a few months at an apartment or hotel targeting long-stay business travelers so I could have some time to explore before signing a lease.
posted by Good Brain at 11:35 AM on July 27, 2010
FYI here is the King County Metro site (re bus), and here is the Sound Transit website re trains and light rail.
Capitol Hill is your best bet of the close neighborhoods for grocery stores. I personally wouldn't shop at Trader Joe's or Whole Foods unless every other food vendor burned down, but among the excellent grocery store options in Seattle are PCC, which has a Fremont store, and QFC . There are Albertsons and Fred Meyers and Safeways too. In addition, Seattle has a pretty lively farmer's market scene.
Take a look at transit times and locations of grocery stores/markets and that will probably help.
posted by bearwife at 12:05 PM on July 27, 2010
Capitol Hill is your best bet of the close neighborhoods for grocery stores. I personally wouldn't shop at Trader Joe's or Whole Foods unless every other food vendor burned down, but among the excellent grocery store options in Seattle are PCC, which has a Fremont store, and QFC . There are Albertsons and Fred Meyers and Safeways too. In addition, Seattle has a pretty lively farmer's market scene.
Take a look at transit times and locations of grocery stores/markets and that will probably help.
posted by bearwife at 12:05 PM on July 27, 2010
For under $900 and <3>
Seattle is pretty good for groceries, even in most of the lousy neighborhoods. Walking distance can be trickier.
posted by zvs at 12:54 PM on July 27, 2010
Seattle is pretty good for groceries, even in most of the lousy neighborhoods. Walking distance can be trickier.
posted by zvs at 12:54 PM on July 27, 2010
Oops, should preview when I use 'less than' signs. I recommend Beacon Hill at that price, or maybe Columbia City, where the light rail commute is easy and direct. Otherwise, Lake City or non-central parts of Ballard are reasonable in that price range. Capital Hill is hit-or-miss, but doable for less than $900 with some work. After that it's somewhat dicey neighborhoods (I pay $950/mo for a decent apartment in the Central District, which is a little too much).
posted by zvs at 12:56 PM on July 27, 2010
posted by zvs at 12:56 PM on July 27, 2010
I recommend First Hill-- very close walk to 6th and Union, reasonably inexpensive. Much quieter than other urban areas (Cap Hill / Belltown).
I'd have to disagree with others saying you could commute from places like Ballard in 30 minutes-- even on a good traffic day if you lived across the street from the bus stop that would be a challenge.
If First Hill not an option (or too pricey) then try farther sides of Cap Hill (around 23rd is pretty inexpensive and there are buses downtown), or else something near one of the light rail stops further south (e.g. Columbia City). If he is looking for less urban but still close then Columbia City might be a nice option (as is Beacon Hill, which is closer but a little dodgier in my opinion).
I've never lived in any of these neighborhoods personally (I live over by Pike Place), so take everything with a grain of salt, but those are my thoughts.
posted by stilly at 1:25 PM on July 27, 2010
I'd have to disagree with others saying you could commute from places like Ballard in 30 minutes-- even on a good traffic day if you lived across the street from the bus stop that would be a challenge.
If First Hill not an option (or too pricey) then try farther sides of Cap Hill (around 23rd is pretty inexpensive and there are buses downtown), or else something near one of the light rail stops further south (e.g. Columbia City). If he is looking for less urban but still close then Columbia City might be a nice option (as is Beacon Hill, which is closer but a little dodgier in my opinion).
I've never lived in any of these neighborhoods personally (I live over by Pike Place), so take everything with a grain of salt, but those are my thoughts.
posted by stilly at 1:25 PM on July 27, 2010
Note on buses: Google Maps gives public transportation directions in Seattle, so you can very easily input a potential address and the work address to see what the public transit options are between them. I find Google Maps a lot easier to work with than the metro website. FWIW, you can definitely get a (possibly smallish) one-bedroom in Wallingford or Fremont for under $900 that would be an easy ~30 minutes from downtown by public transport. The Wallingford/Fremont area feels a lot more neighborhood-y and less urban than Belltown or Capitol Hill, which I think is pleasant but maybe less exciting. It sure is cheaper, though.
posted by mandanza at 2:17 PM on July 27, 2010
posted by mandanza at 2:17 PM on July 27, 2010
Mandanza is right about using Google maps for Seattle buses . . . I also like it more than the Metro site, but it is good to know about the Metro site too.
Also, this was quite a while ago, but when I first worked in Seattle I rented a room in a Wallingford house. I got to know the neighborhood, which is a pleasant one, and meet some people (my roommates), and was a good base to find a more permanent spot. There are often people looking to share a house in the U District and Wallingford, and the commute from those locations to Union Square isn't bad. Grocery stores aren't quite as easy to find as, e.g., on Capitol Hill, but that wouldn't matter as much for a short stay.
posted by bearwife at 3:31 PM on July 27, 2010
Also, this was quite a while ago, but when I first worked in Seattle I rented a room in a Wallingford house. I got to know the neighborhood, which is a pleasant one, and meet some people (my roommates), and was a good base to find a more permanent spot. There are often people looking to share a house in the U District and Wallingford, and the commute from those locations to Union Square isn't bad. Grocery stores aren't quite as easy to find as, e.g., on Capitol Hill, but that wouldn't matter as much for a short stay.
posted by bearwife at 3:31 PM on July 27, 2010
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posted by bearwife at 10:26 AM on July 27, 2010