Are there "bad" parts of West Seattle? (Spokane: rental, house)

[angelenogirl]

I've found a gorgeous rental house, but the rental amount makes me wonder if it's not a great area (to be fair, I'm also suffering a bit of reverse sticker shock coming from SoCal).

The house is in what looks to be a questionable school boundary (Gatewood Elementary, rated a 5 out of 10 on Greatschools :-/), but anecdotal reviews of the school seem OK. I searched the forum but haven't found exactly what I'm looking for. Still, sorry if this thread is duplicative.

Anyone have some insight on the West Seattle area? I didn't spend much time there when I visited, but there were some cute parts. It reminded me of California a little bit, which I can tolerate as long as it rains all the time!

[rmkiefer07]

That will depend on what one considers "bad". I'm off of Delridge and many consider this area "the hood". I can see why it would be viewed that way. Delridge itself has a sketchy feel to the uninitiated but go a couple blocks either way and it can be a different world.

Generally, areas east of California and south of Spokane Street tend to have a more working class feel. Go north or west and it's seems more affluent.

I'm not that familiar with the area around Gatewood elementary but my general sense is it's a nicer area. Overall, West Seattle, even the sketchy parts, is not nearly as scary as some would have you believe. However, it's really one's comfort level that needs to be considered.

[Hemlock140]

The sketchier parts are farther south, near that schools is fine. Most Seattle schools are going to be in that rating range,
only a few in really expensive areas are higher rated. The really negative part of West Seattle is if you have to commute to
the downtown area, that traffic is horrible and will only get worse for about another 4-5 years as the Viaduct/Tunnel project
goes on. If you can work near home or commute toward the airport you will be better off.

[Ira500]

Even further south is fine, near Fauntleroy/Lincoln Park...it's perceived as worse even further south and east. The parts of West Seattle that are thought of as "bad" are Delridge, Pigeon Point, Highland Park/White Center, and even those neighborhoods have nice parts. Generally speaking, west of 35th is better than east. The area by Gatewood Elementary is perfectly nice, though some of the other elementary schools in West Seattle like Lafayette and Alki are thought of as better schools.
In general, West Seattle is awesome.

[zdogg]

I don't think there are any really bad areas of West Seattle. I'm near the High Point neighborhood and some people think that's the "hood". I think it comes down to where you spend your time. If you hang out in one area more than any other you'll be more comfortable there, ya know? Some areas might be less desirable than others but really, you can't go wrong in West Seattle. As Ira500 said, West Seattle is awesome.

[rmkiefer07]

Originally Posted by zdogg

I don't think there are any really bad areas of West Seattle. I'm near the High Point neighborhood and some people think that's the "hood". I think it comes down to where you spend your time. If you hang out in one area more than any other you'll be more comfortable there, ya know? Some areas might be less desirable than others but really, you can't go wrong in West Seattle. As Ira500 said, West Seattle is awesome.

I'm actually right below High Point. When I first moved out here High Point was real dumpy. The drive up Sylvan Way past the cemetery towards 35th was tragic. It's improved dramatically since then. I realize that some may not like the new housing that went up (too cookie cutter for many), but it's a vast improvement to what looked to me like old military housing.

Many parts of West Seattle have a "gritty" feel, but that's part of what makes it awesome.

[tylee]

White Center and Delridge are the only parts of West Seattle that I ever thought of as being bad areas. Generally, I like most of West Seattle. A little gritty, a lot of character, more of a "neighborhood" feel, and lots of great views. I miss Lincoln Park

[victorianpunk]

For the most part, only Burien at night and maybe the Central District are "bad" areas...but that is to be taken with a grain of salt. I lived in Elizabeth, NJ, pretty close to the NOTORIOUS city of Newark. Seattle has neighborhoods where it's advisable to watch your back and avoid walking around at night, but compared to East Coast slums?...

Sorry, but Seattle "gangsters" are nothing. Here the "hoods" are filled with people who *gasp!* don't recycle tin and prove their worthiness to join the gang by mixing cans with the compost and sell Smoked Salmon and endangered monkfish on the corner and sit on the front stoop with a forty ounce of granola.

Yeah, there are less than nice places, but nothing like Newark, Soundview or Chicago.

[mallen48214]

I agree with the last reply it really depends on what you consider 'bad'. We moved to Pigeon Point from Detroit and were told we were moving to a 'bad' area the neighbor even acted like it was a bad area. It just seemed a little more gritty then the more affluent areas of West Seattle. I never felt unsafe walking and never heard any gunshots, no car jacking, armed robberies ghetto gates, homeless asking to work around the house for liquor money or bullet proof glass at the gas stations. All signs that the area is maybe not the best. There were drug deals but not the kind that make you wary or end in shots, just college kids looking to score. We moved not not so much for safety reasons, but because we moved from Detroit to escape all signs of sketchyness. The area would be fine for most we just had an overload of sketchyness and now have a no tolerance policy.

[flyingsaucermom]

Originally Posted by mallen48214

I agree with the last reply it really depends on what you consider 'bad'. We moved to Pigeon Point from Detroit and were told we were moving to a 'bad' area the neighbor even acted like it was a bad area. It just seemed a little more gritty then the more affluent areas of West Seattle. I never felt unsafe walking and never heard any gunshots, no car jacking, armed robberies ghetto gates, homeless asking to work around the house for liquor money or bullet proof glass at the gas stations. All signs that the area is maybe not the best. There were drug deals but not the kind that make you wary or end in shots, just college kids looking to score. We moved not not so much for safety reasons, but because we moved from Detroit to escape all signs of sketchyness. The area would be fine for most we just had an overload of sketchyness and now have a no tolerance policy.

When we moved here from MI I told my husband that the worst parts of Seattle are better than the best parts of Detroit.