Which of these 18 neighborhoods is the most overrated? (Seattle, Bellevue: crimes, squatters)

[007jamesbond]

Which of these 18 neighborhoods is the most overrated in your opinion?

1) Ballard
2) Queen Anne
3) West Seattle
4) Green Lake
5) Greenwood
6) Beacon Hill
7) Belltown
8) South Lake Union
9) Magnolia
10) Madison Park
11) Capitol Hill
12) U-District
13) Georgetown
14) Fremont
15) Columbia City
16) Eastlake
17) Wallingford
18) Phinney Ridge

[Flightoficarus87]

IMHO, Belltown. I understand the appealing elements of it (dense, walkable, urban, lots of nightlife), but for what it costs to live there, it seems to have more undesirable elements to it than many of the highly rated Seattle hoods (More in the way of panhandling, crime, noise, etc). Other parts of town (esp. Capitol Hill) seem to offer the good aspects of Belltown with less of the bad.

This is just my personal opinion, of course. And there will probably be a lot of that in this thread.

If we're talking underrated hoods at all too, I gotta hand it to Greenwood in that category.

[Jennifer Jupiter]

Green Lake is considered one of the most livable neighborhoods. Yet, while I lived there my house was burglarized by thieves who kicked in my back door and used a crow bar to gain entry. There were muggings and rapes of people running or walking around Green Lake early in the morning. In late summer, the muck at the bottom of Green Lake rises to the top and the whole neighborhood stinks for a couple of months. When I was waiting for the bus to go to work, a homeless man who had been sleeping under the entry way to I5 woke up and hobbled toward the bus stop with his pants around his ankles and no underwear. Many homeless people camped under that I5 area and the grassy parts of the park & ride across the street. A lot of people asking for money or food used to hang out in front of Whole Foods, until Whole Foods got rid of them because their numbers grew too big. Four or five years ago some squatters took over a recently sold but vacant house two doors down from mine. A couple of female squatters were passing by my house and threw a bunch of their stuff into my yard. I told them to remove it and they said “....k, off we’ve had a really bad day." Later that day, police in vans arrived and took the squatters away.

It’s just Green Lake. One tiny little lake in an over-crowded park. I never felt very safe walking around the neighborhoods at night because the streets are poorly lit and nobody else was around. Homelessness, assault, robberies and other crimes affect all parts of Seattle. Some neighborhoods are better at handling these problems. Green Lake probably is not.

[thatguy950]

All since they're all in the garbage can that is Seattle...Bellevue or bust, srs

[homesinseattle]

Thatguy, have you ever actually been to Madison Park, or Phinney Ridge, or West Seattle, or Wallingford, or Queen Anne? I think what you are referring to are the homeless challenges in Seattle. If you were in any of those neighborhoods I just mentioned, or any one of a number of others, you wouldn't know it existed. I've heard you chime in a number of times now, you don't really seem to know what you are talking about. Would you be open to having a tour with a local? I think your black and white view would change pretty quickly.

[hurricane harry]

Pioneer Square

[KonaldDuth]

Ballard, for sure. I don't understand the appeal. It's like down in a pit, no view of anything, doesn't feel like even in Seattle, no proximity to anything to do on a daily basis, abandoned buildings everywhere, homeless encampments and druggie houses, and it's one of the most expensive places now.

The most underrated is the one I live in, but I don't want to say the name because I don't want more people getting the idea to move here.

[IcomeInPeaceDolphLundgren]

As someone who was born and raised in Seattle, I am going to say that Ballard is the most overrated neighborhood in Seattle.

[CrazyDonkey]

Overrated for what?

[MayouInSeattle]

Ballard is pretty hip and there is a lot of good food, but commuting from there really sucks. Coupled with the high home prices makes me think it is a bit overrated. But then again, Seattle is expensive everywhere.