Central District Living (Seattle, Bellevue, SeaTac: crime, townhomes, neighborhood)

[Revolucion]

Hey folks!

What's the current opinion on the area along Yesler and 23rd in Central District? I see some promising properties in the area but I am unsure on the neighborhood. I believe it's gentrifying and up and coming, right? One of my favorite restaurants is there (East African Imports and Restaurant, check it out if you are ever nearby!) but I haven't walked around enough. That's definitely on my agenda for this weekend!

But is there anyone who lives out that way or spends quite a bit time in CD that can tell me what they think? What's the over all feel of the area? Safety? It would be much appreciated!

[Ira500]

Originally Posted by Revolucion

Hey folks!

What's the current opinion on the area along Yesler and 23rd in Central District? I see some promising properties in the area but I am unsure on the neighborhood. I believe it's gentrifying and up and coming, right? One of my favorite restaurants is there (East African Imports and Restaurant, check it out if you are ever nearby!) but I haven't walked around enough. That's definitely on my agenda for this weekend!

But is there anyone who lives out that way or spends quite a bit time in CD that can tell me what they think? What's the over all feel of the area? Safety? It would be much appreciated!

I've got a friend who lives at 22nd and Fir. It's fine. There's a great bakery on East Cherry, around 29th.
They're building a lot of townhomes around there, it's getting fairly dense.

[GatsbyGatz]

Vulcan also recently purchased a huge lot on 23rd and Jackson with plans to redevelop the lot, adding hundreds of market rate housing. The area will likely continue gentrifying at a quick enough rate.

[fnh]

Our place is right in that area, too. I love this neighborhood but it makes me sad to see so many vertical boxes replacing front-porch bungalows. (I do like them and having some is fine. It makes for a lively, interesting mix of housing styles, but everything being built these days seems to be the same ultra-sleek style. Enough already.)

Gentrifying? It's pretty much already happened. Safety? Our kids were little when we purchased there so we considered it carefully, and really crime is similar to any other neighborhood within the central city. Now, our preteens wander freely and there are lots of kids walking around with the nearby schools, parks, library... Location? Fan-freakin'-tastic..

[drshang]

I live in the CD as well, a couple blocks from 23rd and Yesler. Bought a house not that long ago, very happy with the area, keeps getting better (and more expensive) every month, pretty much. In LA this neighborhood would have already been considered "fully gentrified," but by Seattle standards it's still considering "up and coming." Lot of new houses now are already pretty close to Ballard prices though, so it's not exactly inexpensive now. But it's a far better location than Ballard, located in between the major job centers in Seattle. It's close to everything, you are 15 mins from Bellevue, 20 mins to SeaTac. You are also generally against traffic when going to those places so the gridlock is less pronounced.

Many of the older businesses here are quite great, serving excellent, high quality food at low prices. You are right next to the ID/Chinatown. I have no qualms about walking around the area at night, during the day or at any point. There are some blocks that are better than others, and some that seem to have some issues. But the neighborhood is changing so fast that it's hard to really expect things to be static. If you are looking at a place and would like specific feedback, feel free to PM.

[fnh]

This is happening too:

Central District light rail: Judkins Park Station slated to break ground mid-2017 | CHS Capitol Hill Seattle

[leastprime]

We like it. No problems. High walkability scores. Fast to KingStation and beyond. But, you are on the top of the hill, going down is easy but going up is a lot harder when you have a bad leg.

[cmswazey]

So, has all the CD changed or are there still some rough parts?

[CrazyDonkey]

The other thing about the CD is that it is close to or not too far from several of Lake Washington's swimming beaches: Madrona Park Beach, Mount Baker Park Beach, Madison Park Beach, Denny Blaine Park, and Seward Park. Lake Washington isn't as cold as Puget Sound and you don't have to worry about the "Green Lake Itch".

[fnh]

Originally Posted by cmswazey

So, has all the CD changed or are there still some rough parts?

There are different notions of 'rough'. There aren't any rough parts that come to my mind where I would never walk with the kids even at night. Of course there is still occasional crime but that happens everywhere in the city. (Or simply everywhere.)