Seattle's most "walkable" neighborhoods (Roosevelt: crime, homes, university)

[CrazyDonkey]

Numbers released in April put the city-wide Walk Score at 73 compared to a national average of 48 and a high score in New York of 89. For those keeping track, Seattle’s Transit Score is 57 (compared to New York’s 84), and Bike Score is 63 (compared to Minneapolis’s 81).

A Walk Score is derived from an analysis of walking routes in each city. The algorithm incorporates the number of and distance to nearby amenities, pedestrian friendliness of the routes, population and neighborhood boundary data.

Walk Scores for every Seattle neighborhood - seattlepi.com

1. Downtown
2. Pioneer Square
3. Belltown
4. First Hill
5. International District
6. Yesler Terrace
7. South Lake Union
8. Lower Queen Anne
9. University District
10. Capitol Hill
11. Central District
12. Ballard
13. Fremont
14. Wallingford
15. Greenwood
16. Columbia City
17. Whittier Heights
18. Atlantic
19. Hillman City
20. West Queen Anne
21. Roosevelt
22. Madison Valley
23. East Queen Anne
24. Green Lake
25. Madrona
26. Westlake
27. Phinney Ridge
28. Genesee
29. Ravenna
30. Fairmount Park

[Hemlock140]

Interesting that they did not include personal safety (crime) in the analysis. Those at the top correlate almost exactly with the highest crime. I walk through #3 twice a day, wouldn't want to walk there after dark in the evening.

[homesinseattle]

California Avenue SW near the Junction in West Seattle is highly walkable, strangely omitted.

[nja2016]

Originally Posted by homesinseattle

California Avenue SW near the Junction in West Seattle is highly walkable, strangely omitted.

I was just there for a few weeks and I agree. Downtown has all those steep hills so I'm surprised it's the most walkable, but I guess you all are used to walking up and down the hills. Queen Anne Ave N seemed pretty walkable, at least the area around the Trader Joe's, the bookstore, and Pharmaca.

[mhays25]

Originally Posted by Hemlock140

Interesting that they did not include personal safety (crime) in the analysis. Those at the top correlate almost exactly with the highest crime. I walk through #3 twice a day, wouldn't want to walk there after dark in the evening.

From a guy's perspective it's very safe. Maybe different for women.

Belltown might feel sketchy due to bar crowds and a few bums. But I wouldn't call it dangerous.

And that's just crime. Traffic kills twice as many people as crime in the US, and safety is generally better in walkable places vs. places that require driving.

[homesinseattle]

I'd have to put Madison Park firmly on the list as well. Upper (Central) Queen Anne is quite walkable too.

[CrazyDonkey]

There are a number of inconsistencies. For instance, they list Lower, West, East, and North (but no Upper) Queen Anne, but then lists Capitol Hill by itself, when it has just as many subareas. I would guess that the lack of a major grocery store hurts Madison Park.

For West Seattle, they did include Alki, North Admiral, Genesee, North Delridge, South Delridge, Seaview, Fauntleroy, and Arbor Heights, but no Junction. My guess is that they're including the Junction in North Admiral.

And where the heck is Cedar Heights?

[BATCAT]

Originally Posted by CrazyDonkey

There are a number of inconsistencies. For instance, they list Lower, West, East, and North (but no Upper) Queen Anne, but then lists Capitol Hill by itself, when it has just as many subareas. I would guess that the lack of a major grocery store hurts Madison Park.

For West Seattle, they did include Alki, North Admiral, Genesee, North Delridge, South Delridge, Seaview, Fauntleroy, and Arbor Heights, but no Junction. My guess is that they're including the Junction in North Admiral.

And where the heck is Cedar Heights?

Yeah, what they chooses to include and exclude as a "neighborhood" is... weird.

I just moved to the Junction area, and if that isn't "walkable" I don't know what is.

[tifoso]

Magnolia's omitted as well and it's a great place to walk.

But Walkscore is a very crude tool that is little more than a proxy for density. It emphasizes the quantitative aspects of the walking experience and gives short shrift to the qualitative, which admittedly are much harder to measure.

[CrazyDonkey]

Add Fairmount Park, Roxhill, and Gatewood to the listed West Seattle neighborhoods...

Magnolia: Southeast Magnolia is listed at #60, Lawton Park at #63, and Briarcliff at #71.

"Walkable" means things walk to, not just good sidewalks and low traffic.