Can Anyone Tell Me What BelleVue Is Like? (Seattle, Redmond: real estate, apartments)

[WhichWayDoIGo]

Profile:

Age: 36
Sex: Male
Race: Black
Children: Zero.
Marital Status: Single.

I would like a really nice area, with very low crime. I was told by someone Bellevue, WA would be up my alley. I'm kind of loner. Outside of business - i.e. I'm a home-based/internet entrepreneur - I just practice piano, surf the net, and watch TV. I love to eat, and a diverse dining options would be great. I'm not a major shopper, though I do like to get out and stretch my legs, and if I can do that and shop simultaneously, cool.

I'm not a party animal. In fact, I'm the opposite. I'm so quiet, I've had neighbors call the police out of fear that I was missing or dead.

I see Bellevue, WA is 2.2% black. That's cool. All the black people I'll ever need are on the internet. I just want somewhere safe to live where I'll be at the very least tolerated. I don't need to be chased down and hugged by strangers.

I make earn enough income to live virtually anywhere.

I've shared as much as I think is necessary.

So, what can you share with me about Bellevue?

[GatsbyGatz]

Clean and suburban. Pretty nice downtown if you ever want to have that sort of outing. Lots of good food options for you. There's nothing that I'd say is offensive about Bellevue, besides traffic congestion.

[homesinseattle]

I think Bellevue would fit your needs really well, might want to look at Downtown Kirkland too.

[Kayela]

Clean, safe, quiet, even boring - are all words generally used to describe Bellevue. I lived there for many years and there are definitely many good things about it. We actually got too bored, so we moved to Seattle where much of our nightlife and our friends are. But if you have neighbors who check to see if you're dead, that might be a '+'.

If you end up there, I highly recommend checking out Crossroads shopping center as a frequently missed gem - especially if you like live community performances. They have an international food court, stage, and there are some really talented locals. I also second Homes' recommendation of Kirkland. I like the Juanita area - a little removed, less expensive, has some charm, and enough local places to walk to during the week, but convenient to DT Kirkland, Woodinville, Bellevue and Redmond for weekend outings. Not a terrible hike to Seattle either.

[JandN4ever]

I've lived here since birth, 35 years. It has changed quite a lot since Microsoft but I'll just talk about how things are now for the purpose of answering your question.

I feel very safe here. I am a small woman yet I feel safe walking down the streets alone at night. I don't feel any need to carry pepper spray or defense weapons. My mother and grandmother both live alone here in houses for many decades and have never had any crime related incidents at their residence or in public.

You will rarely see anyone who seems mentally ill or on drugs/alcohol walking around. Since the Great Recession there has been a small group of homeless people I regularly see around the same corners but they look more put together than homeless people you would see in places like Seattle and they don't seem dangerous or like criminals.

You rarely see stray animals or feral cats. I think most people are pretty responsible pet owners around here.

If you ever have kids the schools are A rated and must get plenty of funding as kids in middle school and high school are given their own laptops by the schools. Most of the schools have recently been remodeled or will soon and are very modern and clean.

Almost all of the city is very clean aand modern. Older buildings are one by one being replaced with new fancy buildings.

One of the big negatives is the traffic is getting worse and worse every year. Live close to were you work if you do not work from home. Some of the drivers are stuck up and rude. Expect to get honked at if you don't accelerate the moment the light turns green or if you don't risk your life to make a left turn yield even when you don't have enough time to safely do so. Some drivers are stuck up and very impatient. Lots of tailgating especially by luxery car drivers.

You will find plenty of diverse dining options here as the population here is getting more and more diverse. Entertainment is mostly in down town Bellevue around the mall area. Mostly just dining, shopping, bars, movies and boweling. It's not a big deal though because Seattle is just across the lake and offers much much more.

People here tend to keep to themselves more so you won't find strangers randomly striking conversations with you in public as much as some places. Most people here are either long time senior residents, single people working for tech companies, or hard working people raising families.

Unfortunately there are not many black people here. Crossroads area has a large population of East Indian people and a moderate population of hispanic. West Bellevue has a larger population of Chinese. Bellevue has become very diverse over the years so all races and cultures seem well accepted. So I wouldn't worry about this. My husband has become friends with people at work who have very different culture than American culture but it seems they also enjoy American culture so even though it might seem a lot of people here are not living American culture I think you will be surprised that you can make friends with many people. Here people will respect you regardless of race if you are clean and act decent. Anyone who acts trashy (think jerry springer) will quickly be looked down on because this is an affluent city.

Be prepared to spend a pretty penny on housing. East and south Bellevue had more older apartments that are slightly less but some new ones are popping up. In those areas you are more likely to need to drive places. West Bellevue is where you will find most of the high rise apartments. There are some absolutely beautiful ones with all amenities and shopping within walking distance. If you can afford it and want to be within walking distance to all the basics than looks at apartments in west Bellevue downtown by the mall.

Most neighborhoods are quiet. You won't find people hanging out in the streets after hours. Like I said most people are here to work good paying jobs and have more important things to do. This is not a city full of lazy people that have nothing better to do than cause trouble on the streets. We were for many years considering moving to a city within the state with lower housing costs but after seeing those area I completely changed my mind and want to stay in bellevue regardless of cost of housing. I just feel so much safer here and I'm not willing to give that up.I think you will find it peaceful and safe here. Near by cities are pretty good too but based on what you've said, downtown Bellevue seems like the best fit for you.

[Xanathos]

Bellevue is on the east side.

There are reasons why most of the money is on the east side.


That pretty much tells you all you need to know.

As to ethnicity, you'll actually find you're extra popular up here because of it. Well-meaning white folk are always looking to check off a diversity checkbox on their friend list, and there just aren't enough people up here to meet that demand.

[WhichWayDoIGo]

Thanks for all of the responses.

I love everything I've heard about Bellevue.

Boring doesn't bother me, as I have little issue keeping myself entertained.

Interestingly enough, what many consider to be bland, I consider tranquil. All a matter of perspective.

[homesinseattle]

Xanathos, plenty of money is on the Seattle side too. People choose to live there all the time based on a desire to have a bit more eclectic feel, be closer to cultural offerings, vast variety of restaurants or closer to work. There are enclaves like Washington Park, Queen Anne, Madison Park, Laurelhurst and many other places that have peaceful streets, stunning mansions and extremely wealthy people. Seattle money tends to be a bit more understated and inconspicuous.

[Rombus]

Originally Posted by WhichWayDoIGo

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I see Bellevue, WA is 2.2% black. That's cool. All the black people I'll ever need are on the internet. I just want somewhere safe to live where I'll be at the very least tolerated. I don't need to be chased down and hugged by strangers.

Bellevue is actually more ethnically diverse than Seattle. Seattle has more black people, but Bellevue has tons of Indians (India not Native American), Asians, and Eastern Europeans. From what I have experienced it is also more tolerant of differences in politics, religion, and cultures.

[Xanathos]

Originally Posted by WhichWayDoIGo

Thanks for all of the responses.

I love everything I've heard about Bellevue.

Boring doesn't bother me, as I have little issue keeping myself entertained.

Interestingly enough, what many consider to be bland, I consider tranquil. All a matter of perspective.

Your use of the word 'tranquil' makes me feel I should point out that Bellevue is by no means a sleepy bedroom community. Seattle is a very provincial area - people identify themselves and define themselves according to what neighborhood - or even in some cases what block - they live in, as opposed to being from the area, and they love going to "war" with other parts of the city/area that aren't them. It's odd that way.

Bellevue has nightlife. A fair amount of it. It's just different from what you will see in Seattle. Seattle considers "nightlife" to be a bunch of hipsters, dudebros, and woo-girls loudly parading up and down the street, screaming random obscenities and throwing up between buildings on a Friday night. Bellevue is going to have throngs of people around the core of the city, as well, it's just a different crowd. It's mostly going to be women dressed to the 9's trying to land a wealthy techie or real estate developer, and guys who look like they just stepped out of a Hugo Boss catalogue trying to convince those women for one evening that they're wealthy techies or real estate developers. You're going to see an army of BMW's and Audi's, more than a couple of Lambos and Ferraris just circling around the area representing the alpha types, and good luck finding a seat in any of the bars/clubs near the core of the city on that same Friday night. It's all just peacocking on both sides - in Bellevue, trying to make yourself look more put together than you really are, in Seattle trying to make yourself look more urban and hip than you really are. Seattle is focused on $7 "craft beers", whatever the hell that means, and Bellevue is focused on $15 well drinks because it likes throwing money into a pit and lighting it on fire.

Because Bellevue's nightlife is more sanitized and less "inclusive" in that there's a barrier of entry to really participate (that being, a sense of fashion and some money to burn on fabric/cars), and because of a lack of dive bars, the Seattle side of the area calls it "boring".

If what you're looking for is specifically the word tranquil, you're going to want to stretch a bit further out. Mercer Island is tranquil/boring. If you want something to do, both cities are 10 minutes away. Kirkland is tranquil/boring. Bellevue...Bellevue's an urban city, just without some of the nastiers aspects of it because there's enough money to keep it clean and safe.