Three Neighborhoods (Seattle, Enumclaw, Othello: houses, theatre, live in)

[seattle scott]

We are interested in the southern 3 neighborhoods Alki, Beacon hill, and Georgetown. What do these places have to offer? Would they be a safe environment for teenagers and is it easy for someone without a car to travel into downtown seattle?

[Ira500]

All three would offer public transit to downtown, though North Beacon Hill would have the most frequent transit service as there will be a light rail station open later this year. These neighborhoods are all very different from each other.
Alki is the "beach town" and is pretty, lively, and fun. Lots of restaurants and activity. I think it would a great place for a teenager.
Georgetown was, until not all that long ago, pretty industrial. It has a lot of artists, and cool old brick buildings, as well as old houses. Far less expensive than Alki, it is still thought of as something of a gritty neighborhood, but i much safer than it used to be.
Beacon Hill is a huge area,and south Beacon Hill is far different than North Beacon Hill. North Beacon is pretty close to downtown, has a nice new library, and is likely to greatly benefit from the light rail station. It's a very ethnically diverse neighborhood, and also isn't too far from the lively and fun Columbia City area. North Beacon Hill has become a lot more desirable and nicer in recent years. My sister lived there for a long time and loved it.
South Beacon Hill is very residential, with not a whole lot to do for a teenager, but some of it wouldn't be far from the Othello or Henderson Stations of the light rail system, which would make it very easy to get to downtown, so if you're going to consider south Beacon Hill, try to find something closer to Martin Luther King Way, the east side of Beacon Hill, as opposed to the part up the hill from Georgetown.

[wsugrad03]

Ira500 summed it up. I might just underline the grittiness of Georgetown. Not by any means a good place for families or teens. Maybe in another 10 years it will be more gentrified. Last time I was there, the Bank Of America ATM I was trying to use was busted up. Some hood rat probably took a sledge hammer to it, trying to get at the money. I don't travel through Georgetown anymore, but when I did, I kept the windows rolled up and focused just on getting through town as fast as possible. I would rather commute from Enumclaw than live in Georgetown. Alki is great though.

[mitsuturbo]

I go through georgetown periodically.. and without fear. There is some bad element there, but take a look at the news.. when is the last time you heard of someone getting shot/mugged in georgetown.... now think about when the last time you heard of someone getting shot/mugged downtown or near UW.

[Cigarboo]

Alki seems to be in a different league than either Beacon Hill or Geoergetown. Both in desirability and price. I grew up in Seattle and Alki was always known to be a good area as apposed to Beacon Hill/Georgetown/Rainier Valley, which was really the 'hood. But maybe times have changed. I don't know. If money was not an issue, I would definitely pick Alki. There are some great restaurants in W.Seattle. The beach is nice in the summer. It's a short commute to downtown. Great views of the Seattle skyline. North Beacon Hill is improving and is very convenient, but Alki is definitely higher end. Martin Luther King/Rainier Ave/Othello is probably not where you want your teenagers to be hanging out at night.

[Ira500]

Alki is in a different league than Georgetown and Beacon Hill, but some of the Beacon Hill area and Rainier Valley has dramatically changed for the better. Columbia City in particular has all kinds of restaurants and a theatre and a bakery and an alehouse and galleries, and North Beacon Hill is quickly transforming. Georgetown maybe has a little ways to go to be a place I'd feel perfectly comfortable having a teenager live in.