San Francisco to Seattle (Bellevue, Shoreline: rentals, lofts, houseboats)

[25million]

Hi All - I know there are dozens of posts with info about which are the best areas of Seattle to live; I've read a good many of them but still find myself scratching my head as to what really are the ideal locations. A lot due to the fact that many of the original questions were posted by families looking for quality schools for their children, or folks wanting to be close to work. And a lot due to getting confused b/t the uppers and lowers: upper/lower Queen Anne; upper/lower Lake Union. Is there a difference? Is Lake Union near Queen Anne - for some reason I have that impression. Some of the areas that keep popping up as the safest are: Queen Anne, Green Lake, Ballard, Mercer Island, Wallingford, Magnolia, Lake Union, what about North Seattle? And what/where exactly is the "U" district?

My situation is pretty straight-forward: single female, mid 30s, no kids, own business, relocating from San Francisco CA to Seattle and looking for great neighborhoods/areas to find a house/apt. Not too far from areas to go trail-running, hiking, jogging, rock-climbing, and all that. Not too far from greenery - I don't mind living in the city as long as I there is a great view and easy access to the water/mountains. Also, I know that I am going to miss the sunshine in winters, are there areas within an hours drive that I could visit on gloomy winter days when I'm craving sunshine? Or is this an unrealistic expectation?

So even though you Seattle locals must be tired of answering the same questions over and over would you mind one more time please? Thank You!

[rmkiefer07]

Originally Posted by 25million

Hi All - I know there are dozens of posts with info about which are the best areas of Seattle to live; I've read a good many of them but still find myself scratching my head as to what really are the ideal locations. A lot due to the fact that many of the original questions were posted by families looking for quality schools for their children, or folks wanting to be close to work. And a lot due to getting confused b/t the uppers and lowers: upper/lower Queen Anne; upper/lower Lake Union. Is there a difference? Is Lake Union near Queen Anne - for some reason I have that impression. Some of the areas that keep popping up as the safest are: Queen Anne, Green Lake, Ballard, Mercer Island, Wallingford, Magnolia, Lake Union, what about North Seattle? And what/where exactly is the "U" district?

My situation is pretty straight-forward: single female, mid 30s, no kids, own business, relocating from San Francisco CA to Seattle and looking for great neighborhoods/areas to find a house/apt.

So even though you Seattle locals must be tired of answering the same questions over and over would you mind one more time please? Thank You!

Lower Queen Anne is the south side towards downtown and is at the base of Queen Anne Hill where Upper would be the top of hill ( used to live in both areas). Lower is more urban/commercial where upper is more residential.

Lake Union is to the east of Queen Anne but has it's distinct neighborhoods (South Lake Union is more commercial, where as East Lake is where the houseboats are). Magnolia is to the west of Queen Anne and is more residential and some what isolated from the rest of the city. Lot's of great views from these areas.

The "U" district is the University Of Washington and environs. It's north and east of Lake Union in North Seattle. Not a place I would recommend for a single female. North Seattle is many neighborhoods including Wallingford, Ballard, Fremont, Greenlake and Northgate.

Mercer Island is it's own city and is in the middle of Lake Washington between Seattle and Bellevue. It's generally residential and is accessed via I-90. Personally not familiar with it, but I hear it's very nice.

Most of the areas you mentioned, with the exception of the U-District are generally quite safe and offer their own unique flavor and amenities.

A couple of other areas to consider are Alki, Admiral District, and the Junction in West Seattle; I've always liked Madison Park and Leschi (on Lake Washington south of the U-District), and Capitol Hill east of 15th and north of John street is quite nice - easy access to 15th avenue and Broadway shops and close to downtown.

You didn't say that you've been here before - if not, I strongly suggest a visit and see for your self. You can DM me for more details. BTW, I think most here never tire of answering the questions -that's what the forum's for

[pw72]

The neighborhood question is too complex for me on a Friday evening, but I can answer your question about avoiding gloomy winter days within "an hour". Nope. If it is cloudy in the winter in Seattle, you will have to drive more than an hour to get out of it. The best hope is Eastern Washington, about two hours away, and even then it would most likely be colder...kind of a trade-off I guess. People talk about Sequim up on the Olympic penninsula. It is true, it has the sunniest climate in Western Washington, but nothing like those mild, sunny days in S.F. you get in the winter. (I've been to S.F. with sunny and 72 in February, and also cloudy and 55 in July!)

[25million]

Originally Posted by pw72

If it is cloudy in the winter in Seattle, you will have to drive more than an hour to get out of it.

Wow. That's something to digest. SF gets its fair share of rain and gloomy days in the winter but there is usually a break after several days. One season it beat Seattle for consecutive days of rain - it was rough. Generally speaking, do Seattle winter provide breaks in the weather or is it more like 2 or 3 months of day-after-day rain and gloom?

rmkiefer07 - thanks for the feedback on the neighborhoods.
There are some on your list that are new to me so I will check those out.

[captiv8ed]

I am down in Olympia, and maybe it is different here, but it will be day after day of gray skies and some amount of precipitation. We do get what are called sun breaks, where the sun will come out for an hour or so, but it can be days between those as well. Also, at the beginning of winter, it gets dark really early, around 4:30. If you are doing a 9-5 gig, you won't really see the sun (not that there is sun to see, but the light of day) for about a month, except at lunch. It is sunnier on the other side of the mountains, but it is cold and the passes are often snowy and need chains to drive across.
Also, most of the winter is about 30-45 degrees, so it is a damp, cold, dark place. That is what bookstores and libraries and coffee shops are for

[rmkiefer07]

Originally Posted by 25million

Wow. That's something to digest. SF gets its fair share of rain and gloomy days in the winter but there is usually a break after several days. One season it beat Seattle for consecutive days of rain - it was rough. Generally speaking, do Seattle winter provide breaks in the weather or is it more like 2 or 3 months of day-after-day rain and gloom?

rmkiefer07 - thanks for the feedback on the neighborhoods.
There are some on your list that are new to me so I will check those out.

The answer to that question will depend on the person replying. Some will swear they don't see the sun for months at a time.

There are regular sun breaks in the winter. I've lived here for almost twenty years and I don't recall a period lasting more than a week or so where the sun never showed it's self. Due to our northerly lattitude, the days are real short in winter. I think this coupled with the gray days is what a lot of folks have difficulty with.

The days in summer on the other hand are very long. For a lot of people, this makes up for winter.

[SeattleGirl26]

I'm sure you'll get lots of conflicting opinions on neighborhoods here, but I have to take issue with the idea that the U-district is not safe. It's plenty safe, but there's really no reason to live there unless you'll be going to school/working at the UW. It's way overpriced for the kind of rentals that are available.

Also, just so you won't be mislead by any Craigslist listings, usually when people refer to North Seattle, they're not referring to Wallingford, Greenlake, Ballard or Fremont. These neighborhoods are pretty awesome, lots of character, pretty walkable, good bus service and interesting shops & restaurants for the most part. They are north of Lake Union, yes, but I think generally North Seattle (at least as far as rental listings go) refers to anywhere north of 90th up to Shoreline (145th). It's not very walkable, has more limited bus service and you're more likely to see strip malls and chain restaurants than the rest of Seattle. It's more affordable up there, but not as pleasant. Not bad, and not unsafe, just kind of boring.

Of the neighborhoods you listed, South and East Lake Union and Lower Queen Anne are the least safe, but really not that bad. For jogging, Greenlake can't be beat for convenience, Magnolia is home to the fantastic Discovery park if you feel like an in-city hike/trail running, South Fremont and Wallingford offer easy access to the Burke-Gilman trail, (although you're liable to get run of the trail by speeding bicycles so watch your back), Mercer Island isn't part of Seattle, more like wealthy suburbs. I hear it's nice and it might be what you're looking for, but nothing like Seattle, really.

If you have a car, you will always have easy access to the mountains and water. As for water, Ballard has the beautiful Golden Gardens on Puget sound, Wallingford has Gasworks Park on Lake Union, and Greenlake has, well, Greenlake. As mentioned above, don't overlook West Seattle. Alki beach has absolutely beautiful water, city and mountain views, and Lincoln Park further south is also beautiful. On the eastern limits of Seattle by Lake Washington, Madrona & Leschi are also fantastic. They get much more expensive the closer you get to the lake, but both neighborhoods are nice through and through so you really can't go wrong.

This link: www.seattlepi.com/webtowns is quite helpful. It gives you a general map of the main neighborhoods in Seattle (Green, Orange, Burgandy, Pink & Blue) which should help you get your bearings, and a short description of each neighborhood.

[MichaelinWA]

That reminds me of when I first moved to the Bay Area; I was a little confused at first about the SF references to the "Outer Richmond," or "Inner Sunset." Although now, they actually make sense.

Originally Posted by 25million

And a lot due to getting confused b/t the uppers and lowers: upper/lower Queen Anne; upper/lower Lake Union.

[25million]

All of these responses are very helpful - thanks for taking the time! The winter weather sounds a lot like SF except the temps hover in the mid to high 40s and it gets dark at 5pm. And most people are miserable for the months of Jan and Feb due to lack of sun, too much rain etc. March and April there are more sun breaks and the days aren't quite so short so moods lift due to the anticipation of long sunny summer days . . .

Regarding the neighborhoods, I thought South Lake Union might be a little less safe but the lofts that are going up right now are a-w-e-s-o-m-e! The Esno, Alley24, Rollin Flats, Veer, Mosler. But Upper Queen Anne and Green Lake have some nice places too. Guess I'll have to plan a visit and take in all of this info over "cup of joe" at one of those coffee houses Seattle is so famous for

Thanks again!

[VeronikaW]

Originally Posted by 25million

All of these responses are very helpful - thanks for taking the time! The winter weather sounds a lot like SF except the temps hover in the mid to high 40s and it gets dark at 5pm. And most people are miserable for the months of Jan and Feb due to lack of sun, too much rain etc. March and April there are more sun breaks and the days aren't quite so short so moods lift due to the anticipation of long sunny summer days . . .

Just something to keep in mind (coming from a CA native who lived in the Bay Area for 5 years), the gray and cold up here usually starts around mid September and doesn't let up until May. Sure the sun comes out occasionally (and then everyone is outside even if it's only 40 degrees out), but it is several months of winter, not just January and February like in CA.

V. =)