What is Newcastle like? (Seattle, Bellevue: apartment complexes, crime, townhouses)

[MaikeerinWA]

Old stereotype, and increasingly untrue. The eastside has become quite diverse, particularly with people of Asian descent, and the politics are different than before. The eastside voted something like 57 or 58% for Obama in 2008 while returning the Republican Reichert (running as a moderate) to his 8th District seat.

Originally Posted by tobester

Like most of the Eastside, Newcastle is predominantly conservative and not very diverse.

[KikiMonster]

As mentioned, Newcastle is its own town, with its own police force, city hall etc. It's South of Bellevue and North of Renton--around 8min from Bell Square, 15 minutes from Seattle and 12 minutes from the airport.

It is a very cute town although it does not have much of a Main Street--the main town centers around two supermarket complexes. However, in those two strip malls there is anything anyone could need--two supermarkets, a medical facility, a dentists, pharmacy, gas, bank, coffee, vet, nail salon, massage parlor and several good restaurants. The police station and the town hall are right within that complex. Nearby, there is also a shopping facility in Lakemont and just down the road is the Factoria Mall with a Targets etc. There have been significant improvements made to the main road, Coal Creek Parkway, and upgrades to the supermarkets etc. It is a pretty handy shopping center.

Newcastle has many parks, including Newcastle Beach Park and numerous kid parks in almost every neighborhood. Lake Boren is a lake in the middle of Newcastle, and in the summer the town has concerts by the lake, in the large park that surrounds it. The town has a really nice spirit of community--check out the Starbucks in the morning and you will see neighbors greeting each other. It is really a very friendly town.

The majority of homes ranging from $500-$3M...and with some condos and apartments around the center of town cost much less than that... There are some really nice new neighborhoods, most notably The Reserve which is located around The Golf Club at Newcastle. The homes in that neighborhood range from 900K-3M, which is at the upper range of Newcastle homes. The restaurant within the Golf Club is EXCELLENT and the views are spectacular. The Highlands, China Creek, and the Terrace are also very nice, new, upper end neighborhoods. All have nice landscaping, nice play parks, trailheads nearby and sidewalks. A couple of Seahawks live in these pricey neighborhoods as do a few local media personalities.

The people of Newcastle are pretty nice--I liked it better than other upscale communities because people are successful without being particularly pretentious. There are a lot of transplants who select Newcastle because of it's excellent proximity to everything. I really believe that Newcastle is a town whose "location" has not yet been discovered. It truly has a better location than other similar communities such as Issaquah and Redmond. I agree with the person above that said it was fairly diverse and liberal---though I wonder how much economic diversity truly exists...

The school system is split between Renton and Issaquah but one of the crown jewels of Newcastle is the elementary school which opened in 2004. It is a state of the art facility--great new teachers, and pretty campus. I like the school hours--with the day starting at 9:15 and ending at 3 but if you are a working parent, this is an issue.

Hope that helps....

Kiki

[iskray917]

I hear there's a nice golf course out there.

[Ira500]

The Sunday brunch at the Calcutta Grille at the Newcastle golf course is excellent. Rivals anything in the Seattle area for quality. Overpriced? Indeed, but quite great.

[texastrigirl]

The view from the Calcutta Grill is nothing short of amazing. We always take out of town visitors there on a clear day. Newcastle is very nice IMO.

[newcastle12]

Contrary to what most people are saying that Most of Newcastle goes to the Renton School District....its actually quite opposite. The neighborhoods that are in the Issaquah School District and that attend newcastle elementary (ISD) are.... The Reserve, The Highlands at Newcastle, Turnerberry, China Creek, China Falls, Mile Stone, Olympus, The Crest and all of the city center is within the Issaquah School District. Most of the neighborhoods situated around the Golf club. It becomes renton to west of coal creek and down towards the lake and the Seahawks Headquarters.

[KikiMonster]

Originally Posted by newcastle12

Contrary to what most people are saying that Most of Newcastle goes to the Renton School District....its actually quite opposite. The neighborhoods that are in the Issaquah School District and that attend newcastle elementary (ISD) are.... The Reserve, The Highlands at Newcastle, Turnerberry, China Creek, China Falls, Mile Stone, Olympus, The Crest and all of the city center is within the Issaquah School District. Most of the neighborhoods situated around the Golf club. It becomes renton to west of coal creek and down towards the lake and the Seahawks Headquarters.

that's what I thought! However, when we lived there, our kids were not yet in school so I just assumed I was mistaken....

Can you tell me what you think about the Reserve? Is it still being built out, do you know or are they done? Will the values hold? I saw some nice homes there but I thought *some* were over-priced. Do you know if it's got an active neighborhood? Just trying to understand OUR options as it is looking increasingly as if we are moving back.....

THANK YOU.

[newcastle12]

No problem! The reserve is still being built out, but at a slower pace. They are almost done with most homes but there are still quite a few unbuilt lots. I personally LOVE the reserve. Beautiful homes....but they were VERY expensive just a year ago. They have dropped a bit...but are still very expensive. Your paying for the Schools, The Location, and the beautiful home. I would try to go to johnlscott.com and search the map at the reserve and see if theres anything in your price range. Though I would have to say, my favorite neighborhood in Newcaslte is The Highlands at Newcastle. Beautiful homes built in 2001-2004. They are around a million mark...or a little lower. But Not bad. A Great neighborhood and very beautiful during the fall. (just drove up in there). Let me know if u have any questions. Also, Newcaslte elementary goes to Maywood Middle and Liberty High School. Both Provide excellent education and experience.

[fromtheheart]

Hi,
We're looking at houses in Newcastle and I'm very interested in how it is to live there. These previous posts were incredibly helpful. We'll be moving from the south and this area just seems highly appealing. Prices and "values" of homes seem more reasonable and we love the environment being at your back door. My husband will work near the Lake Union area. We'll (for the first time) be empty nesters but think having a beautiful home near recreation/hiking areas is critical for our happiness. I'm from the west coast and don't mind living in a more remote area than Seattle proper or Bellevue. How hard will it be for us to meet people of our age group there? What do you think? Thanks for any help you can give.

[CarlB328]

Does every place in America have to be diverse?