Single female moving to Seattle (Renton, Kirkland: apartments, for rent, crime)

[cybermaven]

Hi everyone. I will be moving to the Seattle area in the next month or 2 for work. I can afford approx. $1000/mo and have 2 mellow kitties. My office is located in Renton. I am in my mid-30's and like living by the water (if possible). I have friends that live in the Capitol Hill area and they think I should just head there. But, I would appreciate input from you guys. I have been reading these forums for a while now and find that the responses are (for the most part) non-judgmental and straightforward. I have a car, so close proximity to public transport is not really important to me. BUT - quiet neighbors and a safe area for a single woman are on the top of my important attributes list.

Thanks in advance for your responses.

- Dina

[CityGirl72]

It matter what you think safe is. I would say Capital Hill is a great place to live if you are single! Not much parking though.

Maybe look in Roosevelt, or Ravenna areas, they still have a hip feel but more safe, Greenlake too, but you'll have to be selective. Queen Anne is you can afford it, Ballard or parts of Crown Hill too

[Inkpoe]

Those areas that CG72 listed are located near the highly congested area. Would a lot of spending time in traffic bother you?

DT Renton itself is cute and is basically right next to the popular Gene Coulon Beach. They have apartments in that area with lots of shopping.

[cybermaven]

Hi CityGirl72! Yeah, I realize that "safe" is a relative term. Well, let's just say, I was born in Jersey City, grew up in Brooklyn and NYC, lived in San Francisco for 15 years and have been living in Las Vegas for about 3 years now. I just don't want to live in an area where my apartment will be broken into on a regular basis and my car won't get vandalized or stolen. The rest of it - I can handle.

I appreciate your suggestions and will use them when my friends assist me on my apartment hunt.

[cybermaven]

Inkpoe - thank you!! Yeah, traffic can be an issue as I will be commuting from Seattle to Renton daily. I'll scope out DT Renton and explore the area near Gene Coulon Beach.

[sean98125]

There are a lot of car break-ins on Capitol Hill. You can take a look at the crime maps at Seattle My Neighborhood Map (http://web1.seattle.gov/mnm/Statistics.aspx?tabId=3 - broken link) to give you an idea of the relative safety of the neighborhoods.

There are nice apartments near the water in Renton, though I don't know how much they are. You could also think about Kirkland, which has a nice shopping area near the water and lots of apartments with views of Lake Washington.

[arodrigues88]

Seattle Apartments for Rent - Equity Apartments

I am personally not a big fan of Capitol Hill just because of the congestion and stuff but Queen Anne, maybe up on the hill in Renton, or even West/South Seattle would be perfect. I gave you a link to view some apartments that are cat friendly and have really good prices for apartments in many of the different Seattle areas. Check it out.

[Ira500]

Columbia City is an area worth checking out. Not too far from Renton, hip and diverse, and not too far from Seward park and Lake Washington. If you were born in Jersey City and know from east coast slummy areas, you're almost not going to find them at all in these parts. I'm a Garden State native, been here 33 years. When I first came here, a friend drive me around, identifying certain neighborhoods as " the ghetto". To me, the ghetto is the south Bronx, or Newark, or Bed Stuy. No comparison. Some of the ghettos here are pretty nice places.
I'll also second some of the apartments in downtown Renton and near Coulon Park..Also, downtown Burien is near Puget Sound, a 15 minute drive to Renton, and charming/hip as all get out. It's a little secret. Some people from Seattle and the eastside think Burien is some kind of white trash wasteland. But in fact, it's got microbreweries, art galleries, cutesy shops, Irish pubs, good Italian food, a wonderful new library, etc.

[arodrigues88]

Originally Posted by Ira500

Columbia City is an area worth checking out. Not too far from Renton, hip and diverse, and not too far from Seward park and Lake Washington. If you were born in Jersey City and know from east coast slummy areas, you're almost not going to find them at all in these parts. I'm a Garden State native, been here 33 years. When I first came here, a friend drive me around, identifying certain neighborhoods as " the ghetto". To me, the ghetto is the south Bronx, or Newark, or Bed Stuy. No comparison. Some of the ghettos here are pretty nice places.
I'll also second some of the apartments in downtown Renton and near Coulon Park..Also, downtown Burien is near Puget Sound, a 15 minute drive to Renton, and charming/hip as all get out. It's a little secret. Some people from Seattle and the eastside think Burien is some kind of white trash wasteland. But in fact, it's got microbreweries, art galleries, cutesy shops, Irish pubs, good Italian food, a wonderful new library, etc.

I used to live in South Seattle off of 112th and 1st Ave, not too far from the Burien city line. Burien is "ghetto" for that area, in my opinion. But they are trying to fix everything up but adding more shopping malls and stuff. It wouldn't be a bad idea to look into that area because some of the apartments are kind of cute and in a good price range.

[Ira500]

See what I mean?
You been to SW 152nd Street lately, "Old Burien"? The place has been transformed. Like a Wallingford south.

Originally Posted by arodrigues88

I used to live in South Seattle off of 112th and 1st Ave, not too far from the Burien city line. Burien is "ghetto" for that area, in my opinion. But they are trying to fix everything up but adding more shopping malls and stuff. It wouldn't be a bad idea to look into that area because some of the apartments are kind of cute and in a good price range.