Safe/Affordable Seattle Neighborhoods (best neighborhoods, apartments, student loans)

[Izzle13]

Which would be the best neighborhoods for a single late-20's female moving to Seattle? I will be attending law school at Seattle University so I would like to be somewhat close to the school. I have looked near the school and everything seems to be extremely expensive. Also I'm not sure how safe the neighborhood is there. Somebody suggested the Queen Anne area, which seems to be a little more affordable. I will be living alone so I would like to be in a safe area, and since I will be living off of student loans I would like to keep costs down. Any tips or suggestions to help with this balancing act would be greatly appreciated.

[aa85]

Not sure where you are moving from, but Seattle is generally a safe city, with some less-safe areas. Unfortunately, south & east of SU is one of those. It isn't a gang-infested battleground, by any means, but it is also not the greatest place to be walking around alone at night.

I'd recommend Capitol Hill (generally north of the SU campus) as the best combination of safety and convenience to campus. Parts of Capitol Hill can seem somewhat gritty, but it isn't a dangerous neighborhood per se. Lots of apartment buildings, probably more than anywhere else in Seattle. Several grocery stores, shops, bars & restaurants, etc. Also very convenient to downtown. Depending on the location, you could easily walk to the SU campus in 20 minutes.

Queen Anne is a slightly longer commute (25-40 minutes by bus each way), although several bus routes from QA do go very close to the SU campus. Lower Queen Anne (the part not on the hill, close to Seattle Center) has lots of apartments, 3 grocery stores, restaurants, etc. Queen Anne Hill is is more expensive, has more families, and is very safe, but is closer to 40 minutes from SU vs. 25 for Lower QA.

You should be able to find a wide variety of apartments for $800-$1000/month. Not a lot is available below $800, and you might not want to live in those places anyways.

One thing to be aware of - there are a number of "moderate-income" apartment buildings that specifically exclude students, even if you have a job and are below the income limits.

[Izzle13]

Thank you so much for the advice! This really helps - I was looking in the First Hill neighborhood, but it's good to know I should direct my search toward Capitol Hill instead.

[aa85]

First Hill is convenient, and not a terrible neighborhood, but it has some significant downsides IMO (only 1 grocery store nearby, surrounded by hospitals = sirens all the time, not many bars/restaurants, no main business/shopping street).

[ak14]

Izzle13 - Did you find a safe neighborhood? I'm in the same situation as you and would love some help

[bloom]

Originally Posted by aa85

First Hill is convenient, and not a terrible neighborhood, but it has some significant downsides IMO (only 1 grocery store nearby, surrounded by hospitals = sirens all the time, not many bars/restaurants, no main business/shopping street).

What grocery store?