Help Requested Re: Geographic Borders of Seattle Neighborhoods (Tacoma, Federal Way: apartment, mover)

[wa_mover]

I am relocating to Seattle in August for work. I will be working in Tacoma. Spouse will be working in Seattle. We have talked to friends in the area and people at my work and, based on our preferences, have established the following list of neighborhoods to look for an apartment in an upcoming visit:

Columbia City
Georgetown
Queen Anne
Wallingford

We have also heard that the best way to find an apartment in these areas is to just drive around and look for signs. However, as someone generally unfamiliar with the area, I am having trouble finding geographic borders or identifying where these neighborhoods are located (versus where others begin). Can any one help me with this? The streets or landmarks that enclose each would be very helpful and appreciated.

We are also going to look in Renton, Kent, and Federal Way, but we are very much urbanites and worry they may not fit with our community expectations.

Thanks in advance for your help!

[sean98125]

Seattle City Clerk's Neighborhood Map Atlas

Seattle City Clerk's Office Neighborhood Map Atlas

[wa_mover]

Exactly what I was looking for! Thank you so much!

[caravan]

Actually, I find this map to be much more exact (esp. for north Seattle), if not a little more artistic:

Ork Posters! City Neighborhood Posters

[Ira500]

Borders are kind of ambiguous sometimes, but here's a shot:

Columbia City:
Bordered on the north by either S. Oregon St or S Genessee St, on the south by S. Hudson or a block south of that, on the west by Martin Luther King Way, and on the east by around 43rd/44th. What most people think of as Columbia City is a small stretch of only a few blocks of Rainier Avenue from about Alaska St south a few blocks to around S. Ferdinand or Hudson.

Georgetown:

Bordered on the north by S. Lucile St, Airport Way on the east, 4th Ave S. on the west, and Boeing Field on the south.

Queen Anne:
It's eastern border is Aurora Ave, it's northern border is W. Nickerson St/Seattle Pacific University, on the south by around 1st and Denny, and on the west by Elliott Avenue/ 15th Avenue West.

Wallingford:
Lake Union, S. 34th St is it's southern border, somewhere between 50th and 56th on the north depending on who you ask, it's eastern border is I-5/ NE 4th St., and either Stone Way or Aurora Avenue on the west. Just as the border between Ballard and Fremont is known as Freelard, the area between Fremont and Wallingford, between Stone Way and Aurora I've heard called Freeford.

[wa_mover]

Ira500, that is incredibly helpful! I know it is hard to define communities, but it certainly helps to know where a property is in related to the rest of the community. It will also help us, as newcomers to identify streets on our map to drive around.

Caravan, very cool poster. Hopefully I soon feel enough like a Seattleite to buy it.

[caravan]

Originally Posted by wa_mover

Caravan, very cool poster. Hopefully I soon feel enough like a Seattleite to buy it.

The only reason I know about it is because my husband, a recent Seattle transplant (it's my hometown, but very far from his), bought one last weekend at the Fremont Solstice Festival and was very excited to show it to me. I told him that he had truly arrived as a Seattleite by buying it!