Life in the eastside? (Seattle, Tacoma: apartment complexes, city hall, rent)

[DevanXL]

Though ive lived in The Seattle Metro my entire life I have never driven east of Bellevue. What is life like in the Redmond, Issaquah, Sammamish, and Kirkland areas? How are the city centers growing and functioning? How would you compare it to The south sound or Seattle?

[amaiunmei]

Bellevue holds the lion's share of entertainment and nightlife options on the Eastside. Kirkland also has a bit of nightlife centered around the waterfront.

Redmond, Issaquah, and Sammamish are largely bedroom communities.

I think of these communities as satellites largely filled with the families of various IT workers. I wouldn't compare them directly with Seattle, as Seattle is largely a collection of cohesive neighborhoods -each with their own identity. By contrast, I would describe Redmond, Issaquah, and Sammamish as great places to raise kids - but not great for raising hell, as it were.

Anyone interested in nightlife and living on the Eastside needs to focus on Bellevue or Kirkland as options.

[Inkpoe]

I would say that the Eastside is a lot more cohesive and ambitious, especially compared to South Sound. Its also more cleaner, or as some would say sterile. There isn't as stark a socioeconomic variety. The "bad"/poorer Eastside areas would still be above the better areas of South Sound. Bellevue has overtaken Tacoma as being the 2nd urban DT core in WA state, and its VERY obvious. Bellevue DT core has grown and built a lot in the last 20 years and will continue to do so as its very economic vital. Tacoma OTOH is sadly floundering comparatively. Otherwise, both Eastside and South Sound are pretty suburb-y with some ruralness mixed in. With the Eastside, you can tell its upper middle class to wealthy. South Sound got some real ugly tracts of sprawls which gives away that "cheap" feel.

Traffic sucks in the Eastside; at least with South Sound there are more of back roads to choose from.

There's more chains in the South Sound. More Winco stores as well. Less Walmarts in Eastside, there being just the two in Bellevue. I suppose some would count Renton in as part of Eastside (in which case, add another Walmart and the Sam's Club).

[Hemlock140]

Redmond actually has a little more downtown activity lately with new growth
in apartments with shops below, withing walking distance of Redmond Town Center. Issaquah still has a somewhat quaint downtown but is nothing like an urban city. Sammamish is definitely a bedroom community for most, with a high number of home business. There is no downtown at all, just a couple of small grocery store strip malls. Most of what we need is 6 miles away in either Redmond or Issaquah. None of the cities mentioned are anything like Seattle or the south sound, which is one of the reasons the home and rent prices are so high. Great schools, low crime, and high medium incomes make these areas highly desirable. I see many young people moving to Seattle after college but then coming back after they have a good income and start a family.

[NWbyNW]

The eastside is clean, modern and new through Redmond into Bellevue. The northern eastside like in Kirkland up to Woodinville is suburban with some urban development in Kirkland and along it's waterfront. Southern eastside is far more suburban.


Bothell
Bothell - Downtown Bothell is in King County and has many small quaint shops, small town feel, not too good of traffic. Development of a McMenamins complex taking place in downtown too at the old high school. The city has a downtown urban plan to allow for mixed use development. They are prepping for it now with roads and expansions. Most of Bothell is suburban and it extends into Snohomish County. Continued developments at Cascadia / UW Bothell.

Woodinville - The main town is sprawl with big chain stores and some local staples. A small town core being formed around the city hall and police station, and a mixed use building was built a few years back, but no one has followed suit. It is a suburban town.

Redmond - In the past 15 years, what was once a suburban town with a historic downtown, has become an urban city with mid rises, condos, and apartment complexes throughout the entire city. Development continues of these mixed use buildings and around the Towne Centre Mall. Mainly residential growth, not office building, and nothing Bellevue sized planned. City has lots of pathways for walkers, bikers, and a good amount of parks.

Kirkland / Juanita - Downtown is urban with more mixed use and condos being built. A lot of mid rises being built by the waterfront as well. Around this is mostly all suburban homes and smaller commercial centers. Juanita to the north is all suburban and middle class.


Bellevue
Bellevue - Continued urban development downtown. Many high rises, mid rises, and shops. Many residential towers and lots of construction on roads throughout the city. Recently allowed for light rail through the city. Recently re-zoned Bel-Red area for urban development. Surrounding downtown it is wealthy mansions, homes, and middle class homes inland. Plans to redevelop the Factoria area to the south.

Issaquah - Small town vibe, historic town core, manicured streets. Ugly housing developments on the hills over the city mixed with no trees. Sprawl on the north side of the freeway, and planned development to the south with lots of trees, actually making it hard to find businesses. Small town feel is the goal of the city. Suburban to rural homes around the city.

Sammamish - Sprawl development taking place along 228th, and it is all modern. No urban development taking place. The entire area is suburban and wealthy / middle class homes.

Duvall / Carnation / Fall City - Rural, agriculture, nature. Duvall is seeing a lot of growth, old downtown recently redesigned, re built, and re-planned roads. Added lots of art and quirky stuff. Lots of ugly subdivisions along the hillsides of the town. Carnation is still small, rural, local vibe, everyone knows everyone. Fall City is small and rural as well, small shops, a road junction.

Newcastle - City center is all grocery stores and fast food joints in a recently built town core area. City is currently rebuilding streets. No urban complexes, some apartments, mostly all single family homes around the town. A lot of subdivisions, gated neighborhoods, and pathways.

Renton - Industrial city, low rise buildings, some mid rise development along the new "Landing" district. Old downtown is being rennovated in some places, streets are messy and all over the place. Mostly suburban homes around the city from middle class to low wealth. Highlands considered nicer. Lots of warehouses.

[trivtran]

What happened to the nightlife in Kirkland? There used to be things to do with busy bars 10 years ago and now the downtown Kirkland area is dead. Is there anything fun to do at night Sunday through Thursday?

[homesinseattle]

Agreed, trivtran. As prices have gone up, it seems like Kirkland has attracted more and more families. Busy, fun bars are usually kept in business by young(ish) people who like to drink a lot, thee aren't as many around these days. Some might say, "Kirkland has cleaned up its act". I think the bars were fun, although at age 48, I'm probably one of those who wouldn't be going anymore either

[Blondebaerde]

Originally Posted by DevanXL

Though ive lived in The Seattle Metro my entire life I have never driven east of Bellevue. What is life like in the Redmond, Issaquah, Sammamish, and Kirkland areas? How are the city centers growing and functioning? How would you compare it to The south sound or Seattle?

LOL. "What is life like".

It is closer to the tech corridors and employers, if that is your line of work. Mostly bedroom communities and suburbia...oops, someone already mentioned that.

The non-ghetto part of Kirkland, south of Totem Lake and the hospital, is wonderful for just sort of wandering around and catching a bit of nature (along the lake shore) or east of 405 up Rose Hill and Bridle Trails way. There are businesses and services, though it isn't as dense as say Bellevue downtown. Housing is pretty obviously expensive. There are gorgeous pseudo-estates on the lakeshore and up in NorKirk, though none are on much land thus I'm stretching the term "estate" a bit. Nothing like, say, old money Long Island way back when (hundred years ago) or the part of Michigan I'm from (Oakland County).

Public transit is marginal at-best, thus earning the low Walk Scores I often see on various sites. I wouldn't get far without a car (or several, and several motorcycles). Buses are a lark but critical for going places like downtown, where no sane person drives to much anymore (just strikes me as inconvenient in the extreme).

Get thee on the 545 bus or something heading to Redmond TC or Kirkland TC. Walk around for half a day, might be interesting what you find and an inexpensive adventure. Best way to get a place's vibe is to walk the streets a little.

I have little use for the south end. Plenty on here do, and power to 'em. Thus, I lived on the north end for eleven years before moving eastside. The latter is denser, closer, nicer, busier, cooler, and more competitive. I like it better than Mill Creek, though liked Mill Creek just fine too for what it is (a place to live that was much less expensive than eastside).

[Akama13]

Originally Posted by NWbyNW

Bellevue
Bellevue - Continued urban development downtown. Many high rises, mid rises, and shops. Many residential towers and lots of construction on roads throughout the city. Recently allowed for light rail through the city. Recently re-zoned Bel-Red area for urban development. Surrounding downtown it is wealthy mansions, homes, and middle class homes inland. Plans to redevelop the Factoria area to the south.

They plan on redeveloping Factoria? I hope that's true.

[Chris Meyers]

You grew up in the area and you never went to the north and eastside suburbs?! What??? You must have had a really sheltered upbringing hehe :-P You never had family friends or events or parties in those areas? Well anyway, much nicer than the south end. Much much nicer, and I grew up here. And for me personally, better than Seattle too but Im a suburban kid. I dont like weirdos, or homelesses, or all the strangeness of seattle at all. And I despise density. I dont like living in close proximity with people, itd **** me off every single day. Oh and I have absolutely no use or no desire to ever step a foot onto public transportation. Thats why I buy cars and have since I was 17. I dont go places on somebody elses schedule. But thats me. :-)