Areas to live when work commute is not an issue.. (Seattle: house, neighborhoods)

[bghouse]

Hello to all you folks here in the Seattle forum. My first time posting in here, so please be gentle :-)

I'm currently looking at possibly moving to your lovely city. I've been living on the coast in Newport, OR for the last 18 months - and 25 years in Los Angeles prior. I mention this only so you wont think I don't know about the weather, I do and I am NOT a sun baby by any means - I love the gloomy and rainy....

Anyway, I'm retired from my corporate life and now just work freelance from home. So I don't need to commute anywhere in particular for my job.

I've been reading threads here in the forum - but there are so many ideas being thrown out there :-) Are there any neighborhoods that stand out to you for their quality of life - or in other words, if you could live anywhere you wanted and not worry about commuting - where would you choose?

[mkarch]

North Beach is decent for that. I know.

[Salmonista]

If I were freelancing from home (and could afford it), I would love to live on Sunset Hill in a house with a view of the Olympics. All of life's necessities can be found in Ballard/Crown Hill and the occasional trip to Northgate Mall. Plus there are plenty of restaurant and entertainment options in Ballard so you wouldn't need to venture too far from home for fun, if you didn't want to.

[Hemlock140]

There is still the variable of affordability. I like lower Madison Park, near the water and walk to shops and restaurants. There are also some homes with amazing views in West Seattle, and in the upper areas of Ballard.

[Inkpoe]

Hmm... Just one home?

Within Seattle Proper, West Seattle (Fauntleroy area).

Within Seattle Metro, Tacoma (one of those homes off Salmon Beach)

[RVD90277]

I would probably live on Bainbridge Island.

[west seattle gal]

If you can afford a view, one of those in North or West Seattle.

[tobester]

San Juan Islands ...

[beautifulseattlehomes]

Do you want to be in the city proper or do you prefer a charming town? Are views important to you? I think one of the beauties of Seattle is that the neighborhoods often have the feel of being their own village within a larger urban environment. I am one for the ability to walk to many amenities if I am truly living in the city. To me that means restaurants, pubs, groceries, library, community centers, gyms, boutiques etc all within walking distance of my house. When that enters the equation the number of neighborhoods in Seattle where you can truly do that gets smaller. Wallingford, Fremont, Phinney Ridge, West Seattle around California, Ballard close to the downtown core, Capitol Hill, Madison Park and Queen Anne are all neighborhoods that are highly walkable.

If I were to choose a place outside of the city but still close enough to Seattle I would look at Langley on Whidbey Island. Whidbey is beautiful and accessible from the Mukilteo Ferry. Bainbridge and Vashon are beautiful too.... each island has a unique vibe that is different from the others.

[Blondebaerde]

If we call quality of life the following (my definition, not necessarily yours):

- Generally peaceful, low to modest crime
- Prosperous to booming, or at least not on the decline economically
- Small enough to be on-acquaintance with your neighbors. Sticking together in the traditional American sense of the phrase, where community and social groups mattered.
- Big enough to have at least moderate services: schools, hospital(s), hometown businesses and perhaps a Starbucks and department store or two.

Given all the above, in my travels in the area (think I've seen most cities, towns, and neighborhoods of Seattle metro at least once), you may wish to take a close look at Poulsbo.

Not exactly a "Seattle neighborhood," it might be close enough to hit the mark and far enough to leave the rat-race behind.

I have a client there (retailer), and I venture out at least quarterly (from Seattle). Definitely a small to medium-town vibe from the local businesses. They seem friendly enough and it isn't crazy-expensive to buy a house. Zillow indicates housing prices are on the decline, even as they rise precipitously in the more-immediate Seattle metro area.

A ferry ride from Seattle...wild guess, with traffic that's an hour and fifteen minutes away. I know for a fact it's 45 minutes going counter-commute on the Seattle-Bainbridge ferry, in good weather (counter-commute: west bound, AM). Just far enough to be a bit detached from the bustle, yet a lot of stores and businesses that appear to be doing well-enough.

Naval Base Kitsap is mere miles away, presumably that steady business (need for goods and services) keeps the place afloat, bad pun intended. Zillow calls the primary residential demographic "Leave It to Beaver", draw your own conclusions.