Pros and Cons of Living in Queen Anne (Seattle, Edmonds: apartments, condos)

[angelenogirl]

This is one of the Seattle neighborhoods I am least familiar with. I may be going to work for a company in SLU that rhymes with Tramazon, so Queen Anne is now on our radar. I've searched the forum and notice that Queen Anne gets occasional mentions, but is not really discussed in depth. So please, lay it on me! Tell me all the stuff that Wikipedia hasn't.

For reference: I'm pretty sure my favorite town is Edmonds, and I currently live in Ravenna. The house we have our eye on is in the Coe attendance area.

[Inkpoe]

Gosh, QA is lovely with all those old , charming homes. There's two "Queen Anne" to speak of: the Lower QA, which is yuppie, urban. Then there's Upper QA, the family oriented, beautiful homes and views.

The cons are its crowded, parking on streets *sucks*and its pricey. Another con would have you looking up on you tube "Queen Anne snow"... odds are your kids would enjoy it more than your husband, but if he gets the day off... it's quite a community event (cars will be blocked)-- very fun.

[Koale]

Hi Angel...
After 20 yrs in Seattle, and living 'on' Queen Ann, briefly... is that it is a hill, a very steep hill that closes in snow/frost/ice. QA is quaint and does have a terrific appeal. Good architecture, restaurants, shops, grocery. I only found two ways in and out of the area. Like I said, main arterial is a steep hill the other is on the East side of QA Blvd that winds around to Seattle proper. Lovely neighborhoods and good folk.
Koale

[Ira500]

The top of Queen Anne, the area that sends to Coe, is generally lovely. Nice old houses, leafy streets, feels like a village. Safe.
The cons are home prices mostly. And yes, if there's snow, you'll be stuck at the top of the hill, and wouldn't be able to get to work easily. Maybe that's a pro, not a con.

[mkarch]

Only other thing I'd add since you mention Coe is parts of the west side of the hill facing Interbay are noisy because of the railroad yard. I've heard that complaint mostly from people living in the apartments/condos that are lower down/further west so I'm not sure how much it affects the SFH zones.

People mentioning the slope are not exaggerating. You will need good snow tires and AWD to navigate a lot of those streets in the event of snow. Some of those areas make my neighborhood look like Kansas in comparison.

[angelenogirl]

Thanks, guys! So...snow and steep hills. That's an exciting mix. I'm not usually a fan of super hilly areas, so it would definitely be a change.

Ira, your dry humor is a great counterpoint to this soggy day. :-)

[angelenogirl]

Originally Posted by mkarch

Only other thing I'd add since you mention Coe is parts of the west side of the hill facing Interbay are noisy because of the railroad yard. I've heard that complaint mostly from people living in the apartments/condos that are lower down/further west so I'm not sure how much it affects the SFH zones.

People mentioning the slope are not exaggerating. You will need good snow tires and AWD to navigate a lot of those streets in the event of snow. Some of those areas make my neighborhood look like Kansas in comparison.

Seemed dead quiet yesterday, but it was Sunday.

How much and how often is snow a problem on Queen Anne? I waited all last winter for some snow, and only got maybe a dozen flakes fluttering down on my head.

[mkarch]

Originally Posted by angelenogirl

Seemed dead quiet yesterday, but it was Sunday.

How much and how often is snow a problem on Queen Anne? I waited all last winter for some snow, and only got maybe a dozen flakes fluttering down on my head.

Last year was unusual, but the storms vary a lot. Some years we'll get up to 3-4 storms that cause the city to temporarily shut down. It's not a huge inconvenience except when something like (was it 2009?) happens where a ton of snow and ice sticks around for a week or more. Seattle doesn't have much equipment for clearing all but the major arterials.

[analogkid84]

If you're working in the SLU area, just buy some crampons for your shoes and you can hike to work. That's not such a bad thing, especially if you ever plan to do any winter hiking in the mountains. It can be quite comical walking around watching people trying to drive on snowy, frozen roads.

[angelenogirl]

Originally Posted by analogkid84

If you're working in the SLU area, just buy some crampons for your shoes and you can hike to work. That's not such a bad thing, especially if you ever plan to do any winter hiking in the mountains. It can be quite comical walking around watching people trying to drive on snowy, frozen roads.

Sounds fantastically adventurous, but my idea of "roughing it" is staying in a hotel near the campground. I'm just not that kinda gal, unfortunately. Luckily, I have driven in snow quite a bit (lived in Denver and Philly).