Which Neighborhood/s (Seattle, Bellevue: apartment, rentals, condos)

[mfader]

Hey everyone, thinking about moving to Seattle. Welcoming opinions about which neighborhoods I should check out. Here's a quick bio: 24, single, male, white, straight. Salary about 100k. I'd like to eventually purchase an apartment. I'm looking for somewhere generally quiet and laid back but close enough to walk/bike to hotspots. I won't be commuting anywhere for work. Politics don't hold much importance in my life. I will be a frequenter of whole foods, produce markets and parks. Safety is important as I must leave my place unattended for months at a time (work). I don't want to be downtown but I don't want to be in suburbs surrounded by families.

No need to explain to me that nowhere is perfect, this is simply a "wish" list. Please lay some local knowledge on me. Thanks.

[beautifulseattlehomes]

Ballard, Queen Anne, Phinney Ridge, Fremont, and though you say no downtown there are some killer views and the ability to walk to Pike Place, the waterfront, Seattle Art Museum etc! The Whole Foods in the downtown area is in South Lake Union where Amazon is located. The great parks in Seattle are Discovery Park (Magnolia) Carkeek, Seward and Volunteer Park (Cap Hill) and Green Lake.

Even though Whole Foods isn't near Ballard I would probably check out that area first! Young, vibrant but not noisy and chaotic... Great part of town with lots of newer condos and rentals. It is also Close to Puget Sound and Golden Gardens another great park along the Sound. Fremont is great too and our local coop chain PCC is there which is best described as our homegrown Whole Foods!

[NewbiePoster]

Greenlake. Great park (swimming, in summer!), Whole Foods, the local Co-op has a branch their for local produce. Beautiful views of the park, near major buslines, good neighborhood with professional couples, singles, families. A mix. Lots of singles action in the park spring and summer: skating, biking, jogging, swimming.

Relatively centrally-located, compared to Ballard, Phinney Ridge, Fremont, and more scenic, better choices for grocery shopping. Check it out, compare with the other suggestions, and you'll be convinced.

[Ira500]

Originally Posted by beautifulseattlehomes

Ballard, Queen Anne, Phinney Ridge, Fremont, and though you say no downtown there are some killer views and the ability to walk to Pike Place, the waterfront, Seattle Art Museum etc! The Whole Foods in the downtown area is in South Lake Union where Amazon is located. The great parks in Seattle are Discovery Park (Magnolia) Carkeek, Seward and Volunteer Park (Cap Hill) and Green Lake.

Even though Whole Foods isn't near Ballard I would probably check out that area first! Young, vibrant but not noisy and chaotic... Great part of town with lots of newer condos and rentals. It is also Close to Puget Sound and Golden Gardens another great park along the Sound. Fremont is great too and our local coop chain PCC is there which is best described as our homegrown Whole Foods!

There's also the Whole Foods in Interbay on 15th Ave W, not far from Ballard at all. I was also going to recommend Ballard.

[angelenogirl]

I was going to say Ballard but I see many already have. So, like...maybe you should check out Ballard.

edit: Since you aren't commuting, look at West Seattle, too. It's very cool, walkable, and I do believe they're putting in a Whole Foods in that Fauntleroy development project.

[mike62pp3]

The Magnolia neighborhood might be worth looking into. You'll be close to Ballard/QA restaurants and are within 10mins from Downtown Seattle. It is one of the quietest neighborhoods given that it is tucked away where there isn't any thru traffic. However, given it's quietness and little to no traffic, it has become a great neighborhood for families. It has a small town feel, not too many shops, but then again you are 10min from the rest of downtown.

[Ruth4Truth]

Originally Posted by angelenogirl

I was going to say Ballard but I see many already have. So, like...maybe you should check out Ballard.

edit: Since you aren't commuting, look at West Seattle, too. It's very cool, walkable, and I do believe they're putting in a Whole Foods in that Fauntleroy development project.

Cool. I vote for West Seattle, too. Especially if the OP could score a place in the general vicinity of the beach or one of the parks. I second Greenlake, too.

[mfader]

Thanks everyone, great replies so far!

[clickdale1]

Bellevue! This is just across the lake from Seattle. It is far enough from the city, and it has a small type of city life of its own. There are a lot of youthful tech employees that work in the area for big name tech companies. It is very safe. Very upper class. And it probably has the 2nd best nightlife outside of Seattle.

[JBVirtuoso]

West Queen Anne. It's quiet with mostly single family homes and small apartment buildings. The biggest amenity of the neighborhood is the views. If you look for it, you'll find an apartment with an awesome view of the Sound and the Olympic Mountains to the west. The steep grades go from about 7th Ave W all the way to 15th Ave, so that's where you'll find the best views. It's a fairly easy walk down (and unfortunately, back up) the stairs to the Whole Foods on 15th. Kinnear Park is a very large park on the hillside - it has good trails and feels almost completely removed from the city. The hill makes the neighborhood less than perfect for walking and biking, but the bus service on 6th, 10th, and 15th should give you plenty of options. And if you do eventually decide to drive, the lower density of the neighborhood makes parking cheaper and more widely available than usual for an area so close to downtown.