Moving to seattle for 3 months (apartments, lease, crime)

[tdoc20]

Please if anyone can let me know how safe Northwest 85th Street, Seattle, WA 98117 area is to live. Will be moving to seattle for a 3 month unpaid internship and not many apartments offer a short term lease and others are at a premium price. Mainly wanted to know from safety perspective.

[amaiunmei]

NW 85th St is a major thoroughfare, and it runs pretty much across the northern part of the city, from Aurora back to North Ballard (Crown Heights).

That area is safe, but property crime is all over the city so always be vigilant! Thieves like to target people who are just moving in, so never leave your stuff unattended as well as never leave your keys in your car running.

[tdoc20]

Thanks so much for the response @amaiunmei . It is somewhere near Greenwood Ave and 8th Ave.

[homesinseattle]

Hi tdoc. We live really close to there, fantastic, fun area. Chuck's Hop Shop (they have excellent food trucks too) is great on that corner: Chuck's Hop Shop | Craft Beer, bottle shop. The only place I would be vigilant is the corner of 85th and Greenwood late at night, though that whole neighborhood is in the process of gussying up.

[tdoc20]

Thank you @homesinseattle . Thats reassuring.

How good is the public transportation? Would you be able to travel to work without a personal vehicle. I am from Texas.My parents were planning to drive me and drop me and the car there. Is it manageable to travel and see the city on the weekends using public transportation.

[homesinseattle]

tdoc, buses are very good here, light rail is still in it's infancy in many parts of town. From 85th and 8th, you'll have many options.

[amaiunmei]

Originally Posted by tdoc20

Thank you @homesinseattle . Thats reassuring.

How good is the public transportation? Would you be able to travel to work without a personal vehicle. I am from Texas.My parents were planning to drive me and drop me and the car there. Is it manageable to travel and see the city on the weekends using public transportation.

The #45 runs east-west along NW 85th; the #28 runs north-south along 8th Ave NW to almost-Fremont.

The #28 takes you to downtown Seattle, but it doesn't run as frequently as some other buses: the D Line which runs north-south on 15th Ave NW and the #5 that runs north-south along Greenwood Ave N offer more frequent service than the #28.

Yes, I think it's manageable to go without a car (and frankly, preferable if you are going someplace like downtown Seattle). A car is handy from time to time but you don't need it always.

[Austin Mitchell]

You'll do pretty well there without needing a car. Even traveling by foot late at night is alright for the most part—better, at least, than many other parts of the city. You can get some more useful information about moving to Seattle here."http://www.pugetsoundmovinginc.com/locations/seattle-wa/moving-to-seattle/"]here[/url], from a company I hired to help me move—the guide was a big help in getting used to the area.

[CrazyDonkey]

That area is very safe. Living without a car while working downtown is not a problem. One option not mentioned is catching the 45 on 85th to the UW light rail station (30-40 minutes) and U-Link to Downtown (8 minutes), especially if you have to walk a ways to get to one of the north-south routes.

The 5 Express (mornings inbound/afternoons outbound) is the best north-south option, taking 30-35 minutes from 85th to Downtown. The D-Line, 40, 28x, 18x, 17x, and 15x are all subject to traffic bottlenecks along the way, making travel times during peak traffic times somewhat uncertain.