Seattle Studio Apartments (Tacoma, Everett: sublets, leases, month-to-month)

[Eva_B]

Are most of the studio apartments in downtown Seattle or nearby pretty much safe and clean? My basic essentials are a 1 bedroom, fast internet access, a shower/toilet, and a cooking area. I know the average rent is around $1,700-2000 so I'm hoping it's worth the expense because I'd like experience the city for a 6 month trial period if I manage to get a job in a downtown hospital lab. Seems like downtown is compact enough to be walkable, and public transportation is reliable? I'm also still trying to decide whether it would be too costly to bring my car or just try to learn the bus routes...

[Ruth4Truth]

"Downtown" covers a lot of ground. There are studios on Lower Queen Anne Hill. Also on Capitol Hill, but it's more expensive there. There are also "apodments" around Captiol Hill, which are private rooms w/bath clustered around a shared kitchen; almost more of a dormitory-style arrangement. Those are much cheaper than your budget. There are apartments on First Hill, as well--adjacent to Capitol Hill; First Hill is where several hospitals are. Parking can be a problem in those areas.

The main thing is, I don't know how many landlords allow 6-month leases, vs. the more customary 1-yr. lease.

[CrazyDonkey]

Actually, there are relatively few apartments in "Downtown", and most are of the luxury variety - many more can be found in adjacent areas: Capitol Hill, First Hill, Belltown, Lower Queen Anne (Uptown), etc.

Also look at the University District, which has a lot of apartments.

If not planning necessarily on staying long-term, you could look for a roommate or sublet situation:

https://seattle.craigslist.org/search/see/roo

https://seattle.craigslist.org/search/see/sub

If living in Seattle's central neighborhoods, living without a car is very manageable.

[Eva_B]

Ok, so far I've seen a few job openings at Virginia Mason hospital, Swedish Medical Center, and LabCorp Seattle. Any studio apartments recommended that would be a reasonable walking distance or short bus ride to work if I'm lucky enough to be hired by any of those places? Priority is safety as well as a good landlord... I'm hesitant to sign up for a year's lease only because I'm not sure if I can land a job inside central Seattle within 6 months. If it doesn't work out, I need to still have enough savings to relocate elsewhere. Life is short, and I'd like to at least try and fail than not give myself a chance at all. I'll research more on the sublets, but I'm new at this so any other suggestions will be greatly appreciated, thanks!

[CrazyDonkey]

Originally Posted by Eva_B

Ok, so far I've seen a few job openings at Virginia Mason hospital, Swedish Medical Center, and LabCorp Seattle. Any studio apartments recommended that would be a reasonable walking distance or short bus ride to work if I'm lucky enough to be hired by any of those places? Priority is safety as well as a good landlord... I'm hesitant to sign up for a year's lease only because I'm not sure if I can land a job inside central Seattle within 6 months. If it doesn't work out, I need to still have enough savings to relocate elsewhere. Life is short, and I'd like to at least try and fail than not give myself a chance at all. I'll research more on the sublets, but I'm new at this so any other suggestions will be greatly appreciated, thanks!

Virginia Mason and Swedish are on First Hill (aka "Pill Hill"). LabCorp is in multiple locations, including First Hill.

Swedish also has hospitals at Cherry Hill ("Second Hill") and Ballard. UW has UWMC (U District), Harborview (First Hill), Northwest (North Seattle), and Valley Medical (South Seattle). Group Health's main hospital is on Capitol Hill, but has centers distributed around the area. Capitol Hill is linked to UWMC via light rail (4 minutes?) and to Pill Hill and Harborview by streetcar.

Your best bet to access the largest number of jobs is to live close to, but not in, Downtown: Capitol Hill and First Hill, specifically. You could also look at the U District, which has excellent transit links to Downtown. Lower Queen Anne/South Slope is also a possibility.

I'd avoid Downtown, Belltown, Pioneer Square, International District, and also the lower Pike-Pine area of Capitol Hill, as being less safe, especially at night.

The North Broadway and 15th Ave W areas of Capitol Hill are relatively safe. So is most of First Hill. North Seattle and the Eastside are safer than South Seattle. The Seattle area has few "bad" areas, and most of those areas would probably be considered relatively "good" areas elsewhere (California, back East).

Once you find a longer-term job, adjust where you live to where you work. Also, don't overlook Everett and Tacoma for jobs, which generally have lower rents than the Seattle area.

A roommate situation can keep your rent in the $500 to $900 range, while other options will mostly be more than that ($1,500 to $2,000 for a one-bedroom in the Capitol Hill/First Hill areas) - generally, they're month-to-month agreements, with lower deposits, although some can involve signing an individual lease with the landlord. It can also give you immediate contacts within the city. Micro-apartments and apodments (less than 350sf?) often allow shorter leases in return for paying more rent.

[Ruth4Truth]

There are apt. buildings all over that area. You'll just have to start responding to ads, and let the LL/manager know that you're looking for a 6-month lease with option to extend to a permanent arrangement. That, itself, may narrow your options.

[Eva_B]

CrazyDonkey and Ruth4Truth, your info really helps narrow down my options for lodging and job opportunities, thank you! Capitol Hill and First Hill will be tops on my list then. I do worry that I could be mugged by a homeless person if I have to work nights and need to walk or wait for a bus. Is the homeless problem mostly in the downtown area?

How can I find out if these studio apartments are relatively quiet? I'm hoping for double pane windows and thick walls...

[CrazyDonkey]

The homeless congregate more around the south end of Downtown, Pioneer Square, the International District, etc. The courts, jails, missions, and shelters are down there. Near the Market, avoid the SE corner of 3rd and Pine, which has been a trouble spot for years. Most homeless are totally harmless.

Most of Capitol Hill and First Hill are pretty safe. Seattle Central College is at Broadway and Pine and Seattle University at Broadway and Madison, so there are lots of students around. There are a few bus stops Downtown to avoid (3rd between Pine and Pike, 2nd & Pike, etc.) - just choose a different stop. At night, as long as you stick to lighted streets with people on them, you should be fine.

Don't be a mark - walk tall, don't stop. Don't walk around with your nose in a brand new iPhone. Carry pepper spray on your key ring and a whistle around your neck, if it'll make you feel safer - I doubt you'll ever use either. In general, Seattle is one of the safest major cities in the country.

The apodments are all newer buildings, so should be pretty quiet. Upper Capitol Hill and north Broadway are a lot quieter than the Pike-Pine Corridor.

[Ruth4Truth]

I can't advise you re: safety and the homeless in those areas, as Seattle has undergone a lot of change since I moved away. People on this forum insist that formerly seedy areas have been super-gentrified, so I defer to them. First Hill used to be seedy, but being that it's close to downtown and Cap Hill, it was probably one of the first areas for demand to go through the roof, so it's probably been renovated with nice apt. buildings and nice people.

[Ruth4Truth]

Originally Posted by CrazyDonkey

The apodments are all newer buildings, so should be pretty quiet. Upper Capitol Hill and north Broadway are a lot quieter than the Pike-Pine Corridor.

If the OP wants to be within walking of the First Hill hospitals, north Broadway would be out of range. She might be closer to that Pike/Pine corridor, or further south, around the Seattle U or down toward Yesler, depending. I was envisioning somewhere between Harborview and Swedish, or around that area. That's what I think of, when I think of Pill Hill. But I guess the OP is ok with taking the bus.