I was thinking of moving to Seattle for work. Just curious if any of you guys out there were familiar with Seattle. Basically I would like to live somewhere that is similar to the west side in Vancouver like Kitsalano, Point Grey, etc. Or areas like the west-end, Yaletown or False Creek would also be of interest. Basically I like areas that are fairly safe and clean where one can enjoy the outdoors like biking and running. Good shopping with a good selection of restaurants would also be beneficial as well. Hint: I don't want to smell BBQ Pork or Shawarmas all day. Any recommendations would be much appreciated.
Seattle - Best Areas to live
- Thread starter tokugawa
- Start date
I worked down there for a number of years. I had a work Visa and would be down there usually every week and the Visa allowed me to live in Canada.
There are some nice neighbourhoods in Seattle proper and like our Downtown Eastside, some not so nice places too.
My work typically took me to Redmond which is where Microsoft and other high tech companies are located. It is pretty upscale and it is located across the lake on the East Side of Lake Union. Nice neighbourhoods and shopping etc. Further north from Redmond are some nice areas too but you would probably be commuting which is incredibly bad on the Hwy 405 in the AM.
If it were me, I would choose the Redmond area because I spent so much time there, felt safe, easy to get around, had plenty of outdoor activities, good shopping and it still had a country feel to it being so close to Seattle. Bellevue is located to the south and west of Redmond it is pretty much the same atmosphere.
Mercer Island is a nice place too and it has some of the pretty expensive real estate. I only drove around it to take a look.
It really depends how much of commute you can tolerate when you live in the Seattle area. They do have an effective grid of highways compared to the Vancouver area.
Best restaurants are located in downtown Seattle IMO.
They are attempting to clean up the areas near Qwest Field etc but at night time it becomes crack central. Avoid it if I were you. Still they have made an effort to replicate our Yaletown neighbourhood with old buildings being gutted and keeping the exteriors.
The University (U of W) district is a nice neighbourhood too and it is really quite close to the downtown.
To the south is Renton, Tukwila, Southgate etc. Pretty much suburbia.
There are some nice neighbourhoods in Seattle proper and like our Downtown Eastside, some not so nice places too.
My work typically took me to Redmond which is where Microsoft and other high tech companies are located. It is pretty upscale and it is located across the lake on the East Side of Lake Union. Nice neighbourhoods and shopping etc. Further north from Redmond are some nice areas too but you would probably be commuting which is incredibly bad on the Hwy 405 in the AM.
If it were me, I would choose the Redmond area because I spent so much time there, felt safe, easy to get around, had plenty of outdoor activities, good shopping and it still had a country feel to it being so close to Seattle. Bellevue is located to the south and west of Redmond it is pretty much the same atmosphere.
Mercer Island is a nice place too and it has some of the pretty expensive real estate. I only drove around it to take a look.
It really depends how much of commute you can tolerate when you live in the Seattle area. They do have an effective grid of highways compared to the Vancouver area.
Best restaurants are located in downtown Seattle IMO.
They are attempting to clean up the areas near Qwest Field etc but at night time it becomes crack central. Avoid it if I were you. Still they have made an effort to replicate our Yaletown neighbourhood with old buildings being gutted and keeping the exteriors.
The University (U of W) district is a nice neighbourhood too and it is really quite close to the downtown.
To the south is Renton, Tukwila, Southgate etc. Pretty much suburbia.
Seattle is my home town and I can tell you, you will not have to worry about the shwarma or BBQ pork and there really is no kits. I suppose the closest would be greenlake. Seattle is a totally different town with a totally different flavor and energy. As a vancouverite, it may take some getting used to if you are living there. However, its worth the getting used to, it's a great place to live. You should check out Freemont or Queen Anne.
Badboy, Redmond is on the east side of lake Washington also it kinda lacks charitor and what I would call suburbia- think north van
also it kinda lacks charitor and what I would call suburbia- think north van
my bad, yes Lake Washington ..... its late.Badboy, Redmond is on the east side of lake Washington
Still I found Redmond to be a decent place and I do live in N Van hence the feels like home part.
Thanks for all the advice so far.
The workplace is located in the South Lake Union area. In terms of commute my preference is to take transit or to ride to work if possible. Driving is not an issue but I'd prefer to do that only when necessary especially with the Seattle traffic and road network. I mean in Vancouver you have to deal with idiots but in Seattle you have to deal with the vast number of vehicles out there and in my opinion a very complicated network of freeways i.e., if you miss one exit, then you're SOL. If I have to commute, I would like to drive no more than 30 minutes.
I am familiar with Bellevue and to be honest I don't mind that area at all. It's a nice area but I did find that area to be a bit dead at night. Cycling and not having to worry about being run over by cars. Somewhere that is close to the water would also be good. And an area that is not totally like a ghost town at night. I want to be able to go to a bar or pub at night and feel like there is still life in the area.
Sounds like I am asking for a lot here. Hopefully I am not.
The workplace is located in the South Lake Union area. In terms of commute my preference is to take transit or to ride to work if possible. Driving is not an issue but I'd prefer to do that only when necessary especially with the Seattle traffic and road network. I mean in Vancouver you have to deal with idiots but in Seattle you have to deal with the vast number of vehicles out there and in my opinion a very complicated network of freeways i.e., if you miss one exit, then you're SOL. If I have to commute, I would like to drive no more than 30 minutes.
I am familiar with Bellevue and to be honest I don't mind that area at all. It's a nice area but I did find that area to be a bit dead at night. Cycling and not having to worry about being run over by cars. Somewhere that is close to the water would also be good. And an area that is not totally like a ghost town at night. I want to be able to go to a bar or pub at night and feel like there is still life in the area.
Sounds like I am asking for a lot here. Hopefully I am not.
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I subscribe to this info from Seattle area.
It has info on bars, restaurants, community things happening etc
I found it useful when I was entertaining clients and I wanted a place to eat nearby our work that particular day.
http://seattle.citysearch.com/
They also have a mobile app if that helps too.
It has info on bars, restaurants, community things happening etc
I found it useful when I was entertaining clients and I wanted a place to eat nearby our work that particular day.
http://seattle.citysearch.com/
They also have a mobile app if that helps too.
I should also add that Bellevue and Redmond are pretty dead at night time. Nightlife was mainly in the Seattle centre area.
I just never really took the time to sort out what to do at night because I was pulling some pretty long hours at the time. Reading the paper and a cold beer at night was about it.
If it is more of an outdoor life you are looking for ie riding etc then something perhaps closer to the ocean may be better. The guys living in Seattle may know more. I didn't notice too many cyclists when I was down there on business.
You could check in with an outdoor store like REI which is sort of like our MEC.
I just never really took the time to sort out what to do at night because I was pulling some pretty long hours at the time. Reading the paper and a cold beer at night was about it.
If it is more of an outdoor life you are looking for ie riding etc then something perhaps closer to the ocean may be better. The guys living in Seattle may know more. I didn't notice too many cyclists when I was down there on business.
You could check in with an outdoor store like REI which is sort of like our MEC.
