what are neighborhoods to avoid in Seattle?

Question

I'm looking into moving to Seattle, but I've never been there and don't know anyone who lives there. I'd rather not end up in a really bad neighborhood, but I'm a single guy in my 20's so I'm not going to move to the suburbs or anything like that. Any advise on what parts of town to avoid?


Also, I'm looking at a job in Redmond, so living in Bellevue has crossed my mind. Is Bellevue like being in Seattle or is it more suburby?

Answer 1

Seattle neighborhoods - as a single person I'd be looking at Belltown, Capitol Hill, Wallingford/Greenlake areas. But if you are committing to the commute to Redmond every day, proximity to the freeway will be critical to limit your commute times. The traffic here is not good, and a cross bridge commute is the worst.



So you might reconsider Bellevue or Kirkland. Downtown Bellevue is decently developed, even with the mall as part of the center of town. There are good restaurants, bars etc. on the Eastside, and it's not all married people with kids.



Neighborhoods to avoid - anything on Martin Luther King way South, Beacon Hill, White Center. For a commute to Redmond I'd also be eliminating West Seattle, Ballard, Magnolia, Fremont and probably Queen Anne because of the difficulty getting to the freeway (even though .these are also nice neighborhoods to live in).

Answer 2

Good god, man. Reconsider the suburbs. As a single guy in your 20's, do you want to spend your entire life outside of work commuting, or do you want to have a social life?



If you are worried about a safe place to live, Redmond is perfectly safe. And you will not have to spend time parked on 520. Bellevue is also a nice safe suburb. But there is plenty of housing in Redmond, closer to your job. Living close to your job is key in the Seattle area.

Answer 3

Capital Hill is probably the best. Lots of young people, no bums, nice atmosphere, and actually not as expensive as lower down off the hill in downtown Seattle. Plus there's an actual grocery store.

Down closer to the water, it gets a little more dangerous to go out at night, but still not really too bad.

Answer 4

First, tell me.... Have you or have you NOT read Twilight?