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Terminal Boardumb => Non-Music Shit => Cities => Topic started by: chrizow on October 12, 2009, 07:15:53 AM
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we're thinking of moving to seattle. i've been trying to find information about the various neighborhoods up there online, with little luck. can someone help me understand the vibes of the various neighborhoods or areas of town?
georgetown sounds like a cool spot from what i've read, but are there less-remote areas that are approachable and not terribly expensive?
craigslist doesn't seem to be very helpful for finding a place. is there an alternative site seattlites use to find housing? it seems like all the listings on CL are for new, condo-type spaces.
thanks!
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My suggestion is stay South of the Ship Canal Bridge - i.e. Capitol Hill, Central District, International District, SODO, Georgetown, West Seattle, South Park, etc. These areas are a little grittier, I guess, but have more soul, to me anyways.
Personally I can't stand Ballard (I grew up there), Fremont, Green Lake, Ravenna, University District, etc. which drive me batty with lefty, aware, political correctness.
These are generalizations of course.
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These areas are a little grittier, I guess, but have more soul, to me anyways.
soul and grit are good. thanks for the tips! we live in kansas city, which has no shortage of grit and soul (but does have shortages of plenty of other things).
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I dont live there but have spent quite a lot of time there, especially in West Seattle, where the A Frames lived. I like that area: the neighborhood looks working/middle class (nothing fancy). I assume it was full of people working at the port and Boeing. Now I think it is computer people, esp. Amazon, which has their hq there. Nice commercial strip with a lousy record store, great park on the water, good views of the sound.
Spent good time in the International District. It is wedged between the University area & I think Georgetown and Downtown, which is really good because Seattle is a car town. It is laid out a long the water so top to bottom is quite a haul. Public transit is okay at best. Being in the center of the city is not a bad thing.
There is a neighborhood where Dan from the Factums used to live and where he had his basement studio. Maybe em can name it. Spent a weekend and some there and liked it. Nice views, good houses. Some stores at the bottom of the hill, which I think is on the water (top of the hill has great view of the sound). You definitely need a car to get around.
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Hmmmm... lots of questions!!
Do you want to live in a house or an apartment/condo? New or old? What kind of transit do you need? What kind of stuff do you want it the neighborhood? Do you mind extreme air traffic overhead? (Georgetown is right under Boeing Field) Is walkable important? Do you want a basement? Do you have a family?
My two cents on the neighborhoods mentioned:
Georgetown is pretty urban and industrial, it's got a lot of stuff going in like some record stores and bars, it's pretty compact. There are some "hip" businesses, it's kind of hard to get to but has a pretty cool vibe.
West Seattle is pretty large -- it's almost like a separate city unto itself -- but it's mostly small 40s or 50s single-family houses. Good if you want to practice in your basement or anything like that. You'll need a car to get around. It's very neighborhood-y. Lots of old people, young families, grunge legends. It's where I live, and I really like it. A good having barbecues and drinking beer on the porch kind of neighborhood.
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I'm not sure where Dan lived.
I just don't get how everyone says Georgetown is so far out of the way. It's really not. It's just surrounded by industry and there's no grocery store. But really it's a very fast bus ride to downtown (10 minutes). Traffic is pretty much not an issue. Back roads to West Seattle, the CD, ID, Seward Park, Capitol Hill are very fast. Even getting north to Ballard is fast on the viaduct (which has the best views of the city). I lived in Georgetown from about 1998 to 2004 and it was a great place to live. Nice people and very neighborhoody. I still spend a fair amount of time there when I'm in the city. Even now that it's hipsterville it's still a great place to live if you're okay with the noise and pollution - underground chemicals, freeway dust, jet fuel. Sounds nasty but I love(d) it.
A car is pretty necessary.
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There is a neighborhood where Dan from the Factums used to live and where he had his basement studio. Maybe em can name it. Spent a weekend and some there and liked it. Nice views, good houses. Some stores at the bottom of the hill, which I think is on the water (top of the hill has great view of the sound). You definitely need a car to get around.
he lived a few blocks from me in ballard / sunset hill.
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thanks for the tips, everyone!
Do you want to live in a house or an apartment/condo? New or old? What kind of transit do you need? What kind of stuff do you want it the neighborhood? Do you mind extreme air traffic overhead? (Georgetown is right under Boeing Field) Is walkable important? Do you want a basement? Do you have a family?
* we'd prefer a house, though a large apartment or loft would be fine. (we have a dog)
* old stuff = better. we like charm, grit, and all that.
* walkability is a plus, but we dont have to live right in the thick of everything. we have a car (two, actually) and don't mind driving a bit. if there are a couple of bars, cafes, etc. within a 10 minute walk, that's fine.
right now we live in a 100-year old house on the cusp of the 'hood. something similar in seattle would be ideal - a cool old house in a marginal area (so it is less $$) with a strong neighborhood, DIY vibe. we are around 30 y/o and live pretty quiet lives - gardening, fahey records, reading, cooking dinner, etc.
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Okay, Georgetown is where the A Frames practiced. If that is the case, it is a cool industrial area.
Seems to me that if you arent from Seattle, there isnt gonna be a hell of a lot of difference between say Ballard and West Seattle. To me, there is no stigma attached to either and both seem livable. I'd relocate there if it wasnt for the god damn rain.
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Seems to me that if you arent from Seattle, there isnt gonna be a hell of a lot of difference between say Ballard and West Seattle. To me, there is no stigma attached to either and both seem livable. I'd relocate there if it wasnt for the god damn rain.
Sorta true, sorta not. Ballard is a more nice and doesn't have the West Side Street Mob or the 74 Hoover Crips. But, if you're gonna live in the north, Ballard is the place, I think, even if it is now full of "yuppies" (as my grandma who lived there her entire 86 years used to say).
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move to the central district.
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Ballard has some really nice old houses and a little downtown core area with a bunch of empty condos and soon a Trader Joes. I never really went to West Seattle but I never had a car. I like Ballard. There's a really nice beach there.
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The A Frames practice space (formerly our practice space too) is in "SoDo", not quite Georgetown. Georgetown is cooler than that.
Ballard is a little more yuppieish that WS, but yeah, it's not THAT big a difference. Ballard has better bars.
South Park or maybe Beacon Hill sounds like it might be a good match for you! Or parts of West Seattle/White Center. South Park is definitely the roughest but it is cheaper and there are cool old houses.
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White Center! There is a really good Mexican place there and a good breakfast joint too. And good thrift stores.
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White Center!
And a great annual Khmer festival!
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I've been in Seattle for 5 years now and Ballard is still my favorite neighborhood to live in... I liked the Central district but had the fucking worst slum lord of all time. Yes, Ballard has its downside too. All the gentrification and empty condos are fucking depressing... but that's happening all over the city... It's only been in the past couple of years that the overlords have been hitting Ballard mega tough. When they stripped down the old Sunset Bowling Alley I almost lost my shit! Still, it's got the best bars, good record stores like Sonic Boom and Bop Street( the largest store in the NW), and if you skate there's the Ballard Bowl and Lower Woodland Park. Ballard doesn't have and street parking zoning laws, which really takes a load off if you drive a car.... or live in an RV, ha. The Sunset Tavern is a rad place to play and see shows. Golden gardens is a great beach to take the dog out and drink beer by the sound. It's choice.
Oh yeah. Pete Bagge, Hate Comics, lives like 4 blocks from me. He based a lot of Hate off of living in Ballard through the 90's.