Pointe3's Moving to WA Guide

HELPFUL LOCAL INFORMATION

GETTING TO KNOW THE NEIGHBORHOODS

We know the greater Seattle area very well, and love to help people choose the perfect neighborhood to fit their personality. If you need assistance in narrowing down which area you should live in, please let us know! It’s our specialty.

The city of Seattle is spread out over a large area, but it’s made up of many distinct neighborhoods with their own individual characteristics. And nearby are a few major cities with their own personalities. Below is a brief overview of some of the more popular areas. If you’d like to do some additional research on your own, you can also visit SeattleRentals.com/explore_neighborhoods for a map and descriptions.

Downtown

+ Belltown

The Belltown area is located in the north end of Downtown Seattle, just up from Pike Place Market. With a mix of high-rises apartments and condos, hip restaurants and bars, boutique shops, galleries, and concert venues, living in either Downtown or Belltown gives you the vibrant, bustling “city” feel.

South Lake Union + Lower Queen Anne

South Lake Union (aka SLU) offers plenty of fun restaurants and cafés, as well as a great jogging path around Lake Union, access to the Streetcar and Monorail, and a short walk to Downtown. Mid-rise apartments and condos make up the rental housing here.

Capitol Hill + First Hill

Overlooking Downtown and SLU is a ridge made up of Capitol Hill (the north side of the hill) and First Hill (the south side). Capitol Hill’s artistic, passionate history still shines through even as new mid-rise construction takes over some of the older buildings here. Great restaurants and bars make for an exciting nightlife.

Fremont, Wallingford, Greenlake + Ballard

Further north from Downtown are the neighborhoods of Fremont, Wallingford, Greenlake, and Ballard. The first three areas are made up of single family homes and smaller apartments, and are walking distance to charming restaurants, bike trails, and cafés. Ballard offers many larger apartment communities as well as the private housing options, and lots of sought-after restaurants, music venues, and friendly bars can be found lining its main streets.

West Seattle

To the west of Downtown is a neighborhood that feels like its own city: West Seattle. This peninsula is made up of many sub-neighborhoods, each with their own vibe and demographics. The main commercial district is at the top of the hill at the intersection of SW Alaska and California Ave, known as The Junction, and you’ll find some newer large apartment buildings here. The Admiral district in the north end has more of a quiet, boutique feel. And one of Seattle’s favorite beaches, Alki, runs along the north and west side of the peninsula.

Neighboring Seattle are the popular cities of Bellevue, Redmond, Sammamish, Kirkland, Mercer Island and Issaquah, which make up what locals call “The Eastside.”

Bellevue

Bellevue is the second largest city in our area, and has its own vibrant downtown scene. High-rise condominium and apartment buildings sit amongst hip restaurants, nightlife and malls. Construction is booming in downtown Bellevue with lots of newer, luxury rentals on the market. Outside of the downtown core of Bellevue are quieter, more residential areas with single family homes and townhouses.

Redmond + Sammamish

Redmond has a smaller, quieter “downtown” than Bellevue with restaurants, shops and a large outdoor mall, as well as some great biking and walking trails in the area’s most popular park, Marymoor Park. There are lots of mid-rise apartment buildings, single family homes and townhomes in this city, with more modern rental options in the downtown area and more 1980s- and 90s-built properties in the surrounding area. Primarily residential, Sammamish juts up a large hill from the east side of Lake Sammamish. It’s mostly made up of single family homes with a small handful of apartment buildings. There are newer houses and townhome developments at the top of the ridge, but commuting down from this area can often be rough.

Kirkland

Kirkland’s charming downtown is located on Lake WA and has mid-rise condos and apartments surrounded by restaurants and boutique shops. Juanita, located in in the north end of Kirkland, has its own waterfront restaurants and is often slightly less expensive than the downtown Kirkland housing. In between these two areas are a broad range of quieter, more residential neighborhoods, primarily made up of single family homes.

Mercer Island

Mercer Island sits between Seattle and Bellevue along the Hwy I-90 corridor. Its downtown hub has coffee shops, restaurants and a beautiful park, as well as a very small handful of mid-rise apartment buildings and condominiums. Surrounding this are residential areas with single family homes. The island also has a perk if you work in Seattle - the I-90 Carpool Express Lanes are available for use by drivers getting on and off at Mercer Island, meaning you get to avoid rush hour traffic with your own “private” highway.

Issaquah

Issaquah is a city spread across a large valley surrounding either side of Hwy I-90. Its vintage downtown is historically preserved and features small boutique shops, theaters and restaurants. The Highlands neighborhood is a 2000s-built development with its own expansive shopping center, restaurants, movie theater, and cafés. There’s a broad range of low-and mid-rise apartment buildings as well as many single family homes and townhomes here.

North of Seattle ( “The Northend”) you’ll find Edmonds, Everett, and Bothell; south of Seattle (“The Southend”) you’ll find Renton and Kent.

Edmonds

The charming waterfront city of Edmonds is located north of Seattle, just outside the border of King County in Snohomish County. A mix of Art Deco era historic buildings and some newer developments line the quiet downtown area. Edmonds is known for being extremely walkable with many street fairs, sidewalk cafés, a bustling farmer’s market, and boutique shops, along with sandy beaches that offer beautiful Puget Sound and Olympic Mountain views. Housing is primarily single family homes, with a scattering of apartment buildings near the waterfront.

Everett

A large city with a mix of historic, mid-century, and modern architecture, the feel of Everett is a blend of urban and suburban, with great parks, lakes and walking trails tucked in. Neighborhoods near the water come with wonderful Puget Sound views, the rocky beaches offer tide pools, and the city often puts on summer and fall outdoor activities for its residents. Many of the historic buildings have been preserved in Everett’s downtown, which also has a popular events center for concerts, shows, and ice hockey. Large, newer apartment buildings tend to be located closer to the Boeing plant.

Bothell

Bothell is a sizable city located to the north east of Seattle. Locals love to browse the shops at Country Village, a collection of farm-style/ old west buildings with antique shops, glass blowing studios, wine tasting spots, boutique shops, and even train rides for the kids. Plenty of farmers’ markets, car shows, and outdoor concerts make Bothell a great spot for weekend outings. Housing here is a mix of single family homes, mid-rise and garden-style apartment buildings, townhomes and small multiplexes.

Renton

South of Seattle at the edge of Lake Washington is the city of Renton. The lake’s waterfront is wrapped by a sprawling 57 acre park called Gene Coulon Memorial Beach Park, or “Coulon Beach,” which is packed in the summer with folks swimming, picnicking, flying kites, and walking dogs. The Cedar River also flows through Renton, with salmon making their trek up it each year. A large outdoor shopping center called The Landing provides residents with a theater, restaurants, shops, and summer entertainment. Quite a few large apartment communities are located in Renton, primarily on the lake front, near The Landing, or in the Renton Highlands overlooking the valley. You’ll also find many single family homes and townhome options in this in the hills overlooking Renton’s downtown core.

The city of Kent is situated south of Seattle and will soon be connected by light rail. Its three main areas are West Hill along the I-5 corridor, Valley along the Green River, and East Hill overlooking the valley. Single family homes are primarily located in East Hill, while Valley and West Hill are mostly commercial and retail with lots of large apartment communities mixed in. Near the popular ShoWare Center (an arena for ice hockey/skating, concerts and shows) is Kent Station, an ‘urban village’ shopping center with cafés, restaurants, local events, a movie theater, and more.

Kent

Commuting

One of the main things you should consider when choosing a neighborhood is your commute. We’re a region separated by water, and there are only two floating bridges (Hwy 520 and Hwy I-90) that have to slowly funnel traffic between the two main regions.

AVERAGE DRIVING COMMUTE TIMES DURING RUSH HOUR

neighborhoods •North Seattle neighborhoods

Luckily our area has a wonderful, easy-to-use bus system and a rapidly expanding light rail system with quick stops throughout the region.

Our bus and light rail service is run by Metro and Sound Transit. Their websites have very handy online Trip Planners to find a stop near you and plan the shortest routes to your destination.

Microsoft, Amazon, and some other major employers have also set up their own small bus systems for its employees. Parking in high-density areas can be very difficult and very expensive, so some employers offer discounted bus passes to encourage use.

Schools

For families with young children, another important factor you’ll want to consider is which school district you’d like to be in. Some schools offer open enrollment, meaning you don’t need to live within the boundaries of that school’s limits to go there - but this is increasingly rare. The most popular schools do not offer open enrollment, and in fact many times cannot guarantee that your child will attend that school even if you live across the street from it.

If you have a school preference, it’s important to consult with its staff to see what their current guidelines are. Please be aware that even if you do decide upon a specific school, there may be very few rentals within the boundaries of its enrollment district.

GreatSchools.org has useful online comparisons for K-12 schools with rankings, extracurricular activities, and links to schools’ websites.

Light Rail

University of Washington

Capitol Hill

Westlake

University Street

Pioneer Square

International District/ Chinatown Stadium

SODO

Beacon Hill

Mount Baker

Columbia City

Othello

Rainier Beach

Tukwila

International Blvd

Sea Tac/ Airport

Angle Lake

Utility Companies

Any special instructions regarding your utilities will be outlined in your lease agreement, but here’s a handy list of all the utility companies servicing our region:

CITYELECTRICITYGAS

Seattle

Bellevue

Kirkland

Mercer Island

Redmond

Issaquah

Sammamish

Tacoma

Seattle City Light 206-684-3000

Puget Sound Energy 888-225-5773

Puget Sound Energy 888-225-5773

Puget Sound Energy 888-225-5773

Puget Sound Energy 888-225-5773

Puget Sound Energy 888-225-5773

Puget Sound Energy 888-225-5773

Tacoma Power 253-502-8600

Security Deposits

Puget Sound Energy 888-225-5773

Puget Sound Energy 888-225-5773

Puget Sound Energy 888-225-5773

Puget Sound Energy 888-225-5773

Puget Sound Energy 888-225-5773

Puget Sound Energy 888-225-5773

Puget Sound Energy 888-225-5773

Tacoma Power 253-502-8600

WATER / SEWER GARBAGE / YARD WASTE

Seattle Public Utilities 206-684-3000

Bellevue Utilities 425-452-6973

Kirkland City Utilities 425-587-3150

Mercer Island Utilities 206-275-7783

Redmond Utilities 425-556-2152

Issaquah Utilities 425-837-3050

Sammamish Plateau Water - 425-392-6256

Tacoma Water 253-502-8600

Seattle Public Utilities 206-684-3000

Republic Services 425-452-5762

Kirkland City Utilities 425-587-3150

Republic Services 425-452-5762

Waste Management 800-592-9995

Republic Services 425-452-5762

Waste Management 800-592-9995

Solid Waste Mgmnt 253-502-2100

High speed Internet service providers vary based on your specific neighborhood and building. Be sure to ask your leasing agent or property manager which provider your building uses. Here are the primary ones for our area:

Xfinity - 877-824-2288

• Wave Broadband - 844-325-1568

Cascade Link - 206-774-3660

CenturyLink - 866-863-6665

Frontier - 844-490-5954

Verizon FIOS - 877-585-7951

Dish Network - 855-775-2923

Licensing + Registration

Remember to contact the WA State Department of Licensing to update your driver’s license address, as well as theState of Washington to update your voter registration address and district. If you haven’t secured renters insurance yet, we’d be happy to refer you to a renters insurance company.

CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR MOVE, AND AGAIN -

WELCOME TO WASHINGTON