SEATTLE

Seattle, called The Emerald City lies in the Northwest corner of the United States, nestled between majestic mountains, lush forests, and wondrous waterways, making it one of America's most beautiful cities. Seattle began as a logging town over a hundred years ago, but now is more famous as the home of Microsoft, Amazon.com, and Starbucks. It presents a variety of interesting contrasts between the old style town built on sweat and the new town built on silicon and coffee beans. Pioneer Square is a perfect example with new businesses located in historic buildings that are now permanently preserved as part of a national historic district.

Seattle is known for some of the freshest seafood and the infamous Pike Place Market is a great place to pick up some fish, fresh flower, and concert tickets or just sit and people watch.

The downtown core is not very big, and although fairly busy during the week, come nightfall, the majority of people go home to the suburban neighborhoods. Some of typical suburbs include Kirkland, Bellville and overall each has its own charm and fairly easy commute into downtown. Because Seattle has been growing at twice the national rate – more people are moving to the area, hence pushing up real estate prices, especially in areas such as Belltown and Queen Anne, some of the more popular transferee bound ‘citified’ neighborhoods.

Public transit is affordable and buses are plenty in the downtown core. Downtown buses are free within a certain zone which is well-detailed on a map. As well, there is an underground bus tunnel that is unique among American cities; you can get from one end of downtown to the other in about 5 minutes. There is a monorail that links Seattle Center to the Westlake Center at 4th and Pine; at 90 seconds, it is one of the quickest rides you can take. There is also a trolley car that runs from Pioneer Square out to Broad Street.

Overall, Seattle is a great place to live if you like fresh air, good seafood and affordable housing. An umbrella is useful a keeping the more than occasional rain shower away.

Downtown Seattle includes the areas around Pike Place Market, Pioneer Square, and the Waterfront and is very ‘citified’ living. The rental housing in downtown Seattle and the International District is primarily comprised of older, vintage style apartments and newer apartment and condominiums projects. And although Seattle offers few loft-style units, the downtown/Pioneer Square area is the place to look for this type of unit. With recent development projects being completed and an overall slowdown in the economy, the availability of apartments has increased and rental rates have declined Monthly parking is expensive and not typically included in rent, but the steep price may be well worth it, as street parking can be difficult to come by. The Central District offers both rental houses and affordably priced apartments. Pioneer Square is Seattle's oldest neighborhood and where the city's downtown got its start in 1852. During the gold rush days from 1897 to 1898, miners flocked there. Today it attracts businesses from the 21st-Century rush to the Internet, mixing dot-com entrepreneurs with artists, street people, sports fans from nearby arenas and plenty of night revelers drawn to its numerous cafés and clubs.

Belltown The Belltown area is located in the north end of downtown Seattle, north of Pike Place Market and one of the city's hip, youthful neighborhoods at the north end of the downtown area. A mix of jazz, rock venues, restaurants, pool halls, cafes, and unique boutiques and thrift shops. You might notice the area is unusually flat for Seattle. Belltown is a hodgepodge neighborhood: By day, high-tech professionals, by night, it transforms into a bustling mecca for the city’s hottest clubs, bars and restaurants, along with its own very hip artists and musicians. The Belltown neighborhood has experienced Seattle’s highest concentration of new condominium and apartment development. Most of the residences in this neighborhood are found in larger complexes and high-rises. These newer properties offer the highest level of services and amenities in Seattle. The combination of "in-city" technology jobs with increased demand for downtown living makes the Belltown neighborhood one of the more expensive rental areas.

Queen Anne is the highest hill in town with an elevation of more than 450 feet above the waters of Puget Sound. It is worth taking a drive around to see why housing prices are booming and rentals vacancies are low here. You will find a stylish combination of noteworthy architecture, water and city views, and lively shopping all in close proximity to downtown. Queen Anne has long been seen as a desirable place to live and the neighborhood was named for the Queen Anne architectural style of its early Victorian mansions. Queen Anne is located north of downtown, and is considered a neighborhood of choice for those who work in Downtown Seattle or on the Eastside due to its strategic location. Upper Queen Anne Ave. is sprinkled with specialty shops, ranging from upscale dress shops to local pubs and is home to long time residents with a higher number of residential homes. Rentals in the lower Queen Anne area are also much sought after surrounding the Seattle Center area where there are many exotic restaurants and coffee shops in abundance where the abundance of rentals tend to attract professionals, students, and artists. Queen Anne is a mixture of people from every income bracket; while Queen Anne is considered a high rent district in Seattle, its plentiful apartment buildings and historical mansions draw renters and home buyers into the area. Queen Anne offers a variety of rental choices. Due to its close proximity to downtown, it is one of our more expensive neighborhoods.