Seattle Neighborhoods Guide for Home Buyers & Relocating Families

Thinking about moving to Seattle and trying to figure out which neighborhood actually fits your lifestyle, budget, and commute? You’re not alone. Seattle is a city of distinct micro-neighborhoods, and choosing the right one can make the difference between loving your Seattle home and feeling like you landed in the wrong place.

Seattle waterfront and neighborhoods overview — ***Explore the best Seattle neighborhoods for your next home.***

I’m Emily Cressey, a Seattle real estate broker and long-time local. My team and I created this Seattle Neighborhoods Hub to give you a clear, organized way to explore the city – from hip, walkable neighborhoods close to downtown, to quieter residential areas near top schools and parks.

Watch: Living in Seattle – Neighborhoods, Commutes, and Lifestyle

Prefer to watch instead of read? Start with this video for an overview of what it’s really like to live in Seattle, including commute tips, school considerations, and how to narrow down your neighborhood shortlist.

Expert Advice to Consider Before Relocating to Seattle, WA

How to Use This Seattle Neighborhoods Hub

Below, you’ll find Seattle neighborhoods organized into simple groups. Click into each neighborhood for a detailed guide with photos, pricing, commute notes, and local insights. Use this page as your starting point to:

Compare different parts of Seattle side-by-side.
Build a shortlist of 3–5 neighborhoods to tour when you’re in town.
Get a feel for which areas fit your family’s lifestyle, budget, and daily routine.

Pro tip: As you read, jot down three things that matter most to you – for example: walkability, school ratings, or commute time to downtown or South Lake Union.

North & Northwest Seattle Neighborhoods

North Seattle offers a mix of classic craftsman homes, quieter residential streets, and strong access to parks and neighborhood retail. Many of these areas work well for families who want a balance between city access and a more relaxed feel.

Ballard, Seattle, WA
Bitter Lake, WA
Bryant, Seattle, WA
Cedar Park, WA
Crown Hill, WA
Greenlake, Seattle, WA
Greenwood, WA
Loyal Heights, WA
Licton Springs, WA
Olympic Hills, WA
Northgate, WA
Whittier Heights, WA
Maple Leaf, WA (guide coming soon)
North Beach / Blue Ridge, WA (guide coming soon)

Central & In-City Seattle Neighborhoods

These neighborhoods are close to the urban core – ideal if you want shorter commutes, vibrant restaurant and nightlife scenes, and easy access to arts, culture, and major employers.

Downtown Seattle, WA
Capitol Hill & First Hill, Seattle, WA
Central District, Seattle, WA
East Lake (Eastlake), WA
Fremont & Wallingford, Seattle, WA
Laurelhurst, WA
Montlake, WA
Phinney Ridge, WA
South Lake Union, Seattle, WA
The U-District (UW), Seattle, WA
Broadmoor, Seattle, WA
Madison Park, WA
Cherry Hill / Squire Park, WA (guide coming soon)
Washington Park, WA (guide coming soon)

Waterfront & View Neighborhoods

If you’re dreaming of water views, beach access, or a quieter neighborhood that still connects easily back into the city, these areas are worth a close look.

South Seattle Neighborhoods

South Seattle offers more diversity in housing types and price points, with growing light rail access and a mix of long-time residents and newer arrivals. It can be a good fit if you’re looking for relatively more affordability while still staying in the city limits.

Rainier Beach, Seattle, WA

Island Living with Easy Access to Seattle

If you like the idea of a quieter, more upscale island lifestyle but still want reasonable access to Seattle for work or play, these areas may be a good fit.

Bainbridge Island, WA

Need Help Choosing the Right Seattle Neighborhood?

Looking at all these options and still not sure where to start? That’s normal. Most of my clients feel overwhelmed at first – especially when they’re relocating from out of state and trying to make a smart decision from a distance.

I offer a personalized Seattle Neighborhood Strategy Session where we look at your budget, commute, school needs, and lifestyle priorities, and narrow things down to a short list of best-fit areas for your family.

Next step: Click the button below to request your neighborhood strategy session or schedule a virtual tour day.

Request Your Seattle Neighborhood Strategy Session

Rooftop view of colorful modern condos in Seattle’s Capitol Hill neighborhood under a clear sky. Capitol Hill Condo Building — Nothing beats a game day at the ballpark—sunshine, stadium energy, and a chance to soak in the best of Seattle summer all in one place.

Nothing beats a game day at the ballpark—sunshine, stadium energy, and a chance to soak in the best of Seattle summer all in one place.

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What others are saying…

Rob Maxwell – Success Speaker, Trainer, Coach and Real Estate Investor

I have experienced first hand Emily’s ability to motivate an entire audience to take action.

Rob Maxwell

Nick and Tink sold their home due to relocation for work.

“When my wife and I decided to sell our home in Marysville, WA, we got referred to Emily Cressey by our pastor. Emily came out and helped us plan what to do and when to do it since we didn’t have very much time to get the house ready before our move out of state. From furniture arranging, cleaning, professional photography, videos and drone shots – Emily got the job done when it came to marketing our home. We had a big open house, and we could see on our ring camera how people were lining up outside to come in and see the home. Buyers started sending us offers the first day the home came on the market, but we held fast, waiting to see what the market would bring us. Because Emily was familiar with the market values in the area through her research, we had a good idea of what to expect and when we got an incredibly strong early offer, we decided to take it and sold our home for 35% over the asking price. Emily’s professionalism, organization and marketing really came through for us and we were thrilled, and so was the buyer. We would happily refer her to others and have actually already done so!” – Nick H.

NICK H.

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Testimonials

We Sold Brian and Mary’s Everett, WA Home To A Buyer Who Visited Our Saturday and Sunday Open Houses.

Brian and Mary were excited to show me photos of the new house they were buying in Texas. The only problem was, they had to sell their home in Everett first. Plus they wanted a lease-back so Mary would have time to finish her job at the school before they had to move.

My co-listing agent Laura Lee and I set to work staging their home (and getting them to move a lot of items into the garage). When we were done, the home looked a lot bigger, and the owners had obviously taken very good care of it and undertaken several remodeling projects.

We “held it open” for two days, inviting interested buyers to come and spend as much time as they wanted the first day it was on the market. We had several eager parties who came to BOTH days of the open house, and one of them ended up making the winning bid. She knew the friendly neighborhood and fenced back yard would be just right for her golden retriever puppy!

Brian and Mary were thrilled to have a solid offer with no contingencies, and a 2-week rent-back, because it made it much easier for them to transition to their new home.

Bon Voyage! We will miss you!

BRIAN AND MARY

From Fixer Upper to Fabulous: A Sold Success!

What happens when you sell a fixer house for the very tippy-top of the market range? We found out: Buyers get a little nervous.

This little house in Kenmore had been owned as an investment and rental for many years. It was adjacent to a buildable piece of land, also for sale… There were a lot of different things different prospective buyers wanted to do with it…. Remodel it, rent it, build something new, or buy the full acre and develop it all.

We Sold This Fixer Upper House Sold As-Is In Kenmore, Washington, In A Tricky Market, With Buyer Hesitancy.

All the buyers had good ideas, but they were all a little nervous about whether their plan was best.

We actually got all sorts of offers on this property and ended up putting it under contract twice, and having buyers try to back out twice… However, the second time the buyer was locked in with a very strong contract, and we had to remind the him that he would lose his (substantial) earnest money deposit if he didn’t perform.

Happily, he bought the lot at a great price for my seller, and he is eyeing the lot next door as well.

We always prefer people to be happy with their transactions, but we are also here to ADVOCATE for our clients. We want them to get what they are owed, and understand the TEETH in our paperwork.

This is one of the reasons why I spend so much time reviewing contracts with my buyers and sellers. I don’t want them to just blindly start signing things they don’t understand and then try to back out or change their minds.

And if someone is acting in such a way that harms my client, like trying to back out of a signed contract, I’m going to do everything I can to advocate for my client. In fact, this is how we recovered $22.5K of forfeit earnest money on another transaction this month.

Everybody likes to be a “nice person” and be “approved of” by others. But when it comes to advocating for clients, realtors must step up and be the bad guy, when necessary, to make sure their clients are protected.

The good news, is that we were able to sell this fixer house for $50K over asking price and $40K over the next highest offer. We were thrilled to do it, and excited to see what comes next for our client.

Homeowner: Jerry Owen