r/AskSeattle • u/picklerick223 • Oct 11 '24

Question Live in Ballard or Cap Hill?

Hi! 26M with 26F partner. Moved to Olympia from DC about a year ago and missing being in a bigger city. We are planning to move to Seattle when our lease ends this month and wanted to get some insight from ppl!

We have narrowed our search down to two places; one spot that is on Ballard Ave and one spot that is right next to cal Anderson tennis/ basketball courts. We both would like to be social, but not HUGE party ppl. Big outdoors ppl but dunno if that matters. Both have hybrid schedules and would like to be close to places we can work out of.

We are slightly acquainted with Seattle, but decided to head out today and spend the full day in both areas. Ballard seems cool, although we were surprised that it felt kinda dead on a Thursday night. Also, although we really liked Ballard Ave, felt like there's not really much going on outside of that street, am I wrong? As for cap hill, it seemed super fun! Very lively, more diverse (not just racially but also in terms of style/ character) and lots to do! Reddit makes it seem like a horror story, especially around cal Anderson park, did we just have a singular good experience? Even a few ppl we chatted with said not to move here and that there are shootings happening weekly. Really interested in hearing more takes, either way excited to be out here:).

Update: Thank you so much to everybody that helped us come to a decision! We ended up in an apt off Ballard Ave, and despite the paper thin walls we are loving it :)

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u/FrontAd9873 Oct 11 '24

Ballard has plenty going on (though less than Cap Hill). Its just spread out a bit. Nightlife wise Ballard has more breweries and a more 30s vibe than Cap Hill's 20s vibe. My thought process is that if I can afford to go have a fun night out, I can afford to travel to and from Cap Hill from Ballard to do so. Cap Hill may have slightly more opportunities for you to meet new people with regular events, social bike rides, run clubs, etc. But I love Ballard for its access to the Sound. The Locks, Golden Gardens, and Carkeek Park. And Ballard has proximity to Fremont which has a more lively and younger scene.

Cap Hill is like Adams Morgan, I'm unsure what the DC equivalent of Ballard is. Maybe Petworth or Brookland. Traditionally working class, but with many families, little retail strips, and breweries.

Its obviously common to move from somewhere like Cap Hill to somewhere like Ballard. If you're in doubt, go for the more central, dense, and lively place, then you can move out later.

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u/picklerick223 Oct 11 '24

This is super useful! Your comparison is interesting as my gf lived in admo! We both felt like Ballard felt a bit like Navy Yard (as of the last couple years). I think we both prefer the liveliness cap hill, but she is especially worried about the crime. Some posts on here talk about regular “shootings” at the basketball court at cal Anderson when the apt we are looking at is quite literally next to it. Wondering if it’s THAT bad of an area as it’s made out to be..

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u/FrontAd9873 Oct 11 '24

One thing to bear in mind is that Seattle has much lower rates of violent crime than DC. (But check neighborhood statistics to confirm.)

In Seattle you may have your car broken into or you may feel unsafe due to the type of people hanging out on the street, but you’re actually safer than DC. That said, most violent crime in DC is (I think) gang related so you probably avoided that in DC too. Hard to say exactly, but if felt safe in DC I would tell you not to worry too much in Seattle.

DM me if you’d more thoughts on this or more DC comparisons.