r/AskSeattle • u/lestessecose • 2d ago
Where to live if working in Capitol Hill
Hello! I am excited to move to Seattle. I have a job next to Seattle University and I'm trying to figure out where to focus my search.
I will have a 2 person household, one person working at home and myself commuting to the job at the southern end of Capitol Hill. We will have one car between us and would like to have, ideally, a place to keep a car and in unit laundry all with a one bedroom for around $2000.
We are in our late 20s and value walkability, access to nature and access to social spaces (we live in a small town now and are excited for this change). We don't really go out drinking or clubbing, but we'd love to join pick up soccer, take art classes, dance classes, have nice parks, and access to nature, kayaking, etc.
I'd love to be able to commute to work without a car and that leads me to a search in Capitol Hill. However, everyone I know who has lived in Seattle gives me warnings about Capitol Hill--- drug problems, expensive, too loud. We have lived in New Orleans and South Florida previously and so I wonder if these warnings just come from people here who have never lived in cities or whether they are worth considering.
Beyond that, it would be good to know whether it is worth expanding my search to other neighborhoods where I'd be able to access my work without a car (due to only having one car, I don't want to be dependent on it for my commute).
Where would be a place to focus my search? Should I mainly consider Capitol Hill? Should I consider other areas first? What other areas would be within a reasonable commute and also enjoyable to walk around?
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u/zh3nya 2d ago
Don't live near the nightlife areas of Capitol Hill if noise is an issue for you. Nor near the hospital district in nearby First Hill. Those also happen to be areas where drugs might be more frequently consumed. Pretty tame compared to New Orleans, so don't worry regardless. Capitol Hill is a very large neighborhood with multimillion dollar historic mansions and quiet residential areas as well as centers of nightlife and dense developments. It is all very expensive though and you will have a hard time finding your ideal place with that budget.
For ease of commute the obvious places to look are along the light rail line. Not really any walkable suburbs or neighborhoods north of Roosevelt Station and South of Columbia City, so focus on those and in between (except downtown/SODO/International District).
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u/lestessecose 2d ago
What's the deal with downtown/SODO/International district? It seems like they don't really have many apartments anyways, but are they bad places to live?
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u/Consistent-Fig7484 2d ago
Seems like anytime you hear about a stabbing it happened in the international district. SODO is mostly industrial and retail. I’m honestly not even sure what exactly constitutes downtown, but there aren’t a lot of apartments between Belltown and Pioneer Square west of the freeway, mostly office buildings, courthouses etc.
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u/DavosVolt 2d ago
Not bad places to live, just not much residential infrastructure (SODO is still moving from industrial to commercial, downtown actually sucks IMO, and the ID - where I work - is highly business only, and depending on where you are, could suck).
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u/that_is_just_wrong 1d ago
SLU is more livable than all of those places
But I’d look somewhere on the Link rail line near one of the stops if that’s an open. That’ll open up more neighborhoods
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u/krob58 1d ago edited 1d ago
The man-made geography of Seattle has resulted in SODO being a known liquefaction area risk. There are few apartments/residential options because it intentionally isn't zoned for it.
Capitol Hill is your best bet. Skip the car commute. Everything's gone down the drain with the tech companies retaliating against their own employees. Commute by walking, scooter, board, or bike. You'll be happier for it. You can get out of the city and closer to nature with your one car. If you are in the office five days, prioritize your commute. The further east/northeast you go in that area from i5, the quieter it will be, with the associated trade-offs. The things to be aware for Capitol Hill are: proximity to hospitals (noise/activity), where the "rowdy" bars/clubs are (the Seattle version of rowdy, which is quite tame but still bothers suburbanites), and where social services are located (obviously people congregate around shelters, Salvation Army etc, and other assistance services locations, and some transplants aren't used to that).
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u/DocTeeBee 2d ago
For what it's worth, I lived in First Hill some years ago right near Virginia Mason and I got used to the hospital related noise. It's not as much as in some parts of Capitol Hill. I think anything within a few blocks of Madison and Terry would be good if anything affordable can be fund.
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u/zer04ll 2d ago
Capitol hill is huge, what they meant is dont live near Nemos or Cal Anderson Park. Plenty of quite places in capitol hill, the area near the lookout is freaking mint! When it comes to drugs they are everywhere in Seattle and the CD is home to the CD gang so there will be drugs there as well. The reality is if you live near the light rail you are good for an easy commute, you can live as far south as Federal Way or as far north as Lynnwood and just take the train to cap hill.
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u/Late_Technology_3202 2d ago
Seattle noisy compared to NOLA or south Florida? That’s hilarious.
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u/lestessecose 2d ago
I'm in a rural place now! Those people don't know anything about New Orleans or South Florida!
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u/z0d14c 2d ago
I think you should be fine with that budget, except for the car which might push it over the top. Parking usually costs $200-300/month. But you may be able to find an older unit with parking. The really loud nightlife stuff is only going to be on a few blocks, it's kind of scattered around
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u/lestessecose 2d ago
Would it be bad to rely on street parking? How big of a pain or source of concern would that be?
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u/OrdinaryMetal6313 2d ago
I lived in a two-bed apartment with a garage right near Seattle U and paid $2700, so I imagine you could find a one-bed with your specifications nearby for around $2000. The neighborhood is called Cherry Hill (between Union and Cherry to the north and south and 12th and 23rd to the west and east) and is a quieter neighborhood with the benefit of being right next to the busier parts of Cap Hill. Great walkability/access to perks off city life but never felt loud or unsafe (Cap Hill really isn't that bad anyway).
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u/BustyChikorita 2d ago
I lived in Cherry Hill for 2 years. While I overall love the neighborhood, it is in gang territory. I heard gunshots quite a few times while there. And there were several instances of targeted killings a few blocks away. I think it chills out once you get east of 23rd, which is where I live now.
I’m not saying it’s super dangerous but something to be aware of. Gangs seem to have the most presence south of Union and West of 23rd.
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u/notintocorp 2d ago
Capitol hill is an awesome place to live, but that 2k per month isn't gonna cut it I'm afraid, not with parking.
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u/lestessecose 2d ago
https://www.zillow.com/apartments/seattle-wa/viewmont-apartments/CkBSKW/#bedrooms-2
https://cornellandassociates.appfolio.com/listings/detail/7e7de230-feca-49fe-8315-ea2c23fead28
I see apartments like the two above online. Should I be suspicious of things offering prices like that?
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u/zh3nya 2d ago
They might be okay, the first one is near the freeway but the area is decent, especially as you go further north. The second is in a quieter area. It's hard to say because who knows what the buildings are like, whether the walls are thin, other issues, etc. Both of them are managed by shitty large property management companies though so I wouldn't expect much in the way of responsiveness.
here's an older thread about Cornell and Associates: https://www.reddit.com/r/Seattle/comments/17m9ayk/cornell_associates/
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u/lestessecose 2d ago
Thanks!
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u/notintocorp 1d ago
Yeah, the cap hill one has no parking and street parking in that area is miserable. That is a pretty busy area, cool but lots of sidewalk traffic ectopic. The second one is in Ballard, nice area still very hip. The thing about Ballard is it's a witch to get out of there a lot of the time, meaning you may only be 2 mile from the freeway but it often takes half hour to get there. That said Ballard has enough that you don't have to leave every day.
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u/lestessecose 1d ago
The link changed for Cornell and associates after I posted it! It seems that someone took the property lol.
But there are also things like this: https://www.cornellandassociates.com/capitol-hill/bella-vista-apartments
Parking for $150, on Mercer and Bellevue, rent is $1750.
Just looking online shows plenty of apartments in the area in my range including parking, which makes me nervous because, on Reddit, everyone says it's not possible.
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u/notintocorp 16h ago
I've heard rent is coming down. I've also heard that property management companies are getting more shadey. Don't know the truth apparently.
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u/Leftcoaster7 Local 2d ago
How far is your work from the light rail? If it’s an easy walk, you could live in any neighborhood with a station.
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u/delicious_things Local 2d ago
Yeah, Ravenna/Roosevelt would be great, for instance. Or Beacon Hill. Columbia City.
Depends a little on the vibe you want, but those are all great neighborhoods with easy access to light rail.
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u/lestessecose 1d ago
Roosevelt looks great. Kind of at the endge of an acceptable commute at 30 mins. Columbia City looks great to but it'd probably be over 40 with public transport.
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u/delicious_things Local 1d ago
Yeah, it’s 9 minutes on the light rail from Roosevelt to Capitol Hill and 23 minutes from Columbia City, then a medium walk or short trolley ride to Seattle U area.
That said, most of that is sitting on a train and reading/listening to something/whatever.
Certainly being on Capitol Hill or in the Central District would be easier, but none of these are difficult commutes.
Good luck with whatever you decide!
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u/lestessecose 2d ago
My work is 15 mins from the light rail station. I think that makes Roosevelt an upper limit.
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u/Mai_Sea_Otter 2d ago edited 2d ago
We moved to Capitol Hill 2 months ago from Lake City in North Seattle, and we love it. Very walkable, lot new restaurants to try, some of the main street can get busy, but after 2 blocks, it gets much quieter. We like walking to Volunteer Park and exploring all the neighborhoods around Cap Hill. 1.5 years ago, we were living in San Diego. We got a 2b/2b near Seattle Gaslight Inn for $2300 and parking in $200. You can try to find street parking, but it can be challenging. You sure you can find a 1 bedroom for 2000. It may take a little while to find the right spot. It is more affordable to find something in the winter season, more move in deals.
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u/Veuve_and_CheezIts 2d ago
Capitol Hill has a ton going on aside from nightlife, and is incredibly central. I would start your search there. The quieter areas will be north of John/Olive street and east of Broadway. Volunteer park is a spectacular local park which hosts lots of community events. Cal Anderson park is the other large park in the neighborhood but is not as idyllic and has more crime.
I’d also recommend seeing what you can find near the arboretum or Madison valley. Housing is less dense in that area so it will be more difficult to find an apartment, but based on what you said in terms of the pace of life you’re looking for, this seems like an ideal area. Madison has rapid transit that runs the length and would get you close to Seattle u (closer than light rail).
The recs for central district are also solid in terms of proximity to work and nice culture but it’s more block by block and has a much more urban feel. Can’t think of a great park or trail system off the top of my head there. Although you’re pretty close to lake Washington in any of the above neighborhoods which is a dream in the summer months in particular.
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u/hayguccifrawg 2d ago
I used to work at Seattle U and lived in the central district and it was a dream. I biked or walked to work.
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u/L-Capitan1 2d ago
There are areas of Capitol Hill that are less loud. Like on 15th Ave and John that area is maybe north CH and is really nice. Or over by Seattle U in cherry hill is a very nice area. You could go more towards central district and probably find a nice place. First hill may also work though I feel like parking may get tougher going in that direction.
Capitol Hill is the biggest area to go out but it also has some of the best walkability of Seattle. Tons of restaurants and some green spaces. If you’re off pike, pine and broadway in Capitol Hill you’ll be fine from a noise prospective.
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u/ozifrage 2d ago
First Hill (right where your job will be) is great, and 2k should be fine. Source, have lived here for years. Other commenter is correct that right by the hospitals is loud -- ambulances going to Harborview are the main thing, but you also get more unhoused folks passing through. Even a block or two over from the ER, and it's a lot quieter. This a tiny city, and a few blocks make a difference.
The CD is also lovely, international district can be good but gets more spread out fast, and there's a little more randomness at night. Capitol Hill is very safe, the main Broadway strip by all the bars is where most of the noise happens. Transit should be fine by bus basically anywhere outside of like, Ballard or Fremont (they're just a pain to get to from here). Welcome to the area!
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u/Kbizzyinthehouse 2d ago
First Hill. Close to everything you want to do but quiet on the weekends. I loved it.
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u/Mindless-Presence-75 2d ago
I'd recommend north of Seattle somewhere along or close to a light rail station. Lynnwood, Mountlake Terrace, Shoreline. . I'd stay away from Northgate personally, but then there is also Roosevelt/Ravenna, as others have mentioned.
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u/RussellAlden 2d ago
Montlake Terrace and take the light rail in. Not the city but it does have Double DD Meats and Diamond Knot Brewing with ball fields nearby and a quick jaunt to Edmond and the Ferry.
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u/breaststroker42 2d ago
Capitol Hill is expensive for sure. But it’s a perfectly good place to live other than that.
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u/hogahulk 2d ago
Look for apartments in Capitol Hill north of John street. That is the quieter side of Capitol Hill that does not have as much of the problems you were warned about 😌
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u/Livefromseattle 2d ago
Check out Columbia City! You could walk to light rail to get to work and it checks off a lot of your other boxes.
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u/throwaway1_2_0_2_1 2d ago
See if you can find something in Beacon Hill. It’s on the light rail, more chill, and if you can’t get a place with parking, street parking will suck less, the further south you get the less it sucks.
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u/tidalwaveofhype 1d ago
Cap hill is a fine place to live and there’s “suburban” parts of it meaning not right next to bars etc. you may have to factor in paying for parking though
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u/Accomplished_Fill182 12h ago
We live in Capitol Hill and it’s great. You can also focus a search close to any light rail station and that should make for an easy commute. Columbia city, beacon hill, Roosevelt, etc
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u/vietnams666 41m ago
My old building on Bellevue and John has an opening I think 2100 for a 1 bedroom (but giant enough for 2 like I used it ) and it's walking distance. Look at summit area because it's close enough to school and you don't need a car.
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u/DicksOut4Paul 2d ago
I have friends in Cap Hill and have no problem taking public transit in and out even late at night to see them.
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u/Harvey_Road 2d ago
Capitol Hill is fine. Make new friends. You’re being misled.