First Hill, Seattle
 

Hi,

We are planning to move to First Hill, Seattle in September from Ohio. The place, we are planning to rent (found it on Craig's List)is on 10th avenue, near Seattle University.

We are completely new to this area, city and state. I would greatly appreciate any feedback on First Hill living (safety etc), particularly around 10th avenue.

Thanks in advance!

If 10th Avenue is on First Hill, it is at the foot of the hill on the east side. Some parts of 10th Avenue are neighborhoods of houses and some are more light industry. We will need the name of the cross street to give you good information.

First Hill is also known locally as "Pill Hill", as two of the largest hospitals (Swedish, Harborview) have immense campuses there. There are also a number of other medical buildings, clinics, etc.

What that means for residents is that there is a huge amount of traffic during the daytime, and the constant wail of ambulance sirens. My very first apartment in Seattle (years 'n' years ago) was at the very top of Pill Hill. I loved the building, but the sirens nearly drove me nuts.

In other respects, 1st Hill, esp around Seattle U, is a fairly pleasant place. It's very close to downtown, and is well-supplied with grocery stores, coffee shops, restaurants, banks, etc. One can easily take a bus from 1st Hill to almost anywhere in the greater Seattle area.

Safety is not a special problem in this neighborhood, except that one should take the ordinary precautions appropriate to living in a large urban area.

Depending on where your rental is, you may also enjoy some lovely views of water and/or mountains... at worst, you'll be within easy walking distance of some parks and views.

Welcome to Seattle. Don't bring an umbrella, but do bring a waterproof jacket!

Fritzl

I see on Wikipedia that the eastern boundry of First Hill is "not determinabel"--it is somewhere between 12th and 18th Avenue, beyond which is the Central District. Therefore, an address on 10th Avenue between E. Yesler Way to the south and E. Pike or E. Madison to the north, is correctly identified as being on First Hill (even though it isn't on a hill).

10th Ave north or south of Seattle U? Like someone else said, it's hard to know without knowing your cross street. I'm assuming south, since north it probably would have been listed as Capitol Hill, a nice, trendy neighborhood. South of Seattle U, that part of the neighborhood is a real mix. It's a bit of a walk to all the shops/bars/restaurants of adjacent Capitol Hill, but not too far. But good bus service, good access to downtown and all the great restaurants in the International District.

I would have no concerns about personal safety but do be aware of property crime (really, as you would be in any city). But in this part of town in particular, don't leave stuff in your car to tempt thieves, etc.

Fritzl, Happytrailstoyou and Christy1:

Thank you for responding to my query. Condo unit is located at 10th at Terrace, 2 blocks from Seattle University. Condo complex name is " The Pointe at First Hill".

We applied today and we are hoping to get a positive response within this week. Very much excited about our move to beautiful Seattle.

Thanks again!

I would call it a 'transitional' area. It is near the the old Yesler Terrace public housing project and a youth detention facility. Not a particularly glamous area and not what I'd call First Hill either, it's in the "Central District". Not a bad thing just more modest and much more mixed economic area than First Hill (which is fairly upscale plus where the hospitals are).

If you like to walk, you will be within easy walking distance of the downtown retail core (4th and Pine is 1.3 miles), art movie houses on Capital Hill, Asian restaurants on 12th Avenue and in Chinatown, the Frye Art Museum, and much more.

Welcome, and enjoy.

Hmm. If I were in your shoes, I would definitely want to see the building before committing to renting there (especially if you are being asked to sign a lease). That's right on the cusp of a not so good area, although the units look nice from the website.

I know the rental market has tightened up recently, but I wouldn't think that it's so tight you need to commit to something sight unseen.

I oh so agree with NWWanderer. Sorry I didn't say so sooner.

I hate to rain on a person's parade but that would definitely not be a part of town I'd want to live in. It's too sketchy imo. Even 6-10 blocks in various directions are better. That has always been a kind of bad pocket right there.

Don't get me wrong, I LOVE Seattle and hope you will too, I just think you can do better for housing.

I actually looked at a map this time...I didn't realize it was so far south. I would want to be further north, on Capitol Hill proper, so that I would be able to walk to the store, entertainment, etc. I don't think you'll be able to walk to anything quickly or easily from there. I also agree it might be a bit sketchy.

christy1 & mahanandi~~ yes I have a map here at the office that shows streets with buildings (that's how I noticed Yesler Terrace and King County Youth Detention Facility so close by). Even the fact that they are misrepresenting the area as "First Hill" to me is not a very good indication. The overall neighborhood is not so bad at all, I'm a fan of the Central District and lived there for years, but that particular address is in a specifically funky little 4 block area that is just not very nice.

Thanks for your responses. I greatly appreciate it.

After reading your replies, I sent an email to that condo unit owner. The response was not good, so we've decided to drop it.

Before sending the application, we went to Google maps/satellite, checked the location, but somehow missed all the details you guys mentioned here. Thanks so much for your time and helping me out.

How about 7th and James? There is a <a href="http://www.equityapartments.com/mark...quot;>condo complex</a> with that name on 600, 7th avenue. Is that a good location, safetywise?

Thanks!

James is a busy east-west thoroughfare, and 7th Avenue is right next to the freeway (I-5). This is a very noisy location.

IMHO you would be well advised to find a place to stay for a few days while you look around for an apartment on Capitol Hill, Lower Queen Anne, Belltown, or some such more desirable location.

If you are shipping furniture, it will take a few weeks to get here, so you won't need to worry about storing it.

If you know where you will be employed (or going to school), we could give you more ideas about where to look for an apartment.

My husband is taking a job break and joining at Seattle University for master's. Classes start from Sep20th and we have to find a place by that time near Seattle University. For the past two weeks, we have been searching for a decent place to rent. Either the rents are too high, no vacancies or they don't accept cats(pets). It has been really a difficult experience sofar to find a decent place to rent in Seattle.

We are doing the cross country travel from Ohio to Seattle, to save some money. Our plan is find a home online, so that we can move directly without staying at a hotel in Seattle. We will be on the road for 5 days, traveling and staying at hotels and we don't want to do that again in Seattle. Also the city is completely new to us, finding the apartments, going to the locations, it's going to be too stressful for us. Moving directly into an apartment saves us some money, time and lot of stress, I think.

Again any help is appreciated about the location.(7th and james)

7th and James is right next to the freeway and is not a good neighborhood. It's not really a "neighborhood" at all, IMO--it's pretty desolate at night.

I do understand why you want to find something ahead of time but I think the short-term stress of staying in a hotel and looking for a few days will be preferable to the long-term stress of being stuck in a bad apartment/neighborhood for however long your lease is for.

I'm assuming you've already tried working with the Seattle U housing office?

And if you have a car, you don't HAVE to be right near Seattle U...you could try other areas a bit further away. I just took a quick look on Craig's List and saw a 1 BR at the Elektra that would be reasonably close and isn't too expensive at $850 given the current rental market. I also saw a 1 BR on Cap Hill near Volunteer Park for $715 (although I'd wonder what shape it's in at that price). Both appear to accept cats.

But if you want a decent apt in a reasonably good, safe neighborhood for less, you're most likely going to have to live further away and either drive to classes or take the bus.

I don't see a problem with the 7th & James location, other than it is right at the freeway. It is an OK area and close to both downtown and Seattle U.

Don't be fooled by Craig's list prices that people are recommending to you. I got excited very recently when I saw a lot of 1-bedrooms on Capitol Hill for under $800... that is until I did drive-bys and saw the places! Not good (literally shingles falling off the roof, moss growing in the gutters, old cars in the front yard, etc.)

Another area you might consider is the Central District. Say between 10th to 23rd (west/east) and Madison to Jackson (north/south). It is ethnically a mixed-area but except for a few pockets is safe, pretty, affordable, and most important often overlooked by renters.

I live on Capitol Hill, used to live in the Central District, with over 25 years total experience in the area. And I always have a cat or two. I am happy to help you more if I can.

I looked at that website and it seems pretty expensive imo. Almost $1000 for a 500SF studio seems awful high to me.

To the poster who said... "if you want a decent apt in a reasonably good, safe neighborhood for less, you're most likely going to have to live further away and either drive to classes or take the bus"

I strongly disagree!!! I have two friends who recently moved, each into very nice small 1-bedrooms on Capitol Hill, both under $725/month, cats allowed. Granted they have both lived in the city a long time and had the luxury of looking around for several months before finding these places.

I would not rent an apartment I can't see when it isn't being rented by people who can see it. And, I would find it more stressful to have to live in an apartment that isn't what I supposed it to be than to have no place to live for a week or so.

Here is something else to consider: To the east of Seattle University is The Central District, a residential neighborhood where you might find what you want. Google "central district seattle" and read the Wikipedia article to get a handle on whether this is this might be the kind of neighborood in which you would enjoy living. It is comprised mostly of older homes and tree-line streets.

OK, so that's two votes for the Central District
:-)

To clarify further, that is the name of the neighborhood where Seattle University is actually located.

Suze, I meant less than the $700-800 price range for a decent one bedroom within walking distance of Seattle U, so I'm not sure how you are disagreeing with me, exactly. If there *is* in fact a plethora of decent 1 BRs available for less than than $700-800 within walking distance, then I stand corrected ;-), but I don't think that's the case. I have a friend with a VERY small 1 BR condo at 18th and Spring and he's thinking of renting it out and based on other rentals in his building, he's pretty sure he can get $1000/month for it. So if Mahanandi's budget doesn't stretch to more than $700-800 a month, I'm just saying she might want to broaden her geographic parameters to further than walking distance to increase her chances of finding something.

I agree that Capitol Hill and the Central District are great places to look. I don't know if I'd rent sight unseen in the CD, though, or maybe anywhere, since you just never know from pictures if it's on a busy street, or next to a crack house, or somehow otherwise undesirable. I think on Capitol Hill, north of Seattle U, there's less of a chance of ending up on a scary block. Even it you end up a bit further than walking distance to school, it would be a quick bus ride.

I wouldn't want to live right next to the interstate at 7th and James.

NWWanderer... Yes I was disagreeing (but in the nicest way possible -lol). Because my two closest girlfriends found new apartments in the past few months in exactly this neighborhood, each got a nice 1-bedrooms for less than $750 in a lovely neighborhood (14th & Howell, 17th & Republican).

BUT I think it takes being here to do a good search. I definitely agree that I would not rent sight-unseen, especially in the Central District or west side or south of Capitol Hill. While there are some great blocks, turn the corner and things could get kinda sketchy (or noisy or whatever).

Mahanandi- If you find other addresses and they are in my neighborhood (Capitol Hill, First Hill, Central District) I can do a drive-by of the building and report to you what I see, if that would be of help.

We are going to be at 7th and James for now, for at least 7 months.:) Just leased yesterday. Safety and being near to University are the two most important things for us right now. Traffic and noise are not that big concern for us. Once we get the feel of the city, we will move to a more pleasant neighborhood, that's for sure.

Thanks for taking time to respond. I really appreciate it. Also many thanks to Suze for the generous offer of help. Thank you Suze!

For helping me out, a treat for you kind folks:
Mahanandi
http://www.nandyala.org/mahanandi/
Great help to try out some authentic Indian recipes. If Indian is not your thing, check the sidebar, you can find a world of cuisines, an eye candy there. I hope you enjoy it.:)

Thank you!

Welcome to Seattle, Mahanandi. And thank you for the website. What beautiful photographs of the food---everything looks delicious, and I can almost smell the aroma. We love Indian food at our house, so I'm already planning what to make first---perhaps the panir tikka? Or maybe the stuffed capsicums. Or maybe. . .?

We drive by that 7th and James apartment building every morning on our way to work. If you don't mind the freeway, the location is fine---very close to the center of downtown. Be sure to walk up the hill and enjoy the Frye Art Museum.

I hope your move goes smoothly and you and your husband soon feel at home here in Seattle.

That's great news! I understand the need to have a place to "land" when you arrive a new city (did the same thing myself years ago). Another plus to that location is that is you are walking distance to Pioneer Square historic district and the south end of downtown in one direction and Seattle U in the other. Ditto above, don't miss the Frye Museum, it's a real hidden gem.

I hope that works out well for you--you'll have to report back once you're settled in, I'll be interested to hear how it is! I drove by there at 9 PM last night (as I often do driving to the freeway on James) and was thinking of you...it just seems a little deserted at night so you'll want to be attentive to your surroundings at night (but of course that's true of any urban location). If nothing else you will get into great shape walking up and down that hill, LOL!!!

Good luck.

Half the battle in life is to pick a trustworthy spouse, doctor, dentist, lawyer, financial advisor, spiritual counselor, confidant, etc. The other half is to heed what they have to say, even if it isn’t what we want to hear.