Hello all,
I've lurked on this site for quite awhile and I thought I would post and beg for your help. I am moving to Seattle in August to begin a new job and school. However, I live in Florida and will not be able to travel there to check it out before hand.
I am looking for a cool neighborhood with lots of young people, and within walking distance to most places. I am in my mid 20s and would like a place where I can leave my apartment and walk a few blocks to the local grocer or coffee shop. I like to be near the center of the city with a young artsy community. I have been looking around for studio apartments, and have found a few; I just do not know the ins and outs of the Seattle neighborhoods. I own a car, but am willing to sell if where I live has good public transport. Any help will be greatly appreciated.

Start with these zip codes - all pretty central -
98101
98102
98103
98109
98112
98119
98121
98122

One of the first things I did was look up zip codes. The problem is I do not know the difference between one neighborhood and another. I guess what I am looking for is insiders knowledge. Someone who either currently lives there or has spent any significant time in seattle.

There are lots of great neighborhoods and the bus system connecting downtown to the rest of the city is great. You needn't live downtown to have great access to it. Also, if you do get rid of your car, Seattle is one of those cities with a great car sharing business or two, where you can rent a car from one hour to 3 days.

I have family in West Seattle, and parts of it are fun and funky. Some folks like Fremont, which is north of downtown. A great little business district with good food, a library, a drawbridge and a troll. Seems artsy to me.

Others like the area on the north end of Green Lake. not sure how artsy it is, 'though.

I have heard folks talk about Belltown being a fun neighborhood, but don't know any details.

Do you have to decide right away? Can you rent for a month? Always seems like a lot of "for rent" signs out when I'm walking around town.

Where will you be at school. If you won't be driving, how about living near school or in a neighborhood with a direct bus line to school? Check out the bus routes on a Metro (King County?) web site.

It is a great town. Great folks. Great food. Bring your high intensity lamp to sit under for the winter months. Get outside every day, even in rainy weather. Have a wonderful time.

Several of us live here and know the city pretty well.

Several neighborhoodd would fit your description - Capitol Hill (98102, 98112), Wallingford (98103), Downtown/Regrade (98121), Queen Anne (98119), parts of south Capitol Hill/Central Area (98122)... and I didn't mention the Ballard, Columbia City, University, Admiral, Alki or Fremont neighborhoods, all of which also have the kind of demographic and vibe you seek. It's a big city with diverse neighborhoods, each with its own personality.

One big factor will be economic - prices of rentals have been shooting up as condo conversion ramps up, and because Seattle is a very hilly/watery town, precise prices and amenity can vary from one end of a block to the other - location, location, location.

Pretty much anywhere in the city will offer good public transit, and pretty much by definition if there are studio or 1BR apartments to rent there will be neighborhood commerce and pederstrian-friendly environs nearby.

That said, a car is awfully handy, because one of the best things about our fair city is its proximity to grand countryside - water, mountains, skiing... so a car is pretty valuable.

The info here will be outdated, but the characteristics provided are pretty useful - http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/neighbors/

Try this, too - http://tinyurl.com/37bf2s

Start looking on Capital Hill, Lower Queen Anne, and the Belltown neighborhoods.

I have lived on Lower Queen Anne and Capital Hill, and I much prefer the shopping, restaurants, etc. on Capital Hill and I prefer the walk downtown from Capital Hill to the walk from Queen Anne. (Others prefer Queen Anne, but they will have to tell you why.)

Both neighborhoods have grocery stores, drug stores, restaurants, and other essential services.

Belltown is closer to the downtown retail core; however, it's grocery store options are extremely limited unless you require nothing more than a neighborhood corner market.

PS I should have mentioned that I MUCH PREFER bus service to Capital Hill. In ten years I never figured out bus service to Queen Anne Hill, but I soon found that there are two buses that take me to my Capital Hill neighborhood and they leave from downtown every fifteen minutes (except one of the buses is on a thirty minute schedule on Sundays and holidays).

PS2 It would also make a difference where you will go to school. If UW, there is good bus service from Capital Hill.

Here's a good relocation site for Seattle:

http://www.city-data.com/forum/seattle/

My recommendations would be Capitol Hill, Belltown, and Fremont, in that order. The University District has, in my opinion, gone downhill in recent years to the extent that we no longer go there to visit the funky stores (and U. Bookstore) along the Ave. There are young people there, for sure, but they are apt to be druggies or panhandlers.

There are young people there, for sure, but they are apt to be druggies or panhandlers.

I live in walking distance from the Ave and must respectfully disagree. There are some easily-recognized street people around certain corners, but they're a known quantity and should offer no more reason to avoid the area than their comparable presence in Belltown or 2nd and Pike or parts of Broadway should lead to avoiding downtown, the Market, or Capitol Hill.

Thanks for all the help. I will be going to UW. I am not too concerned about getting around the city, and I probably will end up keeping my car. There are loads of places along the west coast that I would like to explore. I currently live in Florida and have driven to every state east of the Mississippi (and quite a few to the west of it). Renting for a month sounds like a great idea. Thank you all for your suggestions.

And ask us again later if you want help planning those west coast tours!

By the way - the U District has a great Saturday farmers market, in the warmer months. You should see the berries! Nothing like the Northwest for great berries.

The only neighborhood that meets all your criteria is Capitol Hill. It is the kind of neighborhood you describe, you can walk from there to downtown (as well as to the other kinds of destinations you mention), and it has great public transportation to downtown and the University District.

Capitol Hill is exactly what you describe. It fits the most closely of any of the neighborhoods. And is an easy commute (surface streets you don't have to get on the freeway) to get up to the U-District. Believe me, I've lived here for 20 years now, and would not live anywhere else in the city. I especially like 15th Avenue East near Volunteer Park.

But for studio apartments you may find a greater concentration on "lower" Capitol Hill (i.e., above the freeway, below Broadway, if you're looking at a map).

Capitol Hill is 1-3 miles to downtown proper.

Here's a link to a story in this morning's Seattle Post-Intelligencer about Capitol Hill.

http://tinyurl.com/2rkt4g

I agree with everything that has been said about living on CH.

Capitol Hill zip codes are 98102 for lower area and 98112 for upper, plus a bit of the north end of 98122, which is the south boundary of Capitol Hill heading into the Central District.