Yup here I am happily a 20-year resident of "The Hill" and proud Fodorite).

Capitol Hill much closer fits what you seek, way more than Beacon Hill. There are loads of cafes, restaurants, bars, coffeehouses, shops, grocery stores, etc. etc. It is a long-time vibrant and diverse neighborhood. There are people of all ages and economics.

I am not sure if you are planning to buy or rent, but if you tell me what you're after as far as size, I can take a pretty good guess-timate at either apartment rental or condo purchase prices.

gardyloo, I agree with everything you say about Capitol and Beacon Hills...but you come across as snooty when you disparage Tukwila. I guess that this Rentonite is also socially beyond the pale.

Drive around the hills west of Foster golf course and north of 405 and you will see some very livable neighborhoods...unless Broadmoor/The Highlands/Medina is more your style.

My comment would not be necessarily against Tukwila or Renton, but this poster has stated several times the desire to live in an urban setting, maybe even right downtown Seattle.

So for that reason, Tukwila or Renton don't fit imo.

Snooty? Moi? Heavens, no. None of the domestics on the estate think I'm snooty. I'm sure they'd tell me if they did. The door to my drawing room is always open. Ish.

Well, Suze, in that context Beacon Hill doesn't work either...it's hardly an urban center. Capitol Hill works just fine IMHO, if it weren't for the commute to Kent.

It's true... something's gotta give. The desire to live in a vibrant urban area & commuting to work in Kent will take a sacrifice one way or the other.

from what it sounds, capitol hill is more of what im looking for. we will be renting and would probably want a 2 bed apt or condo. sq footage is not something i am lookin into but a 2 bed would be useful. downtown seattle would probably be the best fit but im sure more expensive.

Downtown is not necessarily more expensive. Many parts of Capitol Hill are extremely desirable.

To buy a 2-bedroom condo would be approx. $315,000 to $365,000. To rent one ~$1,400/month.

i saw in the paper 2 beds for 1200 in belltown and that would be great. my husband doesn t care about the commute so anywhere will be good. we will prob rent at first.
im just curious to know why earlier you said "seattle wouldnt float my boat"

Primo I will tell you one thing if you are serious about becoming a teacher you would be nuts to teach in Seattle or anywhere near there. Way underpaid and with all of the WASL pressures coming not the place to be a teacher IMO!
We do have some beautiful weather but we get way more rain than some people here are making it sound like. I can see you are getting a lot of great advice. Goodluck!

Belltown would be great if you can find what you like. The 150 bus runs from downtown Seattle to Kent quite frequently.

$1200 for a 2-bedroom is Belltown is a good deal. But one thing to realize about living downtown though is there aren't any major grocery stores, or support ammenities nearby, like you'd find in more residential areas (Capitol Hill).

Honestly teaching anywhere is a pain. Its a tough position but its something that i enjoy and love to do. im not going to be one of those people that works just to work and doesnt enjoy the job. at least i will enjoy my job and thats the least i could say for numerous ppl that hate their job!
the goal is to eventually go back to the chicagoland area but in the meantime where i live now does not offer a whole lot. my husbang got a good offer up there in washington and with the experience he will gain there will open up a lot more opportunities for the future. but i will def take into consideration the teaching probs. and i know it does rain a lot there i do watch the weather channel! thanks for the help and the advice has been great, thanks again!

<i>To buy a 2-bedroom condo would be approx. $315,000 to $365,000.</i>

Maybe, but it won't be easy. I did a search on Windermere of my Capital Hill Zip (98112) and found 16 listings--the lowest was $424,50.

In Belltown Zip 98121 I found 72 listings. Eight were under $500,000, with $369,900 being the cheapest.

I live in a 2-bedroom condo in an excellent location on capitol hill. The units have recently sold for the lower end of the price range I quoted. It is not a fancy building, is older, and does not have a view or any fancy amenities. I have been condo shopping for the past year &amp; get daily emails from Real Estate companies, so feel confident about the reality of my price range originally stated.

Sure you can easily give a 1/2 million ... if it has a water view or is in brand new high-end construction or historic Anholt building, etc.

I searched on Windermere for two-bedroom condos in Zip 98101 in the $325,000-$600,000 range, and found nine--two were under $400,000. It is possible to find a two-bedroom in the $300,000 range, but you will be limited to a very small percentage of the condos available for sale.

I am not trying to pick a fight with anybody, I am only sharing with you the realities of the market. Buyers are paying a premium to live in or near downtown Seattle.

In contemplating a relocation anywhere, it's important to look at total housing/living expenses. Things like condo association dues (and also things included in condo fees that you'd ordinarily have to pay for separately) need to be considered, also whether or not the condo includes one, two, or zero &quot;no extra cost&quot; parking spaces or storage, things like that.

On the same line, note too that Washington has no state income tax. Sales taxes in Seattle are now running 8.9%, 9.3% for some things (restaurants, rental cars etc.) and property taxes, while not having a very high rate, nevertheless keep going up as assessed values rise. In all, Seattle is in the middle of the pack for major US cities in terms of total tax burden, but way behind places like LA or NYC.

The realtor mentioned above, Windermere, has a good website for looking at RE prices throughout the northwest. - http://www.windermere.com

I know we got off on the condo market topic, but Primobacio says she will likely be renting at least at the beginning. For rentals I think Craigslist is the best reference.

http://tinyurl.com/eoh7m

This issue of the Seattle Times has an article about condo values. Scroll all the way to the bottom to find classified ads.

While I agree that Craigslist is useful, I do not believe that all landlords use or are even aware of it.

I agree, not everyone knows about Craigslist. It's more underground w/ mostly independent landlords, not the rental-agency managed buildings like you'll find in the Times/PI listings.

They are often the less expensive places and you absolutely have to do &quot;drive-bys&quot; to judge for yourself. I got all excited about some cheap places in my own area until I saw them (cars and motorcycles parked on the dirt lawn, moss growing on the roof!).

That said, I know friends in GREAT apartment values on Capitol Hill resulting from searching Craiglist over a few months time.