Honest guides to Seattle neighborhoods
Seattle neighborhood guides
These guides cover what each place is actually like to live in, what your money buys, and what to know before you commit.
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The Best Neighborhoods in Southeast Seattle: Mt. Baker to Rainier Beach, Compared
If you are searching for the best neighborhoods in Southeast Seattle, here is the honest answer: it depends on what you refuse to give up. The six neighborhoods below share the same backbone (the 1 Line light rail, Lake Washington, and some...
The guides
6 neighborhoods- 01
Mt. Baker
If you are thinking about living in Mt. Baker, Seattle, here is the short version: it is one of the few neighborhoods in the city where you can have a lakefront park, a light-rail commute,...
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- $900K
- Light rail
- Mount Baker station
- 02
Columbia City
If you are researching Columbia City, here is the short version: it is one of the most walkable, most characterful neighborhoods in South Seattle, with a light-rail line straight to...
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- $800K
- Light rail
- Columbia City station
- 03
Beacon Hill
If you are weighing Beacon Hill Seattle real estate against the pricier neighborhoods up north, here is the short version: you get a downtown light-rail commute, the largest Olmsted-designed...
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- $655K
- Light rail
- Beacon Hill station
- 04
Seward Park
If you love the idea of Madison Park (lake access, mature trees, a slower pace) but not the price tag, Seward Park is worth a real look. It sits on a stretch of land along Lake Washington,...
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- $1.05M
- Light rail
- None (drive to Columbia City)
- 05
Hillman City
Ask ten Seattle buyers about Hillman City and eight will say “you mean Columbia City?” That mix-up is exactly why this pocket of Southeast Seattle is worth your attention. Hillman City...
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- $756K
- Light rail
- Graham St station funded for 2031
- 06
Rainier Beach
If you have watched prices climb in [Columbia City](/neighborhoods/columbia-city-seattle-neighborhood-guide) and [Seward Park](/neighborhoods/seward-park-seattle-homes-for-sale) and wondered...
Read →- Median
- $732K
- Light rail
- Rainier Beach station