Town by town

The Ship Canal, the lakes and the hills split Seattle into neighborhoods that feel like separate towns, and most buyers choose one before they choose a house.

North of the Ship Canal, Ballard, Fremont, Wallingford, Green Lake and Ravenna are dense with Craftsman houses and foursquares from the first decades of the 1900s, many now sharing their blocks with new townhomes. Queen Anne and Magnolia hold view homes and older brick. Capitol Hill and the Central District mix grand old houses with condos near the light rail. South and west, Columbia City, Beacon Hill, Mount Baker and West Seattle each have their own business district and big parks: Seward, Jefferson and Lincoln, and the shoreline along Alki.

The housing stock is old. Expect sewer scopes, oil tank sweeps and electrical questions on pre-war homes, and read condo budgets closely downtown and in South Lake Union.

Bellevue is two housing markets in one city: high-rise condos downtown and single-family neighborhoods around them.

Downtown, condos rise around Bellevue Square and the Downtown Park, from compact units to full floors. Around it are neighborhoods built mostly from the 1950s through the 1980s, many since rebuilt: West Bellevue near Meydenbauer Bay, Somerset on its hill with views west, Enatai and Woodridge, Newport Hills to the south, Lake Hills and Crossroads to the east, and the horse properties and large wooded lots of Bridle Trails on the north edge.

Three highways cross the city, and Sound Transit’s 2 Line now runs through downtown, west across the lake to Seattle and east to Redmond.

Kirkland sits on the east shore of Lake Washington, and much of life here points at the water.

Marina Park and the downtown waterfront line Moss Bay, with Carillon Point and Houghton Beach to the south and Juanita Beach Park at the north end. Neighborhoods climb the hills behind the shore: Lakeview and Houghton near the lake, Norkirk and Market close to downtown, Rose Hill and Highlands to the east, Totem Lake with newer apartments and condos, and Finn Hill and Juanita to the north, with more trees and more split-levels.

The Cross Kirkland Corridor, an old rail line turned into a trail, ties several of these neighborhoods together on foot and by bike.

Microsoft moved its headquarters to Redmond in 1986, and its Overlake campus has shaped the city since.

Overlake and downtown Redmond have added townhomes, apartments and light rail stations. The older neighborhoods are quieter. Education Hill has established single-family streets, Grass Lawn and part of Rose Hill border Kirkland, and the Redmond Central Connector trail runs through the middle of downtown. To the northeast, Redmond Ridge and Trilogy are planned communities in unincorporated King County with Redmond addresses.

Marymoor Park, at the north end of Lake Sammamish, has a very large off-leash dog area, a velodrome and summer concerts, and the Sammamish River Trail runs north toward Woodinville.

Issaquah sits where I-90 meets the Issaquah Alps: Cougar, Squak and Tiger mountains, laced with trails that start almost in town.

Old Issaquah around Front Street keeps its small-town grid, the salmon hatchery on Issaquah Creek, and Gilman Village. Above it, the Issaquah Highlands is a planned community of townhomes and houses on the ridge north of the freeway, and Talus climbs the flank of Cougar Mountain. Houses on Squak Mountain sit on steep, wooded lots, and Lake Sammamish State Park fills the north end of town.

Hillside homes deserve extra attention to drainage and retaining walls, and to the city’s tree rules, before you buy or plan a project.

Sammamish is the plateau above the east shore of Lake Sammamish, a young city built mostly from the 1980s onward.

It is residential almost from end to end: larger lots, two-story houses with three-car garages, quiet cul-de-sacs and a steady stream of new construction. Pine Lake, Beaver Lake, Klahanie and Trossachs each have their own feel, and waterfront homes line East Lake Sammamish Parkway below the plateau.

There is no freeway on the plateau. Getting down to I-90 or SR 520 means one of a few arterials, so commute timing matters here more than almost anywhere else on this page. The city is split between two school districts, so check each address with the district before you write an offer.

Mercer Island sits in Lake Washington between Seattle and Bellevue, with I-90 crossing its north end.

It has its own school district and a small town center beside the light rail station. The north end is closest to the freeway. The south end is more wooded, with winding roads and larger lots. Waterfront homes ring the island, and view homes on the ridge look toward Seattle, Bellevue, Mount Rainier or the Cascades depending on the side.

Buying on the water adds its own list: docks, bulkheads, shoreline permits, and a survey of what is actually on the lot. Luther Burbank Park and the forest trails of Pioneer Park are island landmarks.

Renton wraps the south end of Lake Washington, where the Cedar River meets the lake beside the Boeing plant.

Kennydale runs north along the lake with view homes and older ramblers. The Highlands, on the plateau east of downtown, has postwar houses on regular lots. Talbot Hill and Benson Hill rise to the south, and Fairwood, unincorporated with Renton addresses, is an established neighborhood built around a golf course. The Landing added apartments and shops near the lake, and downtown is compact enough to walk.

Gene Coulon Memorial Beach Park gives the city a long public stretch of Lake Washington shoreline, and the Cedar River Trail runs east from downtown.

Kent covers a lot of ground: the Green River valley floor and the two hills on either side.

The valley holds warehouses and industry, the Kent Station shopping district and the Sounder train station downtown. East Hill is the larger residential area, from 1960s ramblers to newer subdivisions, reaching out toward Lake Meridian and the Covington line. West Hill climbs toward I-5.

Ramblers, split-levels and newer tract houses make up much of the housing, and buyers here often compare Kent with Renton and Covington. Lake Meridian Park has a swimming beach, and the Green River Trail follows the river through the valley.