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Housing in Seattle tends to be more expensive and more difficult to find than other parts of the Puget Sound. Those considering Seattle should start their search for housing a month before starting classes. Rather than securing housing sight unseen, we encourage you to allow time to research and look once in the area.
Many apartments outside of the immediate Seattle area offer move-in incentives. Public transportation is available, thus making living outside of the area a very viable, and less expensive, option. Most apartment managers ask for first and last month's rent as well as damage or cleaning deposits. Don't be surprised if you have to pay for a credit check, as it is standard practice in the Northwest.
We have included brief descriptions of various neighborhoods in the Seattle area for your convenience. For additional information on these neighborhoods and several others, access the archived articles that the Seattle Post-Intelligencer ran a few years back. In addition, we have provided a list of apartments, newspapers and other methods to aid in your search for housing. If you have an apartment or room to rent, please use our form to post your information on our Web site. If you are looking for a place to live, you can peruse our currently listed apartment openings.
As a service to incoming students, we do offer help with matching individuals who are looking for a roommate. Information on the process is included in materials made available once a prospective student has been admitted. If you have questions, please feel free to contact Bernadette Henderson in the Admission Office.
Apartments | Neighborhoods | Newspapers | Other methods
| First Hill | The home of our main campus and known to many as "Pill Hill," it is also the site of several hospitals, many of them nationally recognized. The area earned its name because it was one of the first established neighborhoods in Seattle. To secure housing in this area, drive around to spot "room for rent" signs and apartments in the charming homes built on the hill. Rents can average $710 for a one bedroom and $950 for two bedrooms. |
| Capitol Hill |
Seattle meets San Francisco. Just north of First Hill and the main campus, this is one of Seattle's most lively and diverse neighborhoods. Houses, apartments and mansions surround the popular Broadway shopping area where you can find vintage clothing, book boutiques and several cafes. The Asian Art Museum is tucked away in Volunteer Park, a large community hub offering a dog park and a Conservatory. The average rent in this area is $700 for a one bedroom. |
| Beacon Hill | El Centro de la Raza helps give the neighborhood its soul. The "Center for the People" celebrated its 25th anniversary in 1997. El Centro since has created vital programs used by thousands of Latinos and other minorities. Its food bank serves several hundred local families a week. Its day-care center offers a bilingual education to preschool children. The center also offers English classes, an employment placement and job development program and houses other community-based groups. The neighborhood's ethnicity is remarkable, even for Seattle. |
| Fremont | This artsy neighborhood known as "Funky Fremont" is filled with great shops and 50's and 60's kitsch (check out the statue of Lenin and the Fremont Rocket). This wonderful spot has not yet been discovered by tourists and is truly a Seattle community. The Sunday Fremont Market is well known in the area. Finding an apartment in Fremont can be a challenge. Average rent is much the same as Green Lake and Wallingford. |
| Green Lake | Definitely more geared to the "yuppie" community, it is the location of one of Seattleites favorite spots. The lake itself takes over most of the community leaving only a few square miles for its inhabitants. For the fitness buff, there is a 3-mile paved trail around the lake for walking, running and rollerblading. It is where people go to see and be seen. The average rent can be as high as $750 for a one-bedroom apartment. |
| International District | This is a vibrant inner-city neighborhood, where vegetable markets spill out onto the sidewalks and barbecued ducks hang in shop windows next to strips of crispy pork. Herbal medicine shops promising restored health vie for space and attention with florists, gift shops, noodle joints and a jumble of Korean, Vietnamese, Chinese and Japanese restaurants. As an older generation of merchants slowly retire or die, new immigrant families, many from Southeast Asia, come to the International District. They come for the inexpensive housing and the chance to start a business, as the first wave of Japanese, Chinese and Filipino did decades earlier. |
| Mt. Baker | To the south of the Central district and First Hill overlooking Lake Washington, the Mount Baker neighborhood combines charming older homes with sweeping views of Mount Rainier and Lake Washington. This politically active community of 3,500 residents, in the heart of Rainier Valley, is one of Seattle's most economically and racially diverse neighborhoods. |
| Queen Anne Hill | 456 ft above sea level, Queen Anne is home to one of Seattle's most fashionable neighborhoods. Named after the Queen Anne style homes built by early residents, the hill borders the Seattle Center built for the 1962 World's Fair. Great restaurants, shops and theaters are just a few of the benefits here. Room for rent signs and postings at the local markets are great ways to find a place to share. Average rent is $720 for a one bedroom. |
| Seward Park | Aside from its wonderful waterfront, Microsoft mansions and 1950s brick ramblers, Seward Park's eclectic personality is subtly influenced by its Jewish residents. Where else in Seattle can you share the sidewalk with dozens of traditionally dressed Orthodox Jews on their way each Saturday to synagogue or a big family meal? Not many other places as about 90 percent of Seattle's Orthodox Jews live within a mile of the three synagogues located here. Seward Park is also racially diverse. Asians and African Americans comprise roughly 50 percent of residents. |
| University District |
Known to us locals as the "U-District", it is the home of the University of Washington. For the most part, the neighborhood is composed of students who rent houses, apartments and mother-in-law flats in the area. The U-District is filled with activity as students fill its coffee shops and bookstores. Prices range from $450 for studios to $700 and up for two bedrooms. |
| Wallingford | Centrally located to recreation and points of interest, this residential community offers the feeling of being a little town. Located on the other side of I-5 from the University District, it is also home to many students. Apartments are snugly located between houses and condominiums. With a low vacancy, the going rate for one-bedroom apartments is $660. |
It is often heard that people love the neighborhoods of Seattle, the sense of community, and close proximity to resources. The City of Seattle has a Web site for our neighborhoods and this link is a great place to learn about all of the areas of Seattle, new projects being proposed and worked on, and links to resources are provided throughout the city. Please visit the Department of Neighborhoods.
Puget Sound News has links to many local neighborhood communities like Bainbridge Island, Ballard, the Eastside, Federal Way, Issaquah, Mercer Island, Puyallup and Tacoma. For those not yet on-line, you can check out many of the neighborhoods by calling the local paper and asking to be placed on their mailing list, for a small fee, of course. All area codes are (206) unless otherwise noted.
| Ballard News Tribune Beacon Hill News Capitol Hill Times Destination Issaquah Eastside Journal Everett News Tribune Federal Way Mirror Highline Times Kent Reporter Madison Park Times Magnolia News Mercer Island Reporter North Seattle Sun, The On-site Apt. Manager Newspaper |
Queen Anne News Renton Reporter Seattle Gay News Seattle Gay Standard Seattle Post-Intelligencer Seattle Times Seattle Press, The Seattle Weekly Shoreline Week Stranger, The Tacoma News Tribune University District News University Herald Wallingford News |
| Apartment Hunters Apartment Locators Rent Tech Seattle Apartment Finders, run by the Stratford Group
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| Roommate Express (206) 223-3720 Space Finders (206) 728-8500 Senior Services Homesharing (206) 448-5725, a non-profit agency that matches elderly homeowners with people who need a room. |
| Greater Seattle Chamber of Commerce publishes a Relocation Packet with maps and a video on the area. You can order it directly from their Web site or call (206) 389-7257. www.ApartmentInsider.com - Recently named among Cendant Mobility's top five rental assistance providers in the nation www.craigslist.org - Craig's List www.homefair.com - Cost of living site www.phillipsre.com - Phillips Real Estate manages nearly half of Capitol Hill apartment buildings and lists vacancies on their Web site www.rentdirect.com - regional searches www.SeattleClassics.com - remodeled classic Craftsman homes in the Columbia City, Beacon Hill, Madrona, & Leschi areas of Seattle www.SeattleRentals.com- Puget Sound's ad-free rental classifieds with photos, floorplans and actual vacancy listings www.thesublet.com - Seattle Sublet and Apartment Service www.i-neighbors.org - Online neighborhood networking |
For questions and comments about this page, please e-mail lawadmis@seattleu.edu.