Skip to content

Seattle Culture

The Best Seattle Area Neighborhoods Near Light Rail

The Link light rail is growing, with extensions planned in Seattle and Eastside neighborhoods. Our handy guide shows you the best places to live close to current and future light rail stations

By Hallie Golden and Niki Stojnic, with Emma Franke March 5, 2019

_P5A7937-NEW-3CROP

This article originally appeared in the March 2019 issue of Seattle magazine.

This article appears in print in the March 2019 issue, as part of the 21 Hot Neighborhoods cover story. Click here to subscribe.

Building cranes. Multiplying fourplexes. Teardowns. Block-size apartment buildings. High-rise condos. The signs of growth are all around us—including the sweeping arch of Link light rail, which is sprouting extensions in Seattle and Eastside neighborhoods.

In the face of ever-growing traffic snarls, locals are crowding on board this transportation system like never before. So, it’s not too surprising that neighborhoods near Link stations—both stations that already exist and those soon to open—are the secret sweet spots in today’s real estate market. Ready to make a move? Here’s where to go.

North Seattle 

Bellevue and Redmond

South Seattle

Downtown

SeaTac

Plus: Seattle’s Condo Comeback

Neighborhood snapshot sources: Boundaries, listed in order of north, south, east and west, determined by Seattle Department of Neighborhoods, and city websites. Median home price and appreciation between November 2017 and November 2018, Zillow.com; zip codes are used when Zillow hasn’t defined a specific neighborhood. Walkability by walkscore.com. Schools and ratings, GreatSchools.org

Follow Us

A Broker Weighs in on Housing Prices

A Broker Weighs in on Housing Prices

Sellers are everywhere. Buyers are not. What gives?

Homeowners want to sell their houses. Buyers are wary. The Northwest Multiple Listing Service recently released its monthly report on housing activity in 26 of the state’s 39 counties, and the statistics are extremely lopsided. The number of homes for sale increased 39.4% year over year, but the number of transactions rose only 1.9%. That’s…

It’s Microsoft, Amazon and Starbucks

It’s Microsoft, Amazon and Starbucks

Washington is home to three of America’s top 10 brands

Download that report to Excel, or play a game of Xbox to relax. Log onto Amazon and grab that Swedish dishcloth you’ve been reading so much about. Then head to Starbucks and grab a latte macchiato or peppermint mocha. You’ve earned it. The Seattle area is home to three of the most valuable brands in…

Fixing Third Avenue, One Step At A Time

Fixing Third Avenue, One Step At A Time

New lighting is part of a broader effort to revitalize the street

Third Avenue has long been the scourge of downtown Seattle. It’s been sketchy for at least the better part of two decades. It may not seem like much, but festive lighting has been installed along the “Spark Block,” between Stewart and Pine streets on Third Avenue. The enhancement includes striking catenary lighting and builds on…

Saying Goodbye to Barney

Saying Goodbye to Barney

Seattle’s oldest harbor seal, the first born at the Aquarium, leaves behind nearly 40 years of memories

The aquarium and the city have lost a good friend. Barney, the Seattle Aquarium’s longtime harbor seal, has passed away at the age of 39 — roughly the equivalent of a centenarian in human years. He was the first harbor seal born at the Aquarium in 1985. He was also one of the oldest harbor…