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Seattle Introduction
Seattle, the largest city in the Pacific Northwest and the county seat for King County, is located in northwestern Washington between Puget Sound and Lake Washington. It is approximately three hours north of Portland Oregon, and two and a half hours south of Vancouver, British Columbia.
Seattle has a very strong transportation infrastructure, which makes it easy to travel to and from the city. Seattle is served by two interstate highways, and five State Roads. For Seattle residents whose travels take them far from the city, the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (Sea-Tac) is one of the twenty busiest airports in the United States. Seattle is also a thriving cruise ship port.
The Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue area is one of the top 20 cities on the list of "America's Best Places to Live and Work" (Expansion Management Magazine, May 2001). Seattle is also ranked number 3 on SustainLane's 2006 US city rankings for sustainability (of the 50 largest US cities).
Housing Styles in Seattle
The Seattle area features almost every style of housing imaginable. Styles can range from A-frame cabins, to homes from the early 20th century, to the classic "Seattle Box" and craftsman bungalow, to modern estates. Seattle residents can also choose from urban living options in Central City Seattle, to classic suburban living in outlying suburbs.
Notable Seattle Neighborhoods
Seattle can be divided up into informal districts and neighborhoods. There are not really any hard and fast definitions for these so boundaries can overlap. Seattle is informally divided into three districts, which are North City, Central City, and South City. Most of what realtors consider to be Seattle's "hot" communities are in the North City and South City districts. Some of the notable hot communities in Seattle include:
Seattle Real Estate Prices
According to US Census data, slightly under 50% of Seattle residents own their own home (as of 2000). According to the National Association of Realtors (NAR), as of Q3, 2006 the median price for a single family house in Seattle was over $370,000, which is above the average for both the northwest and the United States. The median price of a condominium was approximately $215,000.
In Seattle, approximately 72% of homes have a mortgage. Many Seattle property owners (approximately 16%) are tapping into the equity in their property with home equity loans and/or second mortgages.
Seattle Schools
Seattle Public Schools serve over 45,000 students in 97 schools. The Seattle Public School system is the 44th largest school system in the United States, and the largest in the State of Washington. Seattle's schools have won awards and recognition including a 2003 DesignShare Award from the C/S Group, a 2005 School of Distinction honor from Intel and Scholastic, Inc., an Outstanding Design Award from American School and University in 2005, a 2006 School of Distinction award, and nomination for a state Office of the Superintendent for Public Instruction (OSPI) Blue Ribbon Award.
There are also over 300 private and parochial schools in Seattle.
There are many colleges and universities in the Seattle area including the University of Washington, Seattle University, Seattle Pacific University, four community college campuses, the Art Institute of Seattle, Cornish College, and more.
Seattle Economy
Aerospace and information technology are two of the linchpins of the Seattle economy. Major industry sectors in the Seattle area include biotechnology, high technology, aerospace, manufacturing, environmental assistance for businesses, film/music, tourism, and retail. Seattle ranks fifth in the US for software jobs as a percentage of the total population. The largest companies headquartered in and around Seattle are Costco, Microsoft, Weyerhaeuser, Washington Mutual, Paccar, Amazon.com, Nordstrom, Safec, and Starbucks.
The median family income in Seattle was slightly over $75,000 (as of 2005 according to the Housing and Urban Development Regional Office), which is above the average for both Washington and the United States.
| Category | Value |
|---|---|
| Homes With No Mortgage | 28% |
| With A Mortgage | 72% |
| First Mortgage Only | 56% |
| Second Mortgage or Home Equity Loan | 16% |
| Second Mortgage Only | 8% |
| Home Equity Loan Only | 9% |
| Category | Value |
|---|---|
| Owner Costs as % of Income | 20.7% |
| Median Real Estate Taxes (2000) | $2,436 |
| Category | Value |
|---|---|
| Total Occupied | 258,510 |
| 1-Person Households | 41% |
| 2-Person Households | 34% |
| 3-Person Households | 12% |
| 4-Person Households | 8% |
| 5-Person Households | 3% |
| 6-Person Households | 1% |
| 7+-Person Households | 1% |
| Category | Value |
|---|---|
| Median Year Built | 1953 |
| Median Year Built (Owner Occupied) | 1946 |
| Median Year Built (Renter Occupied) | 1961 |
| Category | Value |
|---|---|
| Using Utility Co. Gas Heat | 51% |
| Using Bottled/Tank Gas Heat | 1% |
| Using Electric Heat | 26% |
| Using Oil Heat | 22% |
| Using Coal | 0% |
| Using Wood Heating | 0% |
| Using Solar Heat | 0% |
| Other Heating | 0% |
| No Heating | 0% |
| Category | Value |
|---|---|
| No Bedrooms | 1% |
| 1 Bedroom | 8% |
| 2 Bedrooms | 29% |
| 3 Bedrooms | 37% |
| 4 Bedrooms | 19% |
| 5+ Bedrooms | 6% |
Rate quotes from multiple lenders for the Seattle area:
Webmasters & Bloggers: Please link to this page on Seattle. Just copy the HTML below and paste it into your web page or blog.
 | Seattle Careers Seattle career and employment information. |
 | Seattle Colleges Seattle colleges and trade schools. |
 | Seattle Hotels & Travel Seattle hotels, landmarks, tourism, transportation. |
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