There's a good chance my job will be moving me to Seattle. Where are the nice places to live?

I am not looking to move into the suburbs. I am single early 30s so I would prefer something a little more active.

I have friends in Ballard. I drive up every couple of months or so. Cool place.

I lived south of Tacoma but spent some time visiting friends in Seattle. There isn't really a bad part of the city (further down in Tacoma is another story). It may also depend where you work. Wherever you go, it's pricey. My friend lives in West Seattle, which is fairly casual. Some other people I know (all single, late 20s to early 30s) live in Fremont and downtown. There are bars in every neighborhood and always something to do in Seattle. Other than the winter weather, I had a good time up there. I'm hoping to find a job that will get me back there.

I would go with:

1) Greenlake
2) Ballard
3) West Seattle

As a general rule, the further out you go, the less expensive it will be... Here are the best areas of town:

Arm & Leg Expensive:

Beltown & Sodo: Really preppy, downtown
Queen Anne: Kinda preppy, on the edge of downtown
Montlake: Pretty neighborhood near UW.

Expensive:

Magnolia: On the water, should almost be included above.
Ballard: Cool bars, home of the tatooed/pierced crowd...
Fremont: Hippie town
Northlake: Meh...
Capital Hill: Known for it's gay community, but is across the freeway from downtown. You can find occasional good deals here.
Greenlake Yuppie-ish but not too bad - my girlfriend lives there...
Ravenna: I haven't spent too much time there to have an opinion...
Wallingford: Sort of across I-5 from the U District. Has a strip of bars and restaurants along 45th (I think).

Spendy:

Greenwood: Lots of crime, but up and comming neighborhood.
Shoreline: Like Greenwood, but with less crime.
West Seattle: Some cool areas. Has Alki Beach. Gets worse as you go south.
Magnuson/Sand Point/University Village: Some good deals here and there. Good access to I-5 and Lake Washington.

Further out:

Alderwood
Lynwood
Edmonds





[This message has been edited by Pierce County Ag (edited 12/7/2009 2:38p).]

[This message has been edited by Pierce County Ag (edited 12/22/2009 2:20p).]