Image: Joe Mabel
Neighborhoods that couple a high Walk Score with proximity to highly-rated schools seem like pipe dreams to many. At least those who don't have a ton of money to throw at a luxury home or condo. Redfin wanted to prove you could live in that kind of neighborhood without paying million-dollar prices. So, they looked at the 20 most populous cities to identify communities that have good schools, great walkability and are still affordable. You may be surprised to find out Seattle dominated the list. (Or maybe you're not surprised, knowing that the city's neighborhoods are relatively walkable and a good chunk of the schools rate well).
Of the 170 balanced-mix and affordable neighborhoods that they analyzed using Walk Scores and GreatSchools data, only 24 of them were good enough to point out. Of those 24, seven are in Seattle. And four of those are within the top ten.
The No. 1 neighborhood overall in the Balanced Mix category? Thanks to a Walk Score of 91 and GreatSchools rating of 7.8, it's University District. Median home value is close to $620,000, but since more than 57 percent of families who live here earn more than $100,000, it's a relative cost. Of course, as prices continue to rise here, it makes you wonder how much longer this neighborhood will be considered "balanced."
The No. 1 neighborhood overall in the Affordable category? With a 97 Walk Score to offset a 5.2 GreatSchools ranking, it's the International District. You didn't see that one coming, did you? It's also the only "affordable" neighborhood to make the top ten overall on the list.
Other Seattle neighborhoods that made the list No. 4 Queen Anne, No. 5 Ravenna, No. 15 Eastlake, No. 17 Victory Heights, and No. 19 Columbia City.
The key now for Seattle is finding a way to keep affordable housing growing. It'll be nearly impossible to keep up with new construction and rising home prices but Seattle ranks highly on this list because there are still places here where regular people can afford to live and still find good schools and good communities. If Seattle can't keep up, don't expect to see our neighborhoods as high on this list next year.
· Why You Should Buy the Cheapest Home on the Best Block [Redfin]
· Seattle ranks No. 1 in affordable, walkable neighborhoods with good schools [KUOW]
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