Curbed Cup 1st round: (5) Ballard vs. (12) First Hill

No. 5 Ballard

SounderBruce

This Northwest Seattle enclave might have become condo central but it's still got a lot of that old-world charm thanks to it's Scandinavian roots and a slew of great restaurants, coffee shops and bars. It's also the only neighborhood we've ever felt the need to map out by brewery. Developers keep building here to try to keep up with all the demand but they can't.

No. 12 First Hill

Matthew Rutledge

“Pill Hill” is in the midst of a major makeover. Just looking at some of the sky-high projects planned for this Seattle neighborhood show what’s in store. After taking up all the space in Downtown and Capitol Hill, First Hill is getting a chance to shine and people are gobbling up whatever housing they can. How good are things going? There’s also a Whole Foods on the way, the 2016 version of knowing you’ve made it.

• All Ballard coverage [CS]
• All First Hill coverage [CS]
• All Curbed Cup 2016 coverage [CS]