Today I will be telling you about a neighborhood close to our heart and close to our office. Wallingford is the central neighborhood of North Seattle, and a perfect example of what a Seattle urban neighborhood is all about. Set between I-5 an highway 99, Wallingford is easily accessible and very convenient to downtown and North Seattle. It was founded in 1891 and named after John Noble Wallingford ( died 1913).
The QFC <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QFC> supermarket <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supermarket> at the corner of N 45th Street and Wallingford Avenue North may be regarded as the center of the neighborhood; its large WALLINGFORD neon sign is made in part from letters in the old FOOD GIANT sign that adorned QFC’s predecessor for decades. It provides great shopping having been newly remodeled, and caters to the upscale urbane residents. Wallingford’s main business district stretches along north 45th Street and features many small interesting shops, two banks, a pharmacy, taverns <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tavern> and bars <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bar_(establishment)> , the two Guild 45th movie theaters <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Movie_theater> , the Wallingford Center (the former Interlake Elementary School, now turned into shops), and numerous restaurants, including Ivar’s Salmon House on Lake Union, Tilth for great organic local new American cuisine, Blue Star Café and Pub for great traditional food with an urban flair, and Dick’s Drive-In <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dick%27s_Drive-In> , founded 1954 for a great alternative to McDonalds. There are other super restaurants in the neighborhood, including Bizzaro Italian Café, Elemental at Gasworks, Perche’ No Pasta and Vino, Eva Restaurant and Wine Bar, Kisaku Sushi Restaurant, Elysian-Tangletown, Kabul Afghanistani Restaurant, Sea Thai Restaurant, Sutra Vegeterian Restaurant, Chutney’s Bistro, Smash Wine Bar and Restaurant, Julia’s (traditional food, and well known for their brunch) Olympia Pizza and Spaghetti, Pudge Brother’s Pizza, and my personal favorite, Chinoise café, Pan Asian food that is fantastic, and priced well. But don’t forget about desert! Stop by Molly Moon’s for exotic and creative ice cream flavors such as lavender and salted caramel, or, try a cupcake at Trophy Cupcakes, La Boulangerie for traditional French pastries, or, if you lean towards the risqué, Seattle’s only “erotic bakery” The Erotic bakery features cakes and pastries. For daytime coffee drinking and people watching, check out ZokaFuel Coffee, or Diva Espresso.
Wallingford is not short on Night life. Check out Babalu, Seamonster Lounge, or any number of small dive bars along 45th. Also, many of the restaurants in the area offer drinks and lounges. If you want to travel just a little, pop into Fremont, or the U District for a lot more options. For outdoor activities, check out Gas Works Park <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gas_Works_Park> , (bring your kite) Meridian Playground <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meridian_Park_(Seattle)> , Wallingford playfield, and Lower Woodland Park <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woodland_Park_(Seattle)> . Or run, bike or roller blade along the Burke-Gilman Trail <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burke-Gilman_Trail> , or go sailing on Lake Union to the south, or check out Lower Woodland Park featuring athletic fields, a skate park, tennis courts, and connections to the Woodland Park Zoo <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woodland_Park_Zoo> , Seattle’s great zoo, and Green Lake <http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Greenlake&action=edit&redlink=1> . A secondary concentration of mostly retail businesses on N 55th Street near Meridian Avenue is known as “Tangletown” <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tangletown,_Seattle,_Washington> . The likely source for the name Tangletown is the irregular configuration of the blocks, some of which follow the contours of Green Lake, others conforming to the city’s basic grid <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Street_layout_of_Seattle> . Meridian sometimes refers to a wider neighborhood than Tangletown, which refers strictly to the retail district. The region south of N 40th Street is also known as Northlake <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northlake,_Seattle,_Washington> .
Prices for homes in Wallingford are higher than some neighborhoods. Homes start at about $350K. Currently, there are 48 houses in Wallingford on the market right now, 30 of which are under $600K. 20 have recently gone under contract. And in the last 6 months, 84 houses have sold, 60 of them under $600K. If this is a little out of your range, Wallingford offers many nice condos starting at $165K. There are currently 27 available. For a more adventurous existence, join Wallingford’s houseboat community, with cool houseboats starting at $125K for a boat on rented moorage.
To find out more about these great living opportunities, contact us today!
