Belltown

POPULATION: 8,700

DEMOGRAPHICS: Primarily white collar, non-family households and households without children

TYPES OF HOMES: Apartment buildings and condos

COMMUNITY BLOG: Belltown People Blog
LIBRARY: Seattle Central Library, located at 1000 Fourth Ave., Seattle, WA 98104, Tel. 206-386-4636
FARMERS MARKET: Pike Place Market, located at 1531 Western Ave, between Pike and Pine on Western Ave. Open Monday through Saturday, 9 am to 6 pm year round.
Sunday, 9 am to 5 pm.
FAVORITE RESTAURANTS: Restaurant Zoe, Cyclops, Black Bottle, Palace Kitchen, Dahlia Lounge, Lola, Belltown Pizza, Branzino,
FAVORITE COFFEE SHOPS: Uptown Espresso,  Top Pot Doughnuts,  Macrina Cafe

This lively, trendy downtown neighborhood offers the best in condo living and artist lofts. It sits over Elliot Bay and is home to the splashiest sunset views over the Puget Sound and the Olympic Mountains. Belltown is also a hop skip and a jump from Pike Place Market, and walking distance to the downtown business district, Seattle Center and the foot of Queen Anne Hill.

A Belltown residence’s backyard has the most up-to-date nightlife alongside some of Seattle’s old faithful venues. The Moore Theatre, for example, is a historic concert hall on Second Avenue. A lively array of boutiques, galleries, cafes, thrift stores, salons and restaurants are all within a stone’s throw. Dining options range from thrifty international fare to high-end Seattle cuisine. Sidewalk dining springs to life during fair weather months.

This is bonafide city living. Everything here is within walking distance. Which means locals can keep their cars parked for days-or not own one. One added bonus of cosmopolitan living is access to many bus lines, and a lot of Belltown is in the city’s free bus zone.