Maple Leaf

POPULATION: 20,000
DEMOGRAPHICS: Married couples, families with children
TYPES OF HOMES: Tudors, Boxes, Craftsmen, Townhomes, Condos
COMMUNITY BLOG: Maple Leaf Life
LIBRARY: closest is Seattle Public Library Northgate Branch, located at 10548 Fifth Ave. N.E., Seattle, WA 98125, Te. 206-386-1980
FARMERS MARKET: See Lake City Market
FAVORITE RESTAURANTS: La Casa del Mojito, Cafe Poccolo, Hudson New American Public House
FAVORITE COFFEE SHOPS: Cloud City Coffee, Blue Saucer Coffee, Cafe Javasti

This north Seattle neighborhood is tucked behind Northgate and I-5, but you’d never know it. This is a quiet, charming community, chock full of mid-century homes, brick houses, ramblers and two-story houses that cozy up with blackberry bushes, flocks of giant trees and memories of childhood. A row of condominiums stands at the edge of the neighborhood, like protectorates.

The yards are small but pulsing with personality-not just in the free-spirited rose gardens and flowers, but the lawn décor as well. There is virtually no noise from the busier surrounding sections of town. Maple Leaf has views going east and west, to the Cascade Mountain range and Olympic Mountains.

Between Northgate Mall and Roosevelt, there are plenty of stores, entertainment offerings, and business sections to choose from. This is another area that gives off a feel that residents are happily settled in here-the well lived-in vibe!