Ballard is a Seattle neighborhood that still has that classic Seattle heart and soul. There’s a mixture of old and new buildings, and it still has some of that grunge we’re known for! Living here feels like you’re in the city and you still have all of the amenities of a city, but you’re not in the center of all the hustle and bustle either.
If you’re thinking about moving to Ballard, here we’re sharing our 7 insider tips that you need to know. But of course, we always recommend neighborhood dating when you’re deciding which Seattle neighborhood is right for you. You’ll find all of our advice in our “dating” guide here: Try Before You Buy: How to Pick the Right Neighborhood for You.
1. Seattle’s Ballard neighborhood is huge and includes several micro-neighborhoods.
Ballard was first settled by non-Native pioneers from the west in the 1850s, and for several years, Ballard was actually its own city. In fact, Ballard residents were quite divided on whether or not they wanted to become a part of Seattle. In 1907, Ballard was officially annexed by Seattle. This waterfront neighborhood has a long history of being a fishing village, and you’ll still find commercial fishing ventures based here. Ballard also historically attracted a large number of Scandinavian immigrants, and today you’ll still find evidence of Scandinavian heritage, including the National Nordic Museum.
Since Ballard was once large enough to be its own city, it’s easy to see why this neighborhood has so many smaller neighbors, each with their own character. Here are a few of the micro-neighborhoods within Ballard:
Downtown Ballard
Downtown Ballard is of course the most dense area and very much lives like a smaller downtown. There’s a little bit of everything here. As far as housing options go, there are condos and apartments with first floor retail, as well as townhouse and single-family home options here and there. The main drag along Market has grocery stores, trendy restaurants and bars, cute coffee shops, hotels, gyms, and everything else you might need is right there. You could easily be car-free if you lived in Downtown Ballard. Additionally, you’ll also find the Ballard Farmers Market and other fun community events in this neighborhood all year round.
Loyal Heights
Loyal Heights and Whittier Heights are Ballard neighborhoods that feel pretty similar to each other. But Loyal Heights feels more traditionally residential since there are more single-family homes.
Whittier Heights
Whittier Heights is located in between Ballard (Downtown) and Phinney Ridge, so it’s one of those in-betweener neighborhoods. The neighborhood tends to be on the quieter side but does have a decent amount of traffic in areas however you have access to 2 wonderful neighborhoods – giving you the best of both worlds.
Sunset Hill
Sunset Hill is the land of views! There are many absolutely gorgeous single-family homes here with Puget Sound and Olympic Mountain views. And since it’s west-facing, you get some of the most breathtaking sunset views in the entire city, hence the name. You can watch boats and ferries come and go, and you can even whale watch! Here you’re also still close enough to city amenities and hospitals (for example), but it feels a little bit like you’re on vacation, too! Commuting from Sunset Hill can take some additional time so make sure you are comfortable with that if you decide to target the neighborhood.
Of course, here you’re also close to Ballard’s marinas so you can hop on a boat at Shilshole Bay. There are also some great old school fish shops, and Ray’s Boathouse on the water is a Seattle mainstay.
2. Ballard is very bikeable.
Biking is a popular activity in Ballard, whether you’re commuting to work or simply getting around the neighborhood.
The Burke-Gilman Trail runs through Ballard as well, and you can follow this trail through Fremont, University District, Ravenna, and up around Lake Washington all the way to Kenmore. The trail is popular for bikers, walkers, runners, and skaters.
3. Ballard is the perfect neighborhood for boaters.
There are several marinas in Ballard where you can dock your boat. Shilshole Bay Marina is by far the largest saltwater marinas in Seattle. And because there’s some intense boating culture here, you’ll also find a ton of resources. There are experts in the area who work on all types of boats, there are plenty of boating-related shops, and there are also kayak and paddleboard rentals and tours.
4. In most Ballard neighborhoods, you’ll want to have a car.
The only neighborhood that you could realistically be car-free in is Downtown Ballard. And if you stay in Ballard most of the time, you could also possibly be car-free (although biking is recommended!). And even though there are many bus lines that run through Ballard to other Seattle neighborhoods, a car is going to make life so much easier here. It’s geographically separated from much of Seattle because of all of the water that surrounds it. But where there’s a will there’s a way so it is possible to go car free but not all that common for most residents.
5. Ballard has most everything you’ll need, so you don’t have to leave very often if you don’t want to.
Unless you work outside of Ballard, you’ll find everything here for your day-to-day needs. Tons of grocery shopping (and a farmers market); plenty of gyms, boutique fitness studios, and ways to stay active; gorgeous outdoor destinations like Golden Gardens Park; a ton of world-class dining, trendy bars, and coffee shops; and much, much more is all at your fingertips.
6. Ballard is craft brewery central.
Seattle’s brewery scene could really be its own neighborhood. We would actually call this neighborhood “Free-Lard” since it’s on the border of Fremont and Ballard. It used to be a very industrial area (and you’ll still see evidence of that), but now you’ll find a brewery at every turn. The breweries are especially popular during the summer where you can sit outside on patios. Most of the breweries are family friendly, you can bring dogs, gather friends for card games (and a lot of the breweries have games you can play), and there are always food trucks that cycle through the breweries every week. It’s a very young and hip scene (lots of Millennials who traded bars for the brewery scene), and it’s a good third place in a city that tends to be lacking third places.
This area also has a ton of townhouses and a few single-family homes sprinkled in so you can live around the corner from your favorite watering hole.
7. Where in Ballard can you live with a water view?
Even though Ballard is surrounded by water, there are not many areas where you can live where you’ll have a water view. If you live in Sunset Hill, you will get some spectacular water views. You could also head up to North Beach/Blue Ridge, or Broadview for a water view, but at this point you’ll be getting outside of Ballard. There are also a couple of places in Downtown Ballard that have peekaboo views of Salmon Bay, but it’s not going to be those incredible Puget Sound views.
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