Why Live in Ballard
Located north of Seattle is the small community of Ballard. It's bordered by Phinney Ridge in Green Lake on the east and Crown Hill on the north. It's bordered on the south by the Ship Canal and Ballard Locks also known as Salmon Bay. Ballard is made up of smaller neighborhoods including West Woodland, Old Ballard, Sunset Hill, Loyal Heights, and Whittier Heights. It borders Shilshole Bay of the Puget Sound to the West and features the Marina, the railroad and riverfront parks and residential neighborhoods.
Ballard is a little unique in that there are no major freeways running through this part of town. Even though it is highly dense and mostly residential, it may not seem as busy as more active communities like a University District, Queen Anne Hill or even Green Lake. This is primarily pre-middle age to middle-age singles and several young families. About 65% of residents are renters and 35% are homeowners. The median household income is roughly $41,000 whereas Seattle's about $45,000. The median age is around 39. Singles ranging in age from their early 20s to mid 40s are looking for Ballard to be a quieter urban setting.
Ballard has its own unique personality working for those that get up early and head into downtown as well as the late brunch crowd. You can certainly find a lot to do, see and experience in Ballard such as dozens of restaurants, shops, art spaces and music venues.
One of the biggest attractions is the Hiram M. Chittenden locks, more commonly known as the Ballard locks, built in 1917. This facility features a park where people can watch larger boats and yachts pass-through or you can even go underwater and observe salmon swimming up the fish ladder to Lake Washington.
Golden Gardens Park is also another major destinations. It is one of the few with sandy beaches in Seattle and there are volleyball courts, barbecue pits and great locations for building sand castles and flying a kite.
The Ballard Farmers Market is open every Sunday during the entire year. This is a great spot to come and check out though local produce, meats, cheeses, artisan wares and vendors. There's also a lot of jewelry and furniture makers here. You'll find a variety of flea markets, garage sales, trendy and hipster shops and eclectic boutiques all throughout the Ballard area.
The Ballard area features and 95 out of 100 walk score with multiple restaurants, coffee shops, bars and grocery stores all within about 1/2 mile of most homes, condominiums and apartment buildings. It has a transit score of Medical Ctr., Ballard campus of the Swedish medical Center also in this community. Homes are approximately $300,000-$450,000 on average with condominiums running from $250,000-$500,000.
To learn more about this fantastic location in North Seattle please contact me at any time. Browse the website for all homes and real estate for sale in Ballard and when you're ready to see any home up close feel free to contact me.
"1091-51" by Unknown Photographer / US Army Corps of Engineers - [1]. Licensed under Public Domain via Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:1091-51.Jpg#/media/File:1091-51.Jpg