What's an "Urban Village"?
An Urban Village is a neighborhood that has a central "core" of shops, restaurants, services, recreation, festivals and destinations that are within walking distance for most of the neighborhood. The Villages are places that provide the color, texture, and vibrancy of a neighborhood, and make them a desirable place to live. Ideally a person should be able to also work in the neighborhood, but for most people that is not possible...and thus the commute!
Seattle has a number of Urban Villages in the surrounding Metro area, and each has it's own wonderful personalitly. Fremont declares itself the "Center of the Universe" and was the first Village I visited the day after I moved into my Tukwila apartment from Santa Ana, California a long time ago! There is Ballard, Magnolia, Queen Anne, Belltown, Pioneer Square, Westlake, Eastlake, Capitol Hill, Madison Valley, Madison Park, Montlake, and the list goes on and on...and I am sure I have missed your favorite village. We have lots of time to Explore and learn!
My goal is to explore these Villages, the housing market surrounding them, share the discoveries, and how these Villages could be the place that you would like to call home! If you are already a "Native" of a village please feel free to share what makes it a wonderful place for you to call home. Or perhaps you are a "Tourist" with a favorite destination, or an "Explorer" and you would like to share your Adventure!
Deborah - Welcome to the ActiveRain Community! I look forward to following your Adventures as you tour the numerous Urban Villages of Greater Seattle! Get lots of good pictures!
P.S. If you have any questions about the ActiveRain network, don't hesistate to ask!
Thanks Rich!
I plan to have lots...I just need to figure out how!
Deborah,
I want to welcome you here too. Go out and be a tourist in your own town and then let us know about those urban villages. Looking forward to it and the photos.
Maureen
Thanks Maureen!
That is exactly what I am planning on doing...I love all these villages and someday soon I plan on choosing one and moving in too! Choosing a location to live is such an important decision, especially when you buy a house or condo, because you will be there for a while, so the urban village lifestyle must be a good fit.
I think sharing in the process will be fun and educational for everyone, especially homebuyers and to a lesser degree sellers. My next post will be about something big in Belltown...so to continue my metaphor...let the exploration begin!
Great urban headshots of you and Dmitry!
Thanks John!
I appreciate the welcome!
Deborah, very interesting article. I've never spent any time in Seattle, you are certainly making me want to though! The concept of "urban villages" feels new yet somehow oddly familiar and right. I have lived in larger cities (DC for one), and there do tend to be little 'villages' with their own personality that can be fairly self-contained.
It's nice to see that in our American 'Car Culture' there seems to be some interest in returning things to a more human scale (didn't know that Las Vegas was working to improve the pedestrian experience, thanks John). Interesting.
Even in a small town this can be an issue (especially here in the less dense parts of the Southwest, where you pretty much have to get in your car to get anywhere). There has been a lot of discussion and some progress here regarding creating a "Heart of Sedona" where people can get out of their cars and WALK to shops, restaurants, etc. And where they can relax and interact (parks, outdoor amipitheatres for events, sidewalk cafes).
I'm all for it.
Beth, I am glad that my post has made you want to come and see Seattle, I was born in Tucson, and lived both there and Phoenix until 11. We used to go camping and going to Oak Creek Canyon was a favoite! Sedona is very beautiful, I have seen so many lovely photos in "Arizona Highways", and I would like to see it again.
I just love central core areas where you can walk around and poke around the shops and restaurants, and enjoy the feel of the neighborhood!
I can't wait to see more of your posts to Localism...you live in a very photogenic part of the world!