Fairmount Park

The area of West Seattle remains a strong player in residential living with close proximity to the urban core. Fairmount Park, just to the west of the West Seattle Recreation Center and stretching from the West Seattle Bridge to Graham Street, holds the baton for another lap around discovering quality Emerald City communities.

Demographics and Income

Statistics for Fairmount Park run almost hand-in-hand with Seattle averages. Half of the residents are married, with about 18% of these couples having children living at home. The ethnicity is primarily white, with incomes just a hair above the city medium. A good size constituency of seniors still call this neighborhood home. The majority, however, are found in the highly educated singles and DINKs (Double Income—No Kids) who are in their 30s and 40s.

Culture

A busy, progressive population, who live for the weekends. Many must endure countless minutes in traffic for work commutes, so time in the neighborhood will be precious. Since many do not have children, nightlife and outdoor adventures will reign supreme and define their weekend warrior profile.

Real Estate

The breakdown in home ownership versus renting is essentially even. Single family homes and condos comprise most of the residential dwellings. The home with abundant square footage is not prevalent here, with 75% being under 1800 sq. ft. Owners can breathe a little easier, as other Seattleites pay more for their property taxes. Values still sing a downward trend, having lost 25% since late 2007.

Local Business Tour (Restaurants, Pubs, Coffee Houses, Shops and other Amenities)

Besides being a great location to raise a family, Fairmount Park boasts three arterials (California Avenue, Fauntleroy Way, and 35th Avenue) filled with amenities that make this neighborhood worth the stay. Some of these include Kokoras Greek Grill (http://kolorasgreekgrill.com) - Authentic Greek dishes, served in a tavern-like atmosphere; Pho Than Brothers (http://thanbrothers.com) - Specializing in rice noodle soup and cream puffs; Fresh Bistro (http://herbanfeast.com) - A full-service restaurant featuring dishes using only ingredients from local farms; Talarico’s (http://talaricoswest.com) - East coast pizza and Italian dishes; Diva Espresso Bar (http://divaespresso.com), and Luna Park Cafe (http://lunaparkcafe.com) - Great breakfast food, milkshakes and more—established 1989.

If it is nightlife you seek, featuring superb local ales, then check out Elliot Bay Brewing Company (http://elliottbaybrewing.com) - Founded in 1997: inspired by the community-oriented establishments of old Europe. For a more relaxed environment, consider the West Seattle Wine Cellars (http://wscellars.com) - A wide selection of wines from all over the word, featuring tastings.

For coffee locales: C & P Coffee (http://candpcoffee.com) - Serving Lighthouse Roasters’ fine espresso and a rotating selection of beer and wine; Uptown Espresso (http://uptownespresso.net) - Home of the velvet foam; Diva Espresso (http://divaespresso.com) - A history dating back to 1992, featuring six locations and a roasting facility called “Highlands Coffee Company”; Verite Coffee (http://veritecoffee.com) - Translated “truth”, an independent coffee house supporting the arts; Easy Street Records and Cafe (http://easystreetonline.com) - An in-store coffee experience with an almost endless food menu; and of course, Starbucks (http://starbucks.com) and Tully’s (http://tullys.com).

A few local, unique merchants to note: Curious Kidstuff (http://curiouskidstuff.com) - Selling non-violent toys, books, music, art, etc. Also, a good selection of green toys; Again & a Gain (http://againandagain.net) - Everything baby, kids and maternity that is earth, animal and kid friendly; Seattle Yarn (http://seattleyarn.com) - Everything yarn... enough said; Mountain to Sound Outfitters (http://m2soutfitters.com) - Seattle’s full-service ski/board, paddlesports, skate and rack shop; and Avalon Glassworks (http://avalonglassworks.com) - A glass blowing studio and art glass gallery.

Schools

Montessori School of West Seattle (http://westseattlemontessori.com) - Individualized teaching from experienced professionals: established in 1985; Little Art School & Gallery-the Original (http://littleartschool.com) - Founded in 1990 by Teri Laffan, a professional artist and educator; Seattle Integrated Martial Arts (http://simamartialarts.com) - Opened by Bob Heinemann—promoting fitness health, open mindedness, community, personal responsibility, and personal growth; aCPR Class (http://acprclass.com) - A company that trains individuals in the basics of emergency service like CPR and First Aid; and Epiphany Learning Strategies (http://epiphanylearnings.com) - Developing leaders in a variety of contexts.

Recreation

Having close proximity to Camp Long (http://bitly.com/byXg6y) is a plus, but Fairmount Park does claim its own green space. Fairmount Playfield (http://bitly.com/9VzEHz) provides play space for kids, along with sports fields for all ages. Another recreational perk for this neighborhood is having the West Seattle Family YMCA (http://seattleymca.org).

Medical and Wellness Facilities

Enough exists in Fairmount to cover your back when accidents occur: West Seattle Convenient Care (http://westseattleconvenientcare.com) - Quick access to medical attention without the wait of an emergency room; Highline Hand Therapy (http://highlinehandtherapy.com) - Treating a variety of hand/arm injuries with over 30 years experience; Visiting Angels of Seattle (http://ginasangels.net) - Providing in-home care for seniors; DRTRI (http://drtri.com) - Dr. Michael Ross provides comprehensive care for sports injuries; West Seattle Endodontics (http://westseattleendodontics.com) - An ultra-comfortable environment for oral surgery [even provide movie glasses!]; and Gerhard M. Zanolli, M.D. (http://drzanolli.com) - Child, adolescent and adult psychiatry.

Spiritual Centers and Churches

Staying within Fairmount Park is a plus when it comes to attending a spiritual center—the neighborly feel and ability to walk to services/meetings in the Summer. However, selection is limited... West Seattle Calvary Chapel (http://calvarychapelwestseattle.com) - A circa 1995 planted congregation, with a strong emphasis on Bible teaching; and West Seattle Nazarene Church (http://nazarene.org) - A Protestant Christian church in the Wesleyan-Holiness tradition, tracing its roots to an anniversary date of 1908.

Transportation Access and Tips

Getting in and out of Fairmount Park is relatively easy, with its borders along arterial streets like Fauntleroy Way, California Avenue, and 35th Avenue SW. Even a work or pleasure commute into the city is not too overwhelming, though traffic-dependent, via the West Seattle Bridge. The central location makes this neighborhood an ideal launching point into exploring the rest of West Seattle.

Summary

As mentioned above, the more northern and eastern location gives Fairmount Park the upper hand on shorter commutes to downtown and less traversing over non-arterial streets—one of the many reasons this community is a good choice when visiting or deciding on a vicinity to move into.

There’s not many places in Seattle that seem truly kid friendly, but the Fairmount Park area in Seattle is as about as close as possible to the perfect place to raise a family. The area is filled with homes of small to medium size, condos in various sizes and prices and pretty decent apartment buildings that also won’t cost a paycheck or two to rent.

The homes are perfect for small families just starting out or for couples wanting to downgrade when their grown children go away to college. The best thing about the area is the fact that Fairmount Park, West Seattle Recreation Center. Although nothing is truly perfect the elementary school in the area is a waste land so children will have to be go elsewhere for education.

Since Fairmount Park is part of the West Seattle area there are a lot of grocery stores and retail stores in every direction so there is no need to venture to far from the area in order to dine or buy a new pair of socks.

Fairmount Park is a small, mostly residential neighborhood in the heart of West Seattle. Bounded on the east by 35th Ave SW, directly on the other side of this main thoroughfare lies the West Seattle Golf Course. The western boundary of the neighborhood is California Ave SW, and to the south lies Fauntleroy Way SW and Graham St.

The neighborhood is known for the Fairmont Playfield, next to the recently closed Fairmount Park Elementary School. The community has many smaller homes, condos, and apartment buildings, making the area popular for first-time homebuyers with small children. If you plan to live here, look towards the south end of the neighborhood, which has more green areas, including easy access to nearby Lincoln Park on the waterfront.

While those who live there seem to love it, the streets may be a bit busy for some tastes. Fauntleroy Way SW, in particular, is one of the main roads through West Seattle, with both the ferry docks and West Seattle Freeway connected to this bustling thoroughfare. SW Alaska Street, another busy West Seattle road, runs through the northern end of the neighborhood. The upside of having these streets nearby, however, is that residents of Fairmount Park are never far from shopping, restaurants, and gas stations. Despite its high traffic, the area is considered relatively safe, although not very quiet. Look for housing away from the main thoroughfares if you want to enjoy everything Fairmont Park has to offer without the noise.