Northgate

Northgate is one of the biggest, most north neighborhoods in Seattle city limits. It includes the Haller Lake neighborhood, which I take note of in another review.

We live not far from Northgate, which is a convenient place for shopping. It is mostly a mall, with clothing stores, Macy's, JcPenney, Target, Ross, TJ Max, and others. They have three special children’s stores here: Gymboree, The Children’s Place and Crazy 8. Plus the children’s sections in the large stores. Our favorite is Crazy 8. They have unique clothing and good sales.

The mall is the main reason why we are sometimes in the Northgate neighborhood. There is also a movie theater with an IMAX screen we have visited.

We also have been to Kym’s Kiddy Corner in Northgate, which is a children’s consignement store. It's not at the mall, it's on Pinehurst Way nearby. Since children grow so quickly, you can sell the slightly used clothes they outgrew here. They have a good selection of toys, clothes, and other things. But you should clean anything you buy here before you use it, just in case.

The rest of the neighborhood is mainly housing, so no reason to visit. I have heard it’s very affordable, but I wouldn’t want to live here. It is not as clean and safe as Shoreline.

If living in a mall has been a dream of yours, then Northgate might just be what the doctor ordered. Northgate which lies just north of Seattle is most know for the Northgate Mall. Since the mall’s remodel in 2009 the neighborhood has been going through a transformation, most notably the completion of Thornton Place complex, a mix use complex of retail, condos, and apartments. At the time the largest complex in the hood. Thornton Place is home to a cinema, IMAX, and several restaurants. Beyond the shopping and eating convenience a bus transit transfer station and commuter parking lot are adjacent, making the location prime real estate for a commuter. There is also a Link Light Rail station scheduled to be completed in 2021, which will connect UW, Downtown, and reach all the way to Seatac Airport.

According to Zillow the average home in Northgate is around $263,000, much, much cheaper than that of Seattle proper. My guess is most are condos and smaller single family homes. Rent is also much more affordable, I’ve seen studios under $1,000 and 2 bedrooms for $1,600 – which is $200 cheaper than the 1 bedroom I rent in Seattle.

What’s in Northgate? Bedsides the mall there is North Seattle Community College and Thornton Creek, a 12 square mile watershed for nature and wildlife. Shopping is the neighborhood’s biggest draw, and all the big chain stores are in the mall or around it. Most of the restaurants in the neighborhood are of the chain variety. In fact the highest rated restaurant for Northgate on Yelp is Chipotle. Who doesn’t love Chipotle? The good news is Northgate is close to Greenlake and downtown is an easy bus ride or drive down I-5.

Who should live here? Anyone who wants an affordable housing and an easy commute to downtown, with super easy access to shopping. Northgate is probably one of the cheapest place to get a two bedroom apartment close to the city. Affordable and convenience are the two things that come to mind with thinking about living in Northgate. I think Northgate could be the perfect place for working college students.

Who should NOT live here? If you’re looking for a neighborhood with character and charm, Northgate is probably not for you. Since Northgate is next to I-5 it can be noisy because of all the freeway traffic. It also isn’t the greenest neighborhood, again right next to I-5 and a mall.

Northgate is a neighborhood about 7 or 8 miles north of Seattle’s downtown, which straddles Interstate 5, and is bounded on the west by Aurora/Highway 99. The northern border is the arterial street 145th, and to the south are the Greenlake and Ravenna neighborhoods.

The mall:
The neighborhood’s main feature is the Northgate Mall. This is one of the largest malls in Seattle, with all your usual stores, as well as a few across the street including Target, Ross, and TJ Max. At the South edge of the mall is a large, multi-story Regal movie theater which is considerably less crowded than the downtown theaters. For example, I just saw the most recent Hunger Games movie on opening weekend, and there were still open seats in the theater, while the downtown theaters were packed.

Housing:
Probably the next biggest perk to living in this neighborhood is the affordable rent. The heart of Northgate is only 1.5 miles north of Greenlake neighborhood, but the rent is *significantly* cheaper. You’ll find a good range of types of living spaces in this area, with a mix of low and middle-income housing throughout the neighborhood, and higher-rent places down south closer to the city center.

Transportation:
Another benefit of Northgate is the easy access to I-5 and Aurora/99. To get to downtown Seattle, you can take the E-line express bus down Aurora/99, which gets you there in about 30-40 minutes, depending on traffic. The bus has its own lane for much of the trip, which is helpful during heavy traffic. Though it can get super crowded, with standing room only. Still, it’s much quicker than driving during rush hour.

As for the Aurora/99 itself, the Northgate section of the road is…interesting. Just north in Shoreline, the road was recently revamped to be several lanes wide, with pleasant landscaping and walking bridges overhead. Just south, the road curves around greenlake and heads straight for Fremont and downtown Seattle. But the section that is in the Northgate neighborhood feels a bit forgotten. It hasn’t yet been renovated, and is bordered by a smattering of shabby auto shops, retail stores, fast food, hotels, and apartments. But hey, it’s part of the reason that rents stay low!

Safety:
Why else is it so much cheaper to live in Northgate? Well, being close to I-5 and Aurora/99 is convenient, but it also means the neighborhood experiences higher levels of crime than elsewhere in the city. Much of the residential area of Northgate is along that same shabby section of Aurora, which is unfortunately known in Seattle for petty crime. It’s mostly insignificant theft, because there is some poverty nearby and people are trying to survive. I’ve occasionally felt unsafe at night here, walking to a friend’s place from the bus stop, with very little street lighting and some people hanging around. Something to consider.

Parks:
One thing that’s not ideal is there aren’t as many parks in Northgate as in other neighborhoods. There’s Jackson Park, but it’s a golf course. Then there’s a very large cemetery, not exactly where you’d want to have a picnic. To be fair, there’s the small Northacres park which has a baseball field, and the Maple Leaf Reservoir Park which has some athletic fields. There’s also Haller Lake, but almost all of the lakefront is private property, except a tiny sliver of public access at the end of 125th street. I guess living in other park-filled neighborhoods in Seattle has set high standards! Most people living in Northgate would head to Greenlake park for a stroll, or to the huge Magnusun park to the east, which rests on the shores of Lake Washington.

Students:
I should mention the North Seattle Community College Campus, which is in the South-West corner of Northgate. So of course, the neighborhood is a great location for students. Northgate also has the large Ingraham High School, which is an international Baccalaureate school, and also has a highly gifted student program.

Conclusion:
The Northgate neighborhood is great if you’re looking for something affordable outside the city center with access to retail stores. But it’s not as walkable, green or as safe as nearby neighborhoods, which is what brings the rent down.

Most people associate Northgate with Seattle’s Northgate Mall, and although the mall is the primary focus of people visiting the Northgate area it’s not the only thing this area of Seattle has to offer. Northgate is the host to several neighborhoods with houses, condos and apartment buildings mixed in throughout the area. Condos are reasonably price in the area as well as the smaller homes, like all areas the real estate market was hit hard in this area so the housing is less expensive than it once was.

North Seattle Community College also calls the Northgate area home, with its 2-year degree programs, as well as one of the many branches of the Seattle Public Library. Because the Northgate Mall is in the area of Seattle restaurants are plentiful with big named chain restaurants like Red Robin, the Ram and California Pizza Kitchen are always busy but have familiar fare. My personal preference is Bluefin with its Japanese fair and wonderful sushi. Although whenever I’m in the Northgate area I’m sure to be found wondering for hours in the two-story Target.

The Northgate area isn’t really a place to find nightlife, parks or unique boutiques and restaurants, but it does have all the chain stores, outlets and eateries that a person is familiar with.