Mount Baker

It is fantastic. The city is really investing in the area. Ballard, Greenwood, Innerbay etc are very expensive and take a long time to get to work downtown. Mt.Baker has it's own metro that only takes about 15 min to get to downtown. No one uses it. It's wonderful! Also, a few of my friends that work at Microsoft live there now. They can get across I90 to work without the tolls of 520 bridge. So if you need to zip to South Lake Union, downtown to work, or over to Bellevue its great!

The Mt. Baker community is as different economically as it is racially. The neighborhood, occupying an area from around Interstate 90 in the north to Hinds Street and Sayres Memorial Park in the south. It spans from 23rd Avenue and Rainier Avenue in the west to Lake Washington (http://bitly.com/dXcYNZ) in the east.

A quick look at income levels reveals a sharp increase moving west to east. The dividing line, economically, seems to be around 33rd Avenue. In fact, the area south of Mt. Baker Park (http://1.usa.gov/gioc49), along the coast, has a median income average of $200,000. This is shocking, considering that just six to eight blocks to the west the median income is around $46,000!

Despite these large differences in residents' pocket books, newer housing has emerged on the west side. Some friends of ours live in the lower income area, in an attractive new development.

Any eating establishments or small businesses can be found along Rainier Avenue or Martin Luther King Jr. Way, or "MLK" as referred to by residents.

An area where this section of the city shines is in its recreation, especially with the waterfront property and parks that share it. A fun experience is exploring the park above I-90, with its walking paths culminating in a tunnel that leads out to a terrace overlooking the lake and the interstate bridge. A few blocks south, Colman (http://1.usa.gov/e925oc) and Mt. Baker Park offer residents green space with woods, sporting fields and play areas. The Mt. Baker Park even has space for weddings and ceremonies.

On the southern edge of the neighborhood lies the Mt. Baker Rowing and sailing club (http://mbrsc.org), on the shores of Sayres Memorial Park (http://1.usa.gov/geXWsb). There are four wide boat launches, giving the public a great entry point into the lake. This place also services the hydroplane boats during the Seafair (http://seafair.com) races each year in August.

From the rougher urban side of Mt. Baker to the serene east side, this place has much to offer residents and tourists. If your a cyclist, like me, you'll enjoy a ride through the tunnel (http://bitly.com/hQV6gk) and down Lake Washington Boulevard, absorbing the views and coastal treasures in all their glory.

I spent most of my visit to Mt. Baker driving through neighborhoods looking at all the houses that border Lake Washington and dreaming of one day owning one of them. The housing in the area is some of my favorite and goes from lakeside to wooden in mere blocks. It’s defiantly a neighborhood of homes with some restaurants and shops tossed in; it’s not a big nightlife area. However, every summer is its one of the hottest destinations when it host Seafair.

The Mount Baker Rowing and Sailing Center which is located on Lake Washington and in Stan Sayres Park where people come to see the Hydroplane Races. It’s a great place to hang out of a nice sunny Seattle day to take in the sail boats or just sun worship. There’s also Mount Baker Park where picnic tables are plentiful and tennis is the afternoon game and the courts are in great shape. Lots of paths run through the park for those wanting to explore while taking in the views.

Not a lot of fancy restaurants are in the area but there are some as well as a few great wine shops and smaller retailers in the area. Overall it’s a great place to own a nice home and to visit when the pirates are in town.