Belltown

The Belltown and Denny Regrade neighborhood is the northwestern section of downtown from the shoreline to the freeway between Seattle Center and the Pike Place Market. Famous historically for its radical leveling of Denny Hill, the Belltown area is still frequently the scene of major construction projects. The recent Olympic Sculpture Park project, for example, received an American Society of Landscape Architects 2007 design award for its transformation of an inaccessible oil transfer facility into a spectacular public urban art garden, beach and shoreline trail.

Belltown's prime downtown and waterfront location has made it a natural choice for developers beginning in the late 1800's but the building boom that began at the turn of this current century is one of the biggest. In 2007 alone this 13 block triangle had at least a dozen new condo buildings under construction. Housing is not the only type of development in Belltown. True to its downtown core, Belltown is a hub of dining, art, and commercial activity. Seattle's own uberchef, Tom Douglas, has chosen this area for all five of his highly-rated restaurants. Considered by many to be the epicenter of Seattle's "cool", Belltown hosts some of Seattle's tastiest dining, hippest lounging and most stylish shopping establishments. Boutique hotels and modern eclectic art galleries also abound. Even the Belltown pets have hip places to hang out, including the downtown dog park and the Downtown Dog Lounge.

In true Seattle fashion, Belltown residents cannot be singly classified. The young hip professional is the stereotype but retirees and familes also call Belltown home and they all work together to create a sense of community among the bustle of their downtown streets. The Belltown Community Council is active and strong. One of their most interesting accomplishments has been the preservation of three original 1907 waterfront cottages with the establishment of The Belltown Cottages Park and P-Patch, creating a small community oasis surrounded by the "new Seattle" building up all around.

Of course, you can no longer find small cottages to purchase in this area but beautiful condos, from grand to "boutique", are readily available for those looking to live in urban style.