Madrona
Madrona prides itself on being a neighborhood rich in diversity and history. It offers a refreshing change to the poshness of nearby Madison Park and Washington Park. Madrona is located on a slope rising from Lake Washington, so there are hill-top views that go east and west. To the east, views overlook Bellevue, Lake Washington, the Cascade Mountains and moonrises; to the east it’s downtown Seattle, the Olympic Mountains and sunsets.
The homes are a mix of mid-century, contemporary, brick and bungalow styles. This is a spectacular walking area, with parks and gardens that unfold and bloom throughout the seasons. The small but growing business strip is on 34th, which includes restaurants, shops and retailers, cafes, a local winery and a renovated yellow-stucco gas station (now a frame shop and gallery).
Along the lake you have Madrona Park, which comes with a snack bar, picnic tables and covered shelters that can be reserved through the Public Parks system. A bathhouse doubles as the home to a dance company and offers year-round classes. This swimming beach is full-service: lifeguards, a roped-in swimming area, floating dock and facilities.
POPULATION: 1,200
DEMOGRAPHICS: Racially mixed middle-class and upper-class families
TYPES OF HOMES: Mid-century, Contemporary, Brick, Bungalow
COMMUNITY BLOG: Central District News
LIBRARY: Madrona-Sally Goldmark Library, located at 1134 34th Avenue, Seattle, WA 98122, Tel. (206) 684-4705
FARMERS MARKET: Madrona Farmers Market, open every Friday from 3-7 p.m., from May 20 to September 30, 2011, located in the parking lot of the Madrona Grocery Outlet at the corner of Martin Luther King, Jr. Way and E. Union Street.
FAVORITE RESTAURANTS: Bottle House, St. Clouds, Bistro Turkuaz,Naam Thai
FAVORITE COFFEE SHOPS: The Hi Spot Cafe, Verite Coffee
Recent posts about Madrona
$2,000,000 for Our Neighborhoods
The City of Seattle wants us—you, me, and our neighbors—to decide how to spend $2,000,000 on small-scale neighborhood improvements. Does your community need a new crosswalk? How about a median? Or a flashing beacon, repaired sidewalk, curb ramps, park benches, or trail improvements? That’s what this project, “Your Voice, Your Choice,” aims to accomplish. As real estate…
How Racist Real Estate Shaped Seattle
We all know the “bad” neighborhoods. We all know the “rich” neighborhoods. So, too, did 1936 Seattle. Much of the city we live in today was shaped by early 20th-century home loans, as you can see in this Great Depression map from the Home Owner’s Loan Corporation (HOLC). HOLC took all sorts of data from mortgage…
People on People on People
Seattle is now the #10 U.S. city for density. Density isn’t what usually comes to mind when most people think of our city. I know I used to picture the waterfront, the comfortably impressive skyline, and the charming village-esque neighborhoods. But I’ve watched more and more people move into those charming neighborhoods, and I’ve noticing…
Rental Registration and Inspection Ordinance
Do you know the new rental licensing requirement, SMC 22.214 (Rental Registration and Inspection Ordinance)? The Rental Registration and Inspection Ordinance (RRIO) requires landlords to register ALL rental housing units in Seattle, from single-family houses to large apartment buildings. ALL properties must be registered from 2015 to 2016, with specific deadlines based on the ZIP code where…
Photo Contest: Seattle Bloomin’
It’s springtime in Seattle! For May’s photo contest, send us pictures of nature in bloom. Step 1: Take 1-3 photos of blossoms. A flower, a tree, a blooming onion. They’re all fair game. Step 2: Email your photo(s) to josh.realestategals@gmail.com with: • Your name • A brief caption Step 3: We’ll post your photos on our Facebook page. The photos…
Paseo, Paseo: What Do We Do Now?
Paseo has closed. You might have heard it already from the stunned news reports and neighborhood gossip that flurried through Seattle on Tuesday. Paseo, celebrated Cuban sandwich shop. Paseo, #2 on Yelp’s Top 100 Places to Eat in America. Paseo, Seattle treasure. Closed. The news came as a shock to just about everyone. One day…
Trick-or-Treat!
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What does your zip code say about you?
Age? Check. Income? Check. Neighborhood? Check. Overall lifestyle? Check. It’s creepy, but once you get past the creepiness, it’s actually a useful tool for house-hunting and neighborhood-shopping, and, in a spying-on-the-Jonses way… it’s fun. Esri released an interactive map that analyzes your zip code information. You can zoom into Seattle and see…
Beat the Seattle Commute
The commute, the dreaded commute! Bumper-to-bumper for miles, moving down I-5 slower than you backed out of your driveway. Wait, wait, wait—move forward ten feet and wait some more. Watch the minutes pile up. You should think about this when you pick a house. Map potential routes and test them. Imagine driving from that potential…
Of Parks and Pianos
Seattle is known for many things. Music, coffee, rain. Good scenery and great parks. And this summer, you can combine all of it. How? Pianos in the Parks. From July 17 to August 17, twenty pianos will occupy twenty King County parks. Anyone can play them. It doesn’t matter if you’re tone-deaf or classically trained,…