2023 Best Cities to Live in the Seattle Area

• City in Washington

• •
  Rating 4.37 out of 5  191 reviews

Former Resident: I grew up in Bellevue, Washington and I had a great experience. Bellevue School District has a number of fantastic public schools and there are many great neighborhoods. It is close to the city if you enjoy city life but also far enough away to enjoy a slower pace. There is always plenty to do and the scenery is beautiful!... Read 191 reviews

• grade A+

• grade A+

• Population 149,365

• City in Washington

• •
  Rating 4.19 out of 5  1,037 reviews

Current Resident: Lived in this city most my life, almost 40 years. Due to the tech industry it’s ungodly expensive now. However, it’s a fun city, beautiful, so much to do. Lots of sports, art, cinema, and nearby nature and winter sports. It’s very progressive so if that’s you you’ll fit in. The homeless issue is bad, but hardly homeless everywhere. Mostly downtown and in Ballard both historically seedy locations. Residential areas are safe and I see kids riding their bikes, playing ball and walking home from school when driving around the residential areas. The biggest problem in Seattle is the traffic. Since it’s the employment hub of the area people from all over come to work. The cities population during the day is around 700k but during the weekdays it gets over 2 million people in the city limits to work and shop! Be warned the traffic is terrible at certain times. And due to the geography it’s almost impossible to build alternative routes and transportation. Great place to find work though.... Read 1,037 reviews

• grade A+

• grade A

• Population 726,054

• City in Washington

• •
  Rating 3.94 out of 5  504 reviews

Current Resident: I have lived here my whole life, with occasional move outs. I always end up back home. I actually ended moving on the same block I grew up on. It is very interesting to see how a lot of the neighborhood has changed, some good things and some bad things. I have learned how to adapt to the new things and getting to know my neighbors! I learned some of them were around when I was a kid. I'm glad it cleaned up nicely. There is also a new link train going to straight to Seattle on one of the busy streets here on the hilltop- I can't wait until it opens up and we can walk right on the train to Seattle! The scenery is lovely, if you haven't visited the PNW...you should! especially since if you love the outdoors.... Read 504 reviews

• grade B

• grade B

• Population 217,332

• City in Washington

• •
  Rating 3.65 out of 5  216 reviews

Current Resident: It’s Seattle’s 2nd biggest suburb and, as such, incredibly diverse in all aspects of the word. You’ll find five alphabets on buildings within 2 blocks and everything from very modest 1970/80s apartments and ranch homes to pristine, tree lined cul-de-sacs of upper middle class homes catering to professionals who commute into downtown Seattle/Bellevue (at least when we’re not WFH; FYI, I fall in this category). It’s awesome to be just half an hour from downtown Seattle and Bellevue (made it back from Amazon hq in 24min the other day)!... Read 216 reviews

• grade B minus

• grade B minus

• Population 134,890

• City in Washington

• •
  Rating 3.58 out of 5  204 reviews

Current Resident: There are a lot of things I love about the city of Everett. The mountain view is gorgeous on a clear summer day, and it's a trading port, which cultivates the most diverse culture of food you can eat locally! Nature is relatively abundant around here, bringing a sense of appreciation for the wildlife and taking care of the environment. Overall it's a city that I genuinely love and can't say any other city can replace that!... Read 204 reviews

• grade B minus

• grade B+

• Population 110,438