2023 Best Cities to Live in Washington

• City in Washington

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  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

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  Rating 4.19 out of 5  1,038 reviews

Current Resident: I love Seattle very much; the food, the scenery, and even the weather. I love the diversity in the food we have here from teriyaki to fish and chips it is not hard to find good eats here. The scenery alone is a reason I feel like people love it here; being able to see Mt Rainier while driving down I5 on a nice clear day is always a unbeatable view. Contrary to popular belief, it does not rain all day every day here. During colder seasons rain is definitely making quite a few appearances but during the summer everything from the trees to the flowers are just so beautiful and clear. Though, once we get 2 months into summer and us Seattleites are already talking about how we miss the rain! Something I would like to see changed is definitely how homelessness is handled here. To be one the most expensive cities and have all of these big companies here and you still will see people sleeping at the entrance of a 60+ story Amazon building, it's sad and I think it could be handled better.... Read 1,038 reviews

• grade A+

• grade A

• Population 726,054

• City in Washington

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  Rating 3.73 out of 5  846 reviews

Current Resident: I love Spokane's seasons. We get winter, spring, summer, and fall. During the fall months Spokane is breath taking with its beautiful trees and calmness in the air. We mostly always get a white Christmas and who doesn't love a white Christmas?! I really like the variety of schools in Spokane and mostly all of Spokane schools are highly rated. Going to downtown Spokane can get scary because the homeless population is increasing. I wish we could see a change in the crime rates and obiously there are much worse places than Spokane but for a place so beautiful, I would like it to be pleasant. All in all, I love Spokane and its people. I plan to live here and start a family here!... Read 846 reviews

• grade B+

• grade B+

• Population 225,709

• City in Washington

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  Rating 3.94 out of 5  505 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 505 reviews

• grade B

• grade B

• Population 217,332

• City in Washington

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  Rating 4.14 out of 5  467 reviews

Current Resident: Very diverse. Someparts of town are very scary to be in. Constant construction is annoying for transportation. I would like to see more city events, parades, etc. I would like to see less construction during the day.... Read 467 reviews

• grade B

• grade B

• Population 188,331

• City in Washington

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  Rating 3.64 out of 5  217 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 217 reviews

• grade B minus

• grade B minus

• Population 134,890

• City in Washington

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  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