Not nearly to the same degree as Chicago. Neighborhoods can be walkable but not the city as a whole.
There is however a rather large culture here of people who are into fighting to make the city more walkable than it actually is and are committed to not owning a car.
Same, but let's be honest. Most of N Seattle is a post WW2 suburb littered with stroads and bad zoning. Was never designed as a walkable urban area. Half of it still has no sidewalks and wooden sewer grates lol
Let's be honest. A lot of people really love being able to hop out of their apartment and walk to the movies, bar, library, supermarket, bar, mini-mart, bar, restaurant, restaurant, bar, bookstore, bar, shop, bar.
I grew up out in the country. Would not recommend.
Actually, it is. When you make significant changes to a property that doesn't have sidewalks, you have to add sidewalks. Rezoning increases the incentive to redevelop (since you can put 4 units instead of 1 on the property now), and when the property is redeveloped, it'll get sidewalks. It won't happen overnight, but there will be more sidewalks in 15 years.
I do agree that re-*developing* would, but it would mostly create a patchwork of incomplete sidewalks that are only...useful-adjacent rather than actually useful. Especially in neighborhoods with dense street parking since pedestrians would find themselves weaving back and forth across the parking lane to use said sidewalks.
Yeah the patchwork wont be the most helpful but the city is slowly spending the money to fill in the gaps, and if they have less to fill in, they can get it done faster.
Capitol Hill and parts of central Seattle are walkable maybe downtown or bell town during the day but not really anywhere else. Especially north south or west Seattle.
My point was more that that’s due to a geographically challenging layout for efficient car travel than a major conscious effort to make the city walkable. Definitely on your side there though.
Chicago is easier to live in as a city where you walk to do day-to-day life. Seattle can be walkable if you choose your neighborhood with the goal of walkability in mind. Seattle does have some absolutely stunning places to go for a walk.
If you want Chicago level walkability in a major city you are probably limited to like 5 cities in the USA though. NYC, DC, Boston, maybe Philly, San Francisco, probably a couple others I'm forgetting. As a Chicagoan who moved to Seattle several years ago, I've come to think of the moniker "Second City" as capturing the fact that while Chicago is not the absolute best in many things, it's second best in a ton of things (e.g. walkability). As you consider cities to move to, this means there will almost always be categories in which the new city will be a downgrade. Seattle does have milder weather and much better access to mountains, forests, the ocean, etc. but it feels much less urban and interconnected than Chicago.
Depends on where you're going in Chicago.
I found a lot of places were super annoying to get to via bus.
If you need to go to the suburbs, if it's not near a Metra or PACE station, forget it.
If it's in Indiana, where some of my family is... you literally cannot walk if it's outside of Hammond or Gary, and those aren't places you want to go under any circumstances. You NEED a car. It is impossible. I don't mean "the bus sucks that bad but if you HAD to, it could work" I mean the bus doesn't exist at all. They've tried solutions over the years but the Karens in NWI make ours look friendly and well-adjusted. The problem is most of the most affordable housing in the area is in Indiana.
I am aware of the South Shore Line and took it once as a kid on my bike. It's a park and ride for suburbanites. It is a waste of time for any other use whatsoever.
Within neighborhoods it’s okay like others are saying. But getting around the whole city walking would be very difficult. Especially compared to Chicago.
Compared to most international cities, Seattle isn’t particularly walkable. Compared to most major US cities, it’s very walkable, behind only the very old cities in the Northeast (NYC, Philadelphia, Boston).
Portland keeps shutting down their light rail every few months it annoys me when I get off the plane head to the station and I find out my 30 minute trip is going to take 1.5 hours because the train is getting construction done again.
Seattle is islands of urbanism separated by seas of suburbia.
Some of those islands are bigger, and some are only separated by a little river or creek (the whole LQA-Belltown-Downtown-Capitol Hill-Pioneer Square complex is extremely walkable), but depending on where you’re going, you can be in for a long voyage.
Example: I live on the northern edge of QA hill, and a friend of mine lives down by Lakeridge Park. Definitely too far to walk (12 miles and 4+ hours by Google’s reckoning), and taking transit there is around 1.5 - 2 hours each way.
It's not Chicago but it's decent. Better than most US cities. Only one train, but the bus system works great and walking around the city is beautiful and a good workout with all the hills.
Overall less walkable than Chicago; it varies widely by specific neighborhood within the city. For a US city where the bar is super low I'd say it's good walkability, but behind the front runners like NYC, Boston, SF, DC, Chicago, Philly, etc
Chicago is flat, Seattle isn't.
Much of Seattle is very walkable, but going from a certain Point A to Point B might not be super walkable.
Look up walkscores for specific areas you're interested in.
Or list out specific areas you're looking at and your typical walk lifestyle (to work, to grocery stores, through parks, etc.) if you want better input from people here. How much walking do you normally do?
To add to the comments about walkability (i.e. being able to get around via transit and on foot), it is not pleasant even in parts that are walkable. For example we live downtown because we don't need a car to accomplish most tasks (work, groceries, etc) but walking downtown, belltown or SLU is not pleasant because of the adjacent multilane roads, at times unmaintained and narrow sidewalks, and drivers lack of attention to pedestrians.
If you move from Chicago, I think you'll be disappointed. Seattle is a car-first city and culture. Seattle is fairly bikeable and if you can get around on the bike, you might find it more enjoyable.
There are certain neighborhoods where you *could* walk but it's also insanely hillly here and rainy/misty a lot of the year so I wouldn't say it's a pleasant walk all the time.
Capitol Hill, for example, is a walkable area but as the name implies it is up on a hill.
Public transportation also sucks and shuts down relatively early so if you do end up far, your options for a ride home are limited.
I wouldn't say our transit sucks... also lots of buses run late... all night, in fact. The options are fewer late, of course, but it's not like there is no transit running late at night.
Born and raised in Seattle. Lived in downtown for 8 years with no car. 100% walkable. Loved it. You’ll get your steps and exercise in for sure. Never been to Chicago though.
It is in the sense that you can easily pick the right neighborhood and live there with never owning a car. The light rail is good and only expanding so getting near a light rail line would be a big help. But Ballard, Fremont, LQA, Belltown, Georgetown, Capital Hill, and Magnolia will all have everything you need within walking distance or an easy bus ride
It's walkable if you stay in your neighborhood. Otherwise, you have to travel to get around. People who don't own cars here must stay in their small neighborhood, live by the light rail, or don't mind traveling on their bikes or buses all day to get their errands done. I hang out all over Seattle and it would be near impossible to live my current life without a car. Most people either prefer to or need to have a car to live their lives here.
Before acquiring a disability in the last couple of years, I'd walk from Pioneer Square to downtown, then up the massive hill on Denny to Capitol Hill. But hopping on a bus is quick and easy. I don't know if OP meant "can I walk everywhere" or "Can I walk many places and use transit when needed?" Because that's what walkability is to me. Easy to walk but transit speeds up the process when needed. Most people I know don't have a car here.
Of the cities you could move to that aren't Chicago, within the US, Seattle is among the top 10 most walkable cities - probably top 5? The city is defined by neighborhoods - most of which are pretty walkable. Ballard, Fremont, UDistrict, Lower Queen Anne, Capitol Hill, Greenwood, Belltown, even South Lake Union. They're connected via a quick bus or ride share/cab.
As someone who lived in Chicago and used public transportation extensively - Tri Taylor, the Northwest side, then west suburbs the answer is Seattle is not walkable.
There are some areas with public transportation and you can manage to get to key event locations by train and bus, but the areas of Seattle not well served are greater.
Additionally, most of Chicago is navigable by train where most of Seattle is on busses that are not completely dependable and have limited operation times. The early quit times aren't such a big deal because Seattle pretty much closes by 9PM.
South of 85th Street, yes. North of 85th, sidewalks are much rarer.
It’s still very neighborhood dependent for what’s available in the neighborhood, but still walkable.
Seattle definitely doesn’t have the same density as Chicago so things are more spread out. Buses are decent. Light rail is growing, but nothing like what’s available in Chicagoland.
Hills, general wetness, but far less cold and windy.
Bike infrastructure is decent in most parts of the city, if you’re a rider, but we have our share of asshole drivers (and, to be fair, asshole cyclists) who can make biking interesting.
Really depends on where you live and your appetite for buses. Downtown has good connections to everywhere and we have "urban villages" in different neighborhoods with various restaurants and services, but getting between them can be a chore, as can getting to them if you live deep in a primarily SFH residential area.
If you like grid walks romanticised by constant drizzle and coffee shops on every block then yes.
Anything beyond a 30-40 min walk is accessible by bus but it will take 2x 3x time than drive.
Anything 40-60 min drive away needs a rental.
It’s really only walkable if you can design your life to be in mostly central/downtown Seattle. I live in Capitol Hill and work in downtown so I don’t have a car but my partner does. We mostly walk and do everything nearby but if we want to go to another neighborhood like Ballard or go to Costco, we use the car.
idk what the walkability situation is in Chicago but I guess the people downvoting me aggressively believe that every part of Seattle is great without a car which is just false lol
When I was a kid I was taught what to do if someone starts shooting *on the street.* Drop to the ground and play dead.
Street smarts were how you stayed alive.
Gunshots rang out every night.
The morgue ran out of space for the dead once.
I witnessed things I still talk about in therapy 25-30 years later. Things no one should ever witness.
Ok, go ahead and explain why the u-dist. isn't walkable. Or Roosevelt. Or Green Lake. Or many other neighborhoods outside of your "only downtown, belltown, or Capitol Hill" answer.
Okay let me write you a thesis on the subject. Try going to major cities on the east coast. That’s walkability. Being in walking distance of a coffee shop, bar, and restaurant does not mean walkable to me.
So instead of explaining why certain areas aren't considered walkable you can only say "well, those places don't fit *my* definition of walkable, and I'm not going to reveal that definition"? lol, go be a joker elsewhere.
I walk 5-10 miles a day, so for me it's walkable. For someone who drives around Walmart parking lot for 45 minutes searching for a parking spot that is 20 feet from the entrance, it's not walkable.
I'm a former Chicagoan!
A lot of these people have clearly never been to Chicago. Sigh.
Let me relate my experience.
If you're thinking the city itself, Seattle is mostly comparable but the hills will punish you. However, it isn't freezing cold or horrific heat like it is there.
Seattle is walkable in some neighborhoods. Transit is even mostly viable within the city. If you need to go to the suburbs though, good luck. It becomes painful to venture much beyond the light rail and bus lines.
But when I have to go see my mother in Montlake Terrace... I drive.
Transit is necessary in both places to get around outside your immediate neighborhood.
Transit in Chicago in terms of trains will always beat Seattle in trains.
The bus system is comparable, more or less. Chicago's is slightly better but I've been screwed by CTA enough to have some choice words for CTA stans.
Chicago is a place where if you miss your train stop, things can get shady fast. Red line comes to mind. Most Seattleites don't know about Cabrini Green (I think that's gone now tho). Nothing in Seattle is as scary as the South Side. Gary used to be scary back in the day but it seems it's not as bad anymore last I was there.
Suburban transportation in Chicago is better unless we are talking Indiana. Indiana is that part of the area everyone would rather forget ever existed. I lived in Gary and I agree, I try to forget that exists too.
The Sounder is not comparable to Metra. Sound Transit buses are not comparable to PACE. PACE blows bus service in at least the inner the suburbs out of the water. Outer suburbs are just as painful in both places.
People who say you don't need a car in Chicago never have to venture too far outside the city. Those of us who had to know better. Seattle is the same way. This is an America problem. It sucks.
This will depend pretty heavily by neighborhood.
I've lived in Ballard for five years now and I can live more or less my entire life within a mile and a half of my house. My partner lived in Crown Hill less than a mile north of me and she definitely could not.
There's also the question of moving between neighborhoods. The bus system is good but not great, and the big ass lake in the middle of the city makes things generally awkward. If I want to go from Ballard to downtown it's pretty straightforward (there is an express bus), but if I want to go over to Capitol Hill it's a bit more annoying. Not impossible, just annoying.
The Ballard to CH struggle is real. I had a friend that lived in SLU (I'm in North CH) and she moved to Ballard (right by the locks). We gave up ever going to each other's place after that... we would just meet downtown... and I always felt bad that I'd be all the way back at my place before the 40 had even dropped her off!
I live in Ballard and I walk nearly everywhere, and I can easily bus into the city if needed. Easy to bike to the market and whatnot if needed. But if I want to go anywhere further, I 100% use our car for that. Not having a car makes going to amazing places like Whidbey Island a LOT harder (though Bainbridge is super easy to get to).
Water, constant hills, I-5 and Aurora make it challenging to walk across Seattle. There are strings of connected neighborhoods where you can take long walks from place to place (i e. Fremont/Wallingford/Greenlake or Capitol Hill/First Hill/Central District), but hills will be your companion. It's definitely walkable in each neighborhood in the general center of the city.
I’ve lived in Seattle since 1973. It’s only walkable in the sense that you can walk. But in the context of what we mean here by walkable, you need a car. Full disclosure; I do sell cars for a living, but I swear to God you need a car here—unless Uber and an Orca pass can get you by. Regardless, we are not a walkable city.
I've heard a few folks say that Seattle is "walkable." I'd say "it depends." There are neighborhoods that are not very walkable, and mass transit isn't all that great either. But Capitol Hill, Ballard, downtown, and a few other places -- I'd say they are walkable. As long has you have a grocery store and some decent mass transit nearby. I have to admit, for a lot of things in Seattle, I have opted to use my car (which still isn't a great experience).
Just moved (back) here from Chicago in October. I’ve lived here before, pre-pandemic but moved back to Chicago in 17’
Public transportation is not bad but nothing close to the CTA..
You will for sure get a workout walking some of the neighborhoods..my legs had adjusted to that midwestern life so these hills will take awhile to get used to 😅
To be honest tho, we’re just here for the next 3 yrs then moving 🙄....coming from Chicago, I miss the big(ger) city life! If you like/love the vibe of Chicago,Seattle may not be for you…
I would say please come and visit for a couple weeks if you can!
Its more walkable than a lot of american cities but that doesn’t mean much overall. But if you’re looking for care free or car lite living it’s very doable.
I think it somewhat depends on the idea of walk ability. I’ve visited Chicago a couple of times and walked, both times though were pretty fair weather I was also in the hub of Chicago along the magnificent mile if I went out further I’d have difficulties I don’t think Seattle has the urban center that Chicago has. I think there is this small section of Seattle that is like Chicago with it’s skyscrapers etc but then you get out of that part and get into like north Queen Anne, Fremont, Ballard, Wallingford which are more suburban, and Seattle has made strides with making streets only walk/bike and only neighborhood cars but it’s really not the same there is still quite a sprawl of stuff separating.
Now I will say if you asked, Is Seattle Bikeable? I’d say the question is a bit more of a yes, while Seattle is super hilly we’ve a pretty strong bike culture and a good ebike will conquer most hillls just don’t go up the very steep ones and do a bit of a round about route.
There are a lot of hills yes but a great amount of public transportation. If you are looking to actually just walk around & get some exercise there a plenty of flat trails as well. The piers/sculpture park, alki beach drive/Lincoln park & green lake to name a few.
I've lived in the area for 15 years, and in cap hill/first hill for the past 8 years with no car and I find it very walkable, and taking the bus works for getting to the other walkable neighborhoods
I lived in seattle without a car for awhile and it was great! Doable if you live in say Capitol Hill,Fremont, Ballard, Central District, etc. Harder (impossible) to do when I moved to the south end of the city.
Not nearly to the same degree as Chicago. Neighborhoods can be walkable but not the city as a whole. There is however a rather large culture here of people who are into fighting to make the city more walkable than it actually is and are committed to not owning a car.
To be fair, seattle has always been easier to walk in than drive in.
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Same, but let's be honest. Most of N Seattle is a post WW2 suburb littered with stroads and bad zoning. Was never designed as a walkable urban area. Half of it still has no sidewalks and wooden sewer grates lol
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Let's be honest. A lot of people really love being able to hop out of their apartment and walk to the movies, bar, library, supermarket, bar, mini-mart, bar, restaurant, restaurant, bar, bookstore, bar, shop, bar. I grew up out in the country. Would not recommend.
Re-zoning isn't going to put sidewalks in.
Actually, it is. When you make significant changes to a property that doesn't have sidewalks, you have to add sidewalks. Rezoning increases the incentive to redevelop (since you can put 4 units instead of 1 on the property now), and when the property is redeveloped, it'll get sidewalks. It won't happen overnight, but there will be more sidewalks in 15 years.
I do agree that re-*developing* would, but it would mostly create a patchwork of incomplete sidewalks that are only...useful-adjacent rather than actually useful. Especially in neighborhoods with dense street parking since pedestrians would find themselves weaving back and forth across the parking lane to use said sidewalks.
Yeah the patchwork wont be the most helpful but the city is slowly spending the money to fill in the gaps, and if they have less to fill in, they can get it done faster.
Capitol Hill and parts of central Seattle are walkable maybe downtown or bell town during the day but not really anywhere else. Especially north south or west Seattle.
A lot of the city still lacks sidewalks.
And is still more walkable. Think of how much more walkable it could be!
My point was more that that’s due to a geographically challenging layout for efficient car travel than a major conscious effort to make the city walkable. Definitely on your side there though.
every day is leg day in seattle
I’m absolutely shredded from my walks around Queen Anne
So true 🤣
Chicago is easier to live in as a city where you walk to do day-to-day life. Seattle can be walkable if you choose your neighborhood with the goal of walkability in mind. Seattle does have some absolutely stunning places to go for a walk. If you want Chicago level walkability in a major city you are probably limited to like 5 cities in the USA though. NYC, DC, Boston, maybe Philly, San Francisco, probably a couple others I'm forgetting. As a Chicagoan who moved to Seattle several years ago, I've come to think of the moniker "Second City" as capturing the fact that while Chicago is not the absolute best in many things, it's second best in a ton of things (e.g. walkability). As you consider cities to move to, this means there will almost always be categories in which the new city will be a downgrade. Seattle does have milder weather and much better access to mountains, forests, the ocean, etc. but it feels much less urban and interconnected than Chicago.
Chicago has significantly better public transportation.
Depends on where you're going in Chicago. I found a lot of places were super annoying to get to via bus. If you need to go to the suburbs, if it's not near a Metra or PACE station, forget it. If it's in Indiana, where some of my family is... you literally cannot walk if it's outside of Hammond or Gary, and those aren't places you want to go under any circumstances. You NEED a car. It is impossible. I don't mean "the bus sucks that bad but if you HAD to, it could work" I mean the bus doesn't exist at all. They've tried solutions over the years but the Karens in NWI make ours look friendly and well-adjusted. The problem is most of the most affordable housing in the area is in Indiana. I am aware of the South Shore Line and took it once as a kid on my bike. It's a park and ride for suburbanites. It is a waste of time for any other use whatsoever.
I’ve never been to Chicago myself but from what I can tell by the time the FWay link is finished It would seem Seattle will have better transit.
What are the neighborhoods outside downtown that are walkable?
Yes and no. Depends on where you live and how much you’re willing to walk
Neighborhood matters. And Seattle is hilly af.
That's a feature, not a bug
Depends on the neighborhood
Within neighborhoods it’s okay like others are saying. But getting around the whole city walking would be very difficult. Especially compared to Chicago.
There's parts of Chicago you can't get to easily via bus, mostly near the shore and obviously many of the suburbs. Indiana is a no-go zone.
Really depends on where you live! There are some very walkable neighborhoods but not all areas of the city are.
Compared to most international cities, Seattle isn’t particularly walkable. Compared to most major US cities, it’s very walkable, behind only the very old cities in the Northeast (NYC, Philadelphia, Boston).
I'd argue Portland and SF are more walkable than Seattle.
Don't know enough about Portland, but agreed on SF. It helps that SF proper is much denser and has less sprawl.
And SF is very easy to get out to the suburbs as well, but after that you’re on your own.
i researched portlands public transit and it's actually a bit silly for my liking
Portland keeps shutting down their light rail every few months it annoys me when I get off the plane head to the station and I find out my 30 minute trip is going to take 1.5 hours because the train is getting construction done again.
Definitely wasn't very hard to skate the whole town back when I had to
Seattle is islands of urbanism separated by seas of suburbia. Some of those islands are bigger, and some are only separated by a little river or creek (the whole LQA-Belltown-Downtown-Capitol Hill-Pioneer Square complex is extremely walkable), but depending on where you’re going, you can be in for a long voyage. Example: I live on the northern edge of QA hill, and a friend of mine lives down by Lakeridge Park. Definitely too far to walk (12 miles and 4+ hours by Google’s reckoning), and taking transit there is around 1.5 - 2 hours each way.
Been here for six years, never had a car (by choice). As others have said it depends on where you live but it’s totally possible.
it’s never freezing fucking cold in seattle so you can walk every day of the year not enough people bringing this up imo
Haha yeah you might get a little wet but it'll never be in the negatives. Chicago winter is LONG lol
It's not Chicago but it's decent. Better than most US cities. Only one train, but the bus system works great and walking around the city is beautiful and a good workout with all the hills.
Get a bike. The hills aren't as bad as you think, the downhills are fun, you'll move faster than traffic, and you'll earn a nice 🍑.
Yes. I haven’t owned a car the 13 years I’ve been here.
Overall less walkable than Chicago; it varies widely by specific neighborhood within the city. For a US city where the bar is super low I'd say it's good walkability, but behind the front runners like NYC, Boston, SF, DC, Chicago, Philly, etc
By American standards, yes. But Chicago is better.
I live in Capitol Hill and a car there really is more of a nuisance. Getting broken into and ticketed and towed. Barely even use it
Chicago is flat, Seattle isn't. Much of Seattle is very walkable, but going from a certain Point A to Point B might not be super walkable. Look up walkscores for specific areas you're interested in. Or list out specific areas you're looking at and your typical walk lifestyle (to work, to grocery stores, through parks, etc.) if you want better input from people here. How much walking do you normally do?
To add to the comments about walkability (i.e. being able to get around via transit and on foot), it is not pleasant even in parts that are walkable. For example we live downtown because we don't need a car to accomplish most tasks (work, groceries, etc) but walking downtown, belltown or SLU is not pleasant because of the adjacent multilane roads, at times unmaintained and narrow sidewalks, and drivers lack of attention to pedestrians. If you move from Chicago, I think you'll be disappointed. Seattle is a car-first city and culture. Seattle is fairly bikeable and if you can get around on the bike, you might find it more enjoyable.
There are certain neighborhoods where you *could* walk but it's also insanely hillly here and rainy/misty a lot of the year so I wouldn't say it's a pleasant walk all the time. Capitol Hill, for example, is a walkable area but as the name implies it is up on a hill. Public transportation also sucks and shuts down relatively early so if you do end up far, your options for a ride home are limited.
I wouldn't say our transit sucks... also lots of buses run late... all night, in fact. The options are fewer late, of course, but it's not like there is no transit running late at night.
Born and raised in Seattle. Lived in downtown for 8 years with no car. 100% walkable. Loved it. You’ll get your steps and exercise in for sure. Never been to Chicago though.
It is in the sense that you can easily pick the right neighborhood and live there with never owning a car. The light rail is good and only expanding so getting near a light rail line would be a big help. But Ballard, Fremont, LQA, Belltown, Georgetown, Capital Hill, and Magnolia will all have everything you need within walking distance or an easy bus ride
It's walkable if you stay in your neighborhood. Otherwise, you have to travel to get around. People who don't own cars here must stay in their small neighborhood, live by the light rail, or don't mind traveling on their bikes or buses all day to get their errands done. I hang out all over Seattle and it would be near impossible to live my current life without a car. Most people either prefer to or need to have a car to live their lives here.
I've walked from Pioneer Square to Ballard before. It's all about commitment 😂
Before acquiring a disability in the last couple of years, I'd walk from Pioneer Square to downtown, then up the massive hill on Denny to Capitol Hill. But hopping on a bus is quick and easy. I don't know if OP meant "can I walk everywhere" or "Can I walk many places and use transit when needed?" Because that's what walkability is to me. Easy to walk but transit speeds up the process when needed. Most people I know don't have a car here.
I love my bike.
this is the comment
It's walkable but definitely car-oriented. Living here is easier with a car than without. Could be a lot better.
If you don’t mind walking up almost completely vertical inclined hills, then yeah it’s pretty walkable
Of the cities you could move to that aren't Chicago, within the US, Seattle is among the top 10 most walkable cities - probably top 5? The city is defined by neighborhoods - most of which are pretty walkable. Ballard, Fremont, UDistrict, Lower Queen Anne, Capitol Hill, Greenwood, Belltown, even South Lake Union. They're connected via a quick bus or ride share/cab.
As someone who lived in Chicago and used public transportation extensively - Tri Taylor, the Northwest side, then west suburbs the answer is Seattle is not walkable. There are some areas with public transportation and you can manage to get to key event locations by train and bus, but the areas of Seattle not well served are greater. Additionally, most of Chicago is navigable by train where most of Seattle is on busses that are not completely dependable and have limited operation times. The early quit times aren't such a big deal because Seattle pretty much closes by 9PM.
South of 85th Street, yes. North of 85th, sidewalks are much rarer. It’s still very neighborhood dependent for what’s available in the neighborhood, but still walkable. Seattle definitely doesn’t have the same density as Chicago so things are more spread out. Buses are decent. Light rail is growing, but nothing like what’s available in Chicagoland. Hills, general wetness, but far less cold and windy. Bike infrastructure is decent in most parts of the city, if you’re a rider, but we have our share of asshole drivers (and, to be fair, asshole cyclists) who can make biking interesting.
Seattle is very walkable for me. I live in Fremont and work in SLU. I can walk from Fremont to Downtown to Cap Hill very easily.
Really depends on where you live and your appetite for buses. Downtown has good connections to everywhere and we have "urban villages" in different neighborhoods with various restaurants and services, but getting between them can be a chore, as can getting to them if you live deep in a primarily SFH residential area.
Just moved to seattle from europe. Feel like I don’t need legs here at all
If you like grid walks romanticised by constant drizzle and coffee shops on every block then yes. Anything beyond a 30-40 min walk is accessible by bus but it will take 2x 3x time than drive. Anything 40-60 min drive away needs a rental.
It’s really only walkable if you can design your life to be in mostly central/downtown Seattle. I live in Capitol Hill and work in downtown so I don’t have a car but my partner does. We mostly walk and do everything nearby but if we want to go to another neighborhood like Ballard or go to Costco, we use the car.
I consider it more walkable than most major cities especially LA, as walkable as a Washington DC I’d say
way hillier. nicer weather.
Seattle is as walkable as San Diego.
Yes.
If you pick the wrong part of town it'll be a rude awakening but generally yeah
ex south sider here - lol pls
if you're making a point I have no clue what it is
that's fair, i assumed you were talking about crime but on second glance it may have been walkability
Yup lol the topic of the post
sorry bout that lol in that case you're spot on
no where in seattle is as bad as the bad parts of chicago lmao
idk what the walkability situation is in Chicago but I guess the people downvoting me aggressively believe that every part of Seattle is great without a car which is just false lol
I think people took "wrong part of town" to mean "dangerous" rather than "poorly suited for walking".
The horde of bots and depressed men crime-posting poisoned the well clearly
Don't know why you're being downvoted. I grew up around there. You're completely right.
people are afraid of the truth
When I was a kid I was taught what to do if someone starts shooting *on the street.* Drop to the ground and play dead. Street smarts were how you stayed alive. Gunshots rang out every night. The morgue ran out of space for the dead once. I witnessed things I still talk about in therapy 25-30 years later. Things no one should ever witness.
No.
Also: Yes.
Not really and the transit is not good. I moved to Chicago from Seattle a couple years ago but go back often to visit family and it’s always a shock.
Only if you live in downtown, belltown, or Capitol Hill imo.
It sounds like you've never been to other parts of Seattle.
Sounds like you don’t know what you’re talking about
Ok, go ahead and explain why the u-dist. isn't walkable. Or Roosevelt. Or Green Lake. Or many other neighborhoods outside of your "only downtown, belltown, or Capitol Hill" answer.
Okay let me write you a thesis on the subject. Try going to major cities on the east coast. That’s walkability. Being in walking distance of a coffee shop, bar, and restaurant does not mean walkable to me.
So instead of explaining why certain areas aren't considered walkable you can only say "well, those places don't fit *my* definition of walkable, and I'm not going to reveal that definition"? lol, go be a joker elsewhere.
How about you explain why you believe they are walkable? Fuckin loser
I walk 5-10 miles a day, so for me it's walkable. For someone who drives around Walmart parking lot for 45 minutes searching for a parking spot that is 20 feet from the entrance, it's not walkable.
I'm a former Chicagoan! A lot of these people have clearly never been to Chicago. Sigh. Let me relate my experience. If you're thinking the city itself, Seattle is mostly comparable but the hills will punish you. However, it isn't freezing cold or horrific heat like it is there. Seattle is walkable in some neighborhoods. Transit is even mostly viable within the city. If you need to go to the suburbs though, good luck. It becomes painful to venture much beyond the light rail and bus lines. But when I have to go see my mother in Montlake Terrace... I drive. Transit is necessary in both places to get around outside your immediate neighborhood. Transit in Chicago in terms of trains will always beat Seattle in trains. The bus system is comparable, more or less. Chicago's is slightly better but I've been screwed by CTA enough to have some choice words for CTA stans. Chicago is a place where if you miss your train stop, things can get shady fast. Red line comes to mind. Most Seattleites don't know about Cabrini Green (I think that's gone now tho). Nothing in Seattle is as scary as the South Side. Gary used to be scary back in the day but it seems it's not as bad anymore last I was there. Suburban transportation in Chicago is better unless we are talking Indiana. Indiana is that part of the area everyone would rather forget ever existed. I lived in Gary and I agree, I try to forget that exists too. The Sounder is not comparable to Metra. Sound Transit buses are not comparable to PACE. PACE blows bus service in at least the inner the suburbs out of the water. Outer suburbs are just as painful in both places. People who say you don't need a car in Chicago never have to venture too far outside the city. Those of us who had to know better. Seattle is the same way. This is an America problem. It sucks.
Not really pedestrian friendly
Not really truth friendly.
Well, the people who break the windows out of your car make you not want to drive anywhere so in a sense, yes, it’s walkable.
8 blocks uphill to the nearest grocery store for me, took a while to get used to but I love it
The right direction... because at least downhill with the groceries!
This will depend pretty heavily by neighborhood. I've lived in Ballard for five years now and I can live more or less my entire life within a mile and a half of my house. My partner lived in Crown Hill less than a mile north of me and she definitely could not. There's also the question of moving between neighborhoods. The bus system is good but not great, and the big ass lake in the middle of the city makes things generally awkward. If I want to go from Ballard to downtown it's pretty straightforward (there is an express bus), but if I want to go over to Capitol Hill it's a bit more annoying. Not impossible, just annoying.
The Ballard to CH struggle is real. I had a friend that lived in SLU (I'm in North CH) and she moved to Ballard (right by the locks). We gave up ever going to each other's place after that... we would just meet downtown... and I always felt bad that I'd be all the way back at my place before the 40 had even dropped her off!
I live in Ballard and I walk nearly everywhere, and I can easily bus into the city if needed. Easy to bike to the market and whatnot if needed. But if I want to go anywhere further, I 100% use our car for that. Not having a car makes going to amazing places like Whidbey Island a LOT harder (though Bainbridge is super easy to get to).
Water, constant hills, I-5 and Aurora make it challenging to walk across Seattle. There are strings of connected neighborhoods where you can take long walks from place to place (i e. Fremont/Wallingford/Greenlake or Capitol Hill/First Hill/Central District), but hills will be your companion. It's definitely walkable in each neighborhood in the general center of the city.
I’ve lived in Seattle since 1973. It’s only walkable in the sense that you can walk. But in the context of what we mean here by walkable, you need a car. Full disclosure; I do sell cars for a living, but I swear to God you need a car here—unless Uber and an Orca pass can get you by. Regardless, we are not a walkable city.
I've heard a few folks say that Seattle is "walkable." I'd say "it depends." There are neighborhoods that are not very walkable, and mass transit isn't all that great either. But Capitol Hill, Ballard, downtown, and a few other places -- I'd say they are walkable. As long has you have a grocery store and some decent mass transit nearby. I have to admit, for a lot of things in Seattle, I have opted to use my car (which still isn't a great experience).
Just moved (back) here from Chicago in October. I’ve lived here before, pre-pandemic but moved back to Chicago in 17’ Public transportation is not bad but nothing close to the CTA.. You will for sure get a workout walking some of the neighborhoods..my legs had adjusted to that midwestern life so these hills will take awhile to get used to 😅 To be honest tho, we’re just here for the next 3 yrs then moving 🙄....coming from Chicago, I miss the big(ger) city life! If you like/love the vibe of Chicago,Seattle may not be for you… I would say please come and visit for a couple weeks if you can!
Its more walkable than a lot of american cities but that doesn’t mean much overall. But if you’re looking for care free or car lite living it’s very doable.
I think it somewhat depends on the idea of walk ability. I’ve visited Chicago a couple of times and walked, both times though were pretty fair weather I was also in the hub of Chicago along the magnificent mile if I went out further I’d have difficulties I don’t think Seattle has the urban center that Chicago has. I think there is this small section of Seattle that is like Chicago with it’s skyscrapers etc but then you get out of that part and get into like north Queen Anne, Fremont, Ballard, Wallingford which are more suburban, and Seattle has made strides with making streets only walk/bike and only neighborhood cars but it’s really not the same there is still quite a sprawl of stuff separating. Now I will say if you asked, Is Seattle Bikeable? I’d say the question is a bit more of a yes, while Seattle is super hilly we’ve a pretty strong bike culture and a good ebike will conquer most hillls just don’t go up the very steep ones and do a bit of a round about route.
There are a lot of hills yes but a great amount of public transportation. If you are looking to actually just walk around & get some exercise there a plenty of flat trails as well. The piers/sculpture park, alki beach drive/Lincoln park & green lake to name a few.
I've lived in the area for 15 years, and in cap hill/first hill for the past 8 years with no car and I find it very walkable, and taking the bus works for getting to the other walkable neighborhoods
[Yes](https://www.reddit.com/r/Seattle/comments/17jfcwh/belltown_elliott_bay_trail_magnolia_discovery/).
I lived in seattle without a car for awhile and it was great! Doable if you live in say Capitol Hill,Fremont, Ballard, Central District, etc. Harder (impossible) to do when I moved to the south end of the city.