Bellevue is Urban Living on the Eastside
If you’re anywhere on the Eastside, you can’t help but notice the ever-changing skyline of Bellevue, a continuously growing, not-so-mini-metropolis of it’s own. The silhouettes of skyscrapers paint the sky, as do the shadows of looming cranes, poised to build upward.
Bellevue is clearly coming into its own. Just a few months ago, Bellevue reigned at the top of Fortune’s top 100 list of Best Places to Live and Launch.
Huge corporations exist symbiotically with startups, a booming downtown abuts healthy residential neighborhoods, and the rising skyline is tempered by an abundance of parks, as well as lakeside and mountain views. Flash retailers such as Neiman Marcus draw regional shoppers, but Bellevue’s excellent healthcare and schools are key attractions for relocating families.
The city’s condos are quickly filling with trendy, young professionals in their 20’s and 30’s who are getting the most out of “urban living on the Eastside,” living and working in close proximity. With continued job growth in the works for employment biggies such as Microsoft, Yahoo, and Expedia in the area, the number of downtown residents is expected to double in the next two years, according to the Seattle Times.
Businesses have been quick to pick up on this trend. Safeway, for example, opened a new, upscale store on Bellevue Way Northeast, which very much encompasses this new urban style of living. Complete with sushi-bar, a selection of prepared foods that would make your head spin, and a gelato bar, this store sits beneath the Avalon Meydenbauer project, home to 368 apartments.
Urban living on the Eastside can still be found for a reasonable cost (if you’re willing to go with an older condo that might need some updating):
200 99th Ave NE #33
2 br/1.75 ba, 1,164 sq.ft.
Price: $499,900
MLS 28105827
401 100th Ave NE #311
2 br/1.75 ba, 1,230 sq. ft.
Price: $399,500
MLS 27184970
Or if you’re a fan of newer construction, you can live for a pretty penny more, a few steps away (don’t worry, these probably don’t need updating!) :
10015 NE 4th St., #4002
2 br/1.75 ba, 1,561 sq.ft.
Price: $1,385,000
MLS 28114384
535 100th Ave NE #3A
2 br/2.5 ba, 1,638 sq.ft.
Price: $995,000
MLS 28100980
Debra Sinick said:
Hi Katrina,
I pulled out of the Whole Foods parking lot this past weekend, looked across 405 towards downtown Bellevue and counted 9 cranes!
I wrote about Bellevue’s growth a while back:
http://eastsiderealestatebuzz.com/2008/03/27/bellevue-washington-is-fortune-magazines-1-city-for-business-live-and-launch/
It’s pretty exciting to think we are living in one of the most exciting, growing places in the country.
July 23, 2008 10:32 AM
Bellevue Street Fair Weekend Activities You Won’t Want to Miss | Redfin Seattle Sweet Digs said:
[...] out this weekend and sample urban style living on the Eastside with Bellevue’s annual street fair festivities. Browse for pleasure or pick up some treasures [...]
July 24, 2008 9:44 AM
Michael said:
Bellevue is a fun place to work, live, and play. I’m interested to see in six months to a year how the community changes, as there will be much more foot traffic in the area.
Bellevue’s residential community will be a lively active group, a large change from the once sleepy and non existent one.
July 26, 2008 6:39 AM