History
Greenlake attracts runners, walkers, skaters, and (of course), dog walkers. At one time a trolley ran from Greenlake to downtown in order to connect people to one of the most popular recreation spots in Seattle. Even today, Greenlake remains one of the best areas to spend an afternoon due to its close proximity to the Woodland Park Zoo, Lower Woodland Playing Fields, and the Greenlake Golf Course.

Description
Greenlake is surrounded by bicycle, coffee, ice cream, and rollerblading shops. The specialty bakeries and tasty restaurants like Six Degrees, Duke’s Chowder House, and Tacos Guaymas add to the cozy atmosphere of the area.

Residents
Greenlake is a thriving single-family neighborhood with a mix of long-time residents and young professionals. Most of the commercial and apartment properties are located toward the north end of the lake. Here you will find a mix of college students, recent University of Washington graduates and young professionals. People come daily from all over the city to take advantage of Greenlake’s beauty and outdoor activities.

There are a relatively low number of apartment properties in the Greenlake area as most of the properties are single-family homes. It is a great place to find a reasonably priced rental house, but they rent very quickly. Most of the apartment properties are located at the north end of the lake. Many of the apartment buildings were built between the 1950’s and the 1980’s. The pricing of rental units in Greenlake is similar to that of Fremont and Wallingford at approximately $1.00/sq.ft. to $1.50/sq. ft.

Fun Stuff
Residents can be found jogging, biking, or taking in the natural sights around the lake, rain or shine. There are lots of events around the lake including crew races, the Milk Carton Derby, and Christmas-time lighting of the luminaries. The east side of the lake has a pool, gym, basketball courts, a community center, restrooms, tennis courts, a playground, a windsurfing area, and soccer, volleyball and softball fields.

The south side of the lake has a small craft center offering classes in rowing, kayaking, sailboarding and sailing.

Average Rent: $$$

Primary Housing:

Small Apartment Buildings

Medium Apartment Buildings

Townhomes

Single-Family Homes

Duplexes/Multiplexes

Commute Times:

Downtown 10-15 minutes

Eastside 30-35 minutes

Greenlake continues to be one Seattle's great neighborhood treasures. Visitors and locals come from all areas to walk, jog, bike and rollerblade around the lake. In the summer you will find hundreds of people enjoying the sun, walking their dog or playing Frisbee and soccer at the playfields.

The rental housing in Greenlake is always in high demand due to the popularity of the area, the activities surrounding the lake and its convenient proximity to the highways and downtown. Relative to its popularity, Greenlake offers a somewhat limited supply of rental housing, with only a handful of medium- to larger-sized apartment and condominium buildings in the neighborhood. These buildings are primarily located at the North and Northeast end of the lake which is also where you will find the commercial center of Greenlake with numerous shops, cafes and restaurants. For those looking for a neighborhood where you can walk to amenities, this is a great spot. The Wallingford neighborhood and Woodland Park Zoo are located at the South end of the lake. The East and West sides of Greenlake are almost exclusively single family homes. Many of these homes do come available for rent but typically move quickly. Around the lake you can also find a few smaller apartment buildings and multiplexes scattered in small pockets of this area. The East side of the Greenlake neighborhood provides easier access to the lake as the homes to the West of the lake are separated by Highway 99, however there are several walking bridges that provide access to the lake.