University District, Seattle

The University District is home to the Dawgs, otherwise known as the University of Washington (UW). Businesses and student housing abound, as one would expect around a world renowned campus.

It's hard to know where to begin with such a large, densely populated area. The neighborhood spans west to east from Interstate 5 to 20th Ave NE, except on the main campus. The northern and southern boundaries are NE 65th St and the waterfront of Portage Bay and Union Bay, respectively. Several areas can be highlighted in this student collective. However we'll start with the most traveled, the main campus and "The Ave" (University Avenue NE).

The UW campus occupies the southwest portion. Students have the privilege of walking through an area resembling a nature preserve to attend classes. Heavy foliage borders the northern edge, with generous pines and other varieties interspersed throughout. There is quite a network of roads and pathways weaving between structures and buildings. Red Square and Drumheller Fountain are gathering areas between and after classes. Be careful driving through campus, not only due to immense foot traffic, but because roads may not lead where you would expect. The central academic area is contained between 15th Avenue NE and Montlake Blvd NE, with structures spilling over to the south and southwest. The intramural and sports facilities are to the southeast, with Husky Stadium towering near the water.

Moving on to University Avenue, otherwise known as "The Ave", brings the heart of business and social establishments. Places like the Blue Dog Kitchen, Varsity Theater, Dante's Bar and Night Club, The Wannabee, Big Time Brewing, Jewel of India, and many others. There are more independent coffee shops along here and around campus than you could visit in a month. There is no shortage of things to do, especially at night. My wife and I, while on a Sunday night date, had to leave downtown Seattle to come here just to find good restaurants that were open, with a wide variety of eats.

Looking beyond, more businesses line NE 45th St (The main east-west arterial), including the Blue Moon Tavern. This tavern is a Seattle icon and a hotbed for social craziness. Trabant Coffee and Chai is a very spacious coffee house closer to campus with good coffee and fast wi-fi. Also nearby are a movie theater, Trader Joe's, Performance Bike Shop and the list goes on and on. The UW Tower (Tallest building in the area) is along 45th as well. The largest video store on the West Coast, Scarecrow Video, stands on Roosevelt Avenue. If you can't find it on Netflix or at Blockbuster, Scarecrow will have it.

The UW police station and a superb bike shop, Recycled Cycles, are hidden down on Boat Street by the Lake Washington Ship Canal. The bike shop is unique, in that it offers bins of used components and parts for the cyclist on a budget. The Burke-Gilman bike trail passes just north of here, so the shop often attracts people in the middle of their ride (including Yours Truly).

There is easy access to downtown via the University Bridge. The Montlake Bridge heads towards Highway 520 or Capitol Hill, and 45th and 50th Streets can access Interstate 5. Another arterial route is 15th Avenue, which runs north-south.

The University Village Shopping Center is on the northeast side of campus, with attractive "open-air" stores. The streets directly north of the university are lined with Fraternities and residential housing, filled mainly with students and faculty. More housing lies to the northwest, though not quite as serene (especially on the west side of Roosevelt Way).

Ravenna Park, or half of it, lies in the U-District to the north. It is a 50 acre park with a wooded ravine and several amenities, including a play area, tennis court, wading pool, paths and sporting fields. Another "park" lies on the west side, next to the interstate. The University Playfield, as it's called, is around three acres and features a play area, tennis court, and sporting fields.

Some events that mark the neighborhood's uniqueness are the street fair in May and farmer's market. This was the first market to hit Seattle, which continues to be the largest local farmers event.

Even though the University District predominantly contains students, many in the Seattle community flock here for its diverse options in restaurants, music venues and small businesses. I personally have spent many hours in this neighborhood, including time spent writing reviews.

University District is a diverse and vibrant neighborhood in all respects, but as the neighborhood’s name may suggest, it leans heavily toward accommodating the college-age residents. Centered on 45th Ave NE (colloquially referred to as nicknamed “the Ave”) and University Way NE, there is no shortage of restaurants, bars, theaters, coffee shops, book stores, and shopping. University District is not surprisingly home to the University of Washington, and the district is largely an extension of the campus. Constantly sporting events to celebrate, the neighborhood is focused on socializing. Husky Stadium is located on the south side of the neighborhood, right on Lake Washington. The Ave is rife with things to do- Finn MacCools, an Irish pub, is a popular hangout with Happy Hour, karaoke events, and a trivia night. Portage Bay Café is always full for brunch on the weekends, and Dick’s Drive In is a Seattle staple. There are also many ethnic restaurants, including Shultzy’s Sausage, the very highly regarded Thai Tom, and Mamma Melina Ristorante. The neighborhood is a very convenient residential area, as public transportation is readily available all over the district. There is also a wide variety of shopping, including a year-round farmers’ market, multiple record stores, and several boutiques.

From the moment I moved to Washington State I wanted to live in the U District, but as I grew mature that dream changed. The area has a lot of college kids, duh, I mean it is where the University of Washington’s main branch is located and the reason the area is called the amply named U District. The down side of an area housing a campus and its young students and the fact that the average age is around 20 and that will never change. So if you’re past those college days you feel old walking the streets after a while.

There aren’t a lot of condos in the area; in fact the area mostly has apartments and houses that are used as rentals for the students. The Ave area is kind of rundown and that’s where the crime seems to be happening these days. There’s the U-village area that’s newer and safer but probably pretty boring. And the U-village area can have terrible traffic through Montlake. I would probably advise staying away from the U-district.

The University District, also known as the U-District, is the home of Seattle's University of Washington. Students, numbering nearly 40,000, easily outnumber non-University affiliated residents of the University District, making the U-District a college-centered area of the city. If you visit the University District, you'll find the area overrun by college students at nearly any time of the day or night, giving the area a young vibe. There is plenty of housing around the U-District, particularly apartment buildings and large homes that are typically rented to groups of students.

Three miles north of downtown Seattle and just off Interstate 5, main roads through the University District include NE Ravenna, NE 45th Street, Roosevelt Way NE , Brooklyn Avenue NE, 15th Avenue NE, and University Way NE. The University District is bordered by Lake Washington to the south, providing students and others in the UW community with easy access to water activities.

You'll find plenty of shopping and inexpensive dining options, both on "The Ave" (University Way NE) and at the University Village shopping center. As you might expect, the U-District is home to dozens of cafes, hip coffeehouses, and college bars. Thanks to its proximity to UW, the University District is also home to many outdoor events, public art installations, and theaters, as well as the Burke Museum and Henry Art Gallery, both located on the University of Washington campus.

Parking can be expensive, especially on the campus itself, though street parking is readily available further from the campus. Traveling from elsewhere in the city to the University District is easy thanks to its location along Interstate 5; the area is also served by many bus routes.

The U district in Seattle is one of the more fun places in town to hang out. It has great restaurants of every type, and entertainment is available in the form of night clubs with great music and interesting movie houses. University of Washington is a great school, and it's main campus is located here. Libraries, ethnic grocery stores, boutiques, and bookstores line the blocks- there's something for everyone. The cost of everything from housing to a glass of beer also seems more friendly than in other neighborhoods in Seattle.I frequently take out of town guests to wander around the U-District for something of local Seattle flavor.

Seattle’s University District (or U-District) is buzzing hub of activity with something for everyone. With University of Washington, it’s Medical Center/Hospital and University “Ave” at it’s heart, the U-District features all kinds of activity 24 hours a day. The “Ave” has all kinds of retails stores, theaters and great restaurants, coffee shops and bars.

The neighborhood to the north is calm, fairly quite for an inner city neighborhood and has some nice parks. Ravenna Park is the largest park in the northern park of the neighborhood which has a baseball diamond, a large playground, a vast grassy area and a set of trails that lead southeast to Cowen Park.

The U-District’s western edge runs along Roosevelt and features some nice restaurants and bars. There is also some good shopping in Roosevelt Square, including a Whole Foods.

The area near the university and the “Ave” can be full of panhandlers and junkies at night, but it’s pretty well policed and very safe. The neighborhood is much calmer and absolutely safe. The park has it’s share of nightly residents and is probably best left alone after dark.

I spent some of my best years living in this neighborhood! I can't help but feel nostalgic every time I drive by and see the herds of college students on the streets. But then, I realize that I'm getting too old to keep up with this neighborhood...

As a college neighborhood, the U-district is amazing. There is always something going on. Rent is affordable, although the living establishments aren't always the best. School is walking distance, and public transport is pretty amazing for Seattle. We have one of the nations top hospitals around the corner, the IMA, Gasworks, and a ton of other perks. There are great CHEAP places to eat and cute retail stores. College pubs and bars abound in this neighborhood as well. A few of my favs are the College Inn for a low key night with friends or Earl's if you're in the mood for stiff drinks and a party. Oh, I miss the good ol' days.

But then there's the noise. And the drunken college students. And the bears that get shot, and the people that get shot. The homeless people and sex offenders. Plus a lot of cell networks get really bad reception in a lot of the UW areas (e.g. T-mobile).

Overall, I guess the U-district is kind of...bi-polar. There are lot of goods and a lot of bads. I guess it depends on what you are looking for in a neighborhood. But I had a lot of fun living here, and it really wasn't as bad as I might make it sound :/ I still work around here, so I hang out in the area quite a bit, and really do miss living here sometimes.

This is a community that is always in motion, just like any college town. The residents here, for the most part, are a lively mix of students, faculty, and employees of the University of Washington.

Life in the U-District (as it’s commonly called) ranges from multi-story gracious homes on shaded avenues with green meridians, to condominiums, apartments, and well-worn bungalow homes that are temporary residents to cycles of students. There is also a Greek system here, nestled in across the street from the north entrance of campus.

The University District is flanked by the greenbelt of Ravenna and the open shopping center of the University Village. The main collegiate attraction here is University Way, aka, The Ave, which has the standard-issue array of cheap eats and international fare, used bookstores, unique boutiques, cafes, music stores and plenty of curiosity shops.

Students stock up at the University Book Store, which is also a popular venue for author readings. From spring through fall, there’s a Farmer’s Market on the north end of University Way.

The U-District is beautiful and bucolic in the fall, and famous for its cherry blossoms in the spring.