AnnieC1

A few years ago I lived in the downtown area and loved it - it was convenient, I could walk a lot of places, and it was 10 minutes from my office. As a growing city there were lots of options for dining, shopping, gyms, and even nightlife. The best part was that parking was FREE!

However, year to year that is changing. When I came back to look for apartments in Bellevue the rent had sky rocketed for the same building (and all the others I looked at, too). As the city grows, so is the demand for housing and it's hard to find good options on a budget, especially if you want to be anywhere near downtown.

The downtown area has new buildings, hotels, shops, and restaurants popping up all the time. This makes it a place that is increasingly becoming a destination for people in the Seattle area. It also means that the crowds are diversifying and so are tastes. Additionally, with the increase of businesses on the Eastside, there are more and more young professionals choosing to live in Bellevue.

Living in Newcastle is perfect for me. We're just minutes from I-405, and when traffic is bad on the freeway there are enough alternate routes to get North and East that I don't find it to be too much of a problem. It's quiet and safe and because of that there are more and more developments popping up. From my understanding the city is shifting to more professionals with families who are priced out of the core of the cities but are looking for newer builds.

I love that there are still convenient shopping centers, banks, and places where we can get take out. That said, there isn't a ton of variety for sit-down restaurants but it's just a hop skip and a jump away from Bellevue or Renton.

It's great that there are small parks throughout the city, as well as an increasing number of sidewalks (with construction) which make running and walking safe. Additionally, Newcastle Golf Course, one of the nicer public courses in the Seattle area, is just up the road and also has a great restaurant.

Overall Newcastle is a great place to live for people who are starting to transition out of city life but still want to be close enough that it's only a few minutes away.