Seattle Washington Real Estate

Columbia City Seattle leads the revitalization charge

Columbia City Seattle is nestled in the Rainier Valley Seattle neighborhood of Seattle WA.  Rainier Valley is located in the SE Seattle quadrant of Seattle WA and is bounded by I-90 to the North, Beacon Hill to the West, Rainier Beach to the South and a long hill of communities to the East, which includes Mount Baker Seattle, Lakewood Seattle, Seward Park Seattle, Pritchard Beach.

Tired of commuting to your job in Seattle WA?  Check out the Columbia City neighborhood.  It is located just minutes from downtown Seattle Wa and the I-90 bridge leading to the East side of Lake Washington city of Bellevue WA.  With gas prices and traffic congestion affecting peoples quality of life there is an increasing demand for inner city housing.  Columbia City provides the solution, as does much of Rainier Valley WA.

There are 1,075 single family homes in Columbia City Seattle and an increasing number of condo’s and town homes.  The average home in Columbia City was built in 1935.

Take a drive down Rainier Avenue South through Rainier Valley and Columbia City Seattle and you will see that Columbia City is the premier neighborhood for a community with character.  Many of the buildings date back to the turn of the century and have been revitalized over the past 25 years.  This revitalization follows the lows of the 1970’s and has brought back a community pride which is easy to see.  You can get a great idea of history by looking at Columbia City’s Story.

Factors which affected Columbia City Seattle WA

Imagine, back in the “old days” Columbia City was set up on the way to towns on the South end of Seattle’s Lake Washington.  It was a real community and had a core of brick buildings and businesses on the major road known as Rainier Ave. S.  Homes grew around this core and are today reflected in the beautiful older homes, which were once located on larger lots, subsequently divided up into the typical Seattle WA lot size of about 5,000 square feet.

I became aware of Columbia City WA back in the 1970’s when I was investing in the Rainier Valley WA and Columbia City WA area.  This was a time when the Columbia City neighborhood was at the lows of a state of decline.  It was a time where the national economy was in recession.  Boeing was the major employer and was experiencing massive layoffs.  As a real estate agent in the Rainier Valley Seattle area we actually had people coming into our office and dropping their keys off, asking us if we wanted a Mount Baker Seattle WA home.  These are the same homes that now make Mount Baker Seattle one of the premier neighborhoods in South East Seattle! 

As housing goes, Columbia City WA homes have appreciated faster than many other Seattle WA communities.  It had much further to rise when compared to surrounding communities like Mount Baker Seattle, Seward Park Seattle and Leshi Seattle.  Try this, get off of Rainier Ave. S. and hit some of the side streets and you will find that a significant number of the old homes are being remodeled, bringing back much of the charm of the area.

Columbia City today leads the way in the greater redevelopment of Rainier Valley.  The redevelopment of Rainier Valley WA is rapidly spreading at increasing speeds, largely due to the Sound Transit Seattle Sounder Light Rail system (expected to begin operation in 2009).

Columbia City has a very active business and community improvement program, which demonstrates what can happen when people decide to make a difference.  Today there are great restaurants, trendy nighttime bars and boutique shops abound.

Columbia City WA is located just blocks away from Lake Washington and the Seward Park Peninsula, a great place to take a three mile stroll around the park.  People are barbecuing, playing yard games, swimming at a public beac and making pottery in a great public facility.  There is also a marina nearby.  A off leash dog area, baseball fields and other parks are within walking distance.

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