Ravenna / Roosevelt / University District
By Caren Gussoff
One of Seattle's oldest communities, the adjoining neighborhoods of the University District, Ravenna, and Roosevelt now amalgamate one of the city's most lived-in and livable areas, where greenbelts and stately old Tudor homes deftly coexist with wholesome stickball games and raging fraternity parties.
The main feature of the area is the University of Washington, which brings more than 40,000 students and staff to the area ... about 20,000 of which are balls of raging hormones, armed with their first credit cards. Living close to campus may find you near a party zone, but the UW is a cultural mecca, attracting lecture series, visiting scholars, and world-class exhibits to the intimate Henry Art Gallery.
Rentals in the area vary wildly in price, but you can expect to pay between $900 and $1,250 for an apartment with two bedrooms and /one bath. According to agent Jeff Stanley of Windermere Madison Park, "Not surprisingly many of the houses…are owned by landlords renting to students," but you can find single family homes selling for an average of $486,000. The quieter Ravenna and Roosevelt areas, with their neighborhood watch groups and close-knit blocks, are attractive particularly to families with children, and the public schools in the area boast some of the strongest reputations in the district for academics. This reputation, says Stanley, has produced a healthy home value appreciation in relationship to the rest of the city, with a 2005-2006 average sale price of $527,000 for a single family home.
Parking can be an issue, depending on where you live. Most streets in the University District are metered, and the residential areas often require a parking zone pass. Commuting is easy, as the areas are neatly situated along the I-5 corridor, adjacent to the end of 520. Once past the snarl of traffic that can congest University Avenue, it's 15 minutes to the Eastside and about 45 minutes to Tacoma. The areas are well-served by Metro, which offers local and express buses for easy travel to downtown, Capitol Hill, Ballard, and neighborhoods north.
The three main commercial and retail areas are tailored for wandering. University Avenue, lovingly known by locals as "the Ave," is the main drag for students, where bubble tea vendors and teriyaki joints nestle next to poster shops, bookstores (most notably, the venerable University Bookstore), and used clothes boutiques like Buffalo Exchange and Red Light. On the other side of campus is the chicly-styled University Village, which, while anchored by the essentials (supermarkets and pharmacies), is geared towards upscale retailers, a kind of "little Bellevue Square." Roosevelt Way, which begins at 65th Street, is capped by Roosevelt Square (housing a Whole Foods supermarket) and stretches down with funky cafes, shops, and the film-nerd utopia that is Scarecrow Video.
Other strolling opportunities abound, if shopping isn't on the agenda. Residents take full advantage of the area's parks. The Washington Park Arboretum covers 230 acres, and Ravenna Park offers a half-mile of woods, ravines, and picnicking and sports amenities. People-watching is a popular pastime at the annual University District StreetFair. This fair, featuring hundred of vendors and street entertainers, takes over the Ave each May, and is considered to be the kick-off for Seattle's summer festival season (and by some locals, considered the area's "kiss-off" to the students for the summer).
Verdant with trees, scholarship, and lawns designed for family barbecues, the University District, Ravenna, and Roosevelt manage to strike a balance between colorful and calm.
