Shoreline & Northgate
History
Northgate began in 1950 with the opening of the Bon Marché department store. Streets were clogged with cars filled with desperate shoppers attempting to get in to North America’s first shopping mall. Gradually, a few stores at a time, Northgate mall began filling its halls with shops. In order to get free nationwide publicity, the folks at Northgate decided to put up the largest Christmas tree in the world (212 ft) so that Life Magazine would come out and create a story of it. The difficult process of transporting such a large tree from a forest 20 miles away and assembling it effectively paid off when Life ran a front page, full color story about Northgate’s tree.
Prior to becoming a city in 1995, Shoreline was a region of unincorporated King County. Shoreline has an interesting history that dates back to the late 1800’s. In the early 1900s, the light rail system known as the Interurban crossed through Shoreline, connecting Everett and Tacoma and bringing an effective form of transport to the Shoreline residents commuting in to Seattle. It was shut down in 1939 when the surplus of automobiles took hold. The famous S. S. Duwamish, an old Seattle fireboat, spent many years on Shoreline’s Puget Sound coastline.
Description
Shoreline is a neighborhood that boasts of an interesting history, plenty of parks, strong neighborhoods and a respected school district. It has more than 53,000 residents and is one of Washington’s largest cities. Located approximately 15 miles from downtown Seattle, it offers its residents a combination of suburban convenience and urban opportunitity.
Residents
The Shoreline area is primarily residential, with more than 70 percent of households being single-family homes. Both Northgate and Shoreline tend to be made up of low-middle income families and professionals. Shoreline Community College, North Seattle Community College, and the University of Washington are in close proximity, so a few college students and faculty also call the area home.
Rental Housing
Most houses in the Northgate and Shoreline neighborhoods were built between the 1930’s and 1950’s, many of which consist of a mix of bungalows and brick Tudor-style homes. Contemporary condominiums and apartments can be found in the area surrounding the mall. The area also has low housing turnover, which can be attributed to the area’s entertainment, education, retail jobs, and great shopping. Many of Shoreline’s homes can offer great views of Puget Sound. A strong sense of community binds the neighborhoods in this city together. Despite all their perks, Northgate and Shoreline are still priced lower than most Seattle neighborhoods.
Fun Stuff
Shoreline has over 330 acres of parks and gardens within its boundaries, including Richmond Beach on the Puget Sound with its fabulous views of the Olympic Mountains on a clear day. Shoreline Park (First Ave NE & N 190th St) and Twin Ponds (First Ave NE & N 155th St) offer plenty of fun recreational activities for residents.
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temporary housing
vacation rentals
