One of the philosophies of the AmeriCorps program is to live in the neighborhood where you serve. Living where you serve not only deepens your understanding of and connection to the community, it saves you time and money by eliminating the commute—as you will find, Seattle is notorious for its traffic.  With this in mind, location and transportation options from your site are two of the primary things to consider when choosing housing. Understanding the layout of Seattle (long and thin!) and the way in which different neighborhoods connect is important before making a housing commitment.

A good place to start is to Google Map your service site address and zooming out (or comparing it to this map) to see where it is in the city or county.  Another option is to look at the Housing Maps website that merges Google Maps and Craigslist so that you can see immediately where different Craigslist properties are located in town.

If, for example, your AmeriCorps project site is located in Tukwila (S. King County), you will want to eliminate any housing opportunities North of downtown—you don’t want to be fighting through downtown traffic at rush hour every day! West Seattle, on the other hand, might be a great option for you with alternative routes to South King County and easy access to downtown.

Another cool thing to do is to use the Google Map satellite feature to see what the place really looks like from far, far away.  You won't be able to see the building features, but you can look at the major arteries and landmarks that are close by.  Additionally, the Lost in Seattle website has lots of maps and can search for either specific businesses or business categories, so you can make sure that you've got a pizza place nearby.

More detailed neighborhood maps and information can be found below in the Neighborhoods section, and transportation information in Getting Around Town. To enlarge the map above, click it.  To enlarge again, click the little orange box that appears.  Check out outlying communities by looking at the full Puget Sound Map

Seattle is very much a city of neighborhoods, and you will find that almost everything, from housing to restaurants to bus stops, is described by neighborhood. While you may hear of other, even more specific, neighborhood designations, the map above designates many of the larger neighborhoods of Seattle. If you already know your service site, you can go to Mapquest and zoom out to see which neighborhood it is in. The following links have a lot of great information describing different King County and Seattle neighborhoods/communities, not just their demographics but their unique character as well. 

AmeriCorps members have lived in all neighborhoods of Seattle and the surrounding area, but, in general, the more affordable rents can be found in the suburbs outside of the city, South Seattle, and the University District. Other than a limited number of subsidized apartments, there is little affordable housing downtown.

The best way to make housing in Seattle more affordable is to live with other people. If you are interested in linking up with other AmeriCorps members looking for housing in Seattle, click on "Enter my Forum" button to go to the AmeriCorps Bulletin Board.

Other internet sites for finding non-AmeriCorps roommates can be found below in the Internet Housing Search Sites section.  Additionally, some AmeriCorps teams have listserves for their new members to help with finding roommates. Let your supervisor know if you are interested in finding roommates—they might be able to spread the word.

If you will not have housing lined up before moving to Seattle/King County, having a place to stay for a week or two can relieve a lot of stress and give you the time you need to find more permanent housing that really meets your needs. The best temporary housing options are friends, family, and other AmeriCorps members serving in your community. Ask your supervisor about staying with current members and check out the AmeriCorps bulletin board for temporary housing offers.

• YWCA:  For women only.  Downtown Seattle $46/nt.  Weekly rates available.  Call 206-461-4888 for reservations
• Green Tortoise Hostel:  Dorm beds right in downtown Seattle.  $22/nt with some discounts available.
• Hostelling International Hostel:  Also downtown.  Same-sex dorm rooms.  Cost around $27/nt, which includes continental breakfast.

It's always nice to know where you're going when you first get in.  Here's a little bit of info to get you started:

• Plane:  Welcome to Sea-Tac airport.  You will actually be somewhere in between Seattle and Tacoma, so you'll be needing some transportation.  There's lots of ground transportation options to get you most anyplace in King and Pierce County including busses, shuttles, and taxis.

• Bus:    If you are taking Greyhound, this will be your station at 811 Stewart St.  You are pretty close to downtown Seattle

• Train:  If you are taking Amtrak, there are a few different stations you might end up at.  This Amtrak station website should give you all the info you need. 

• Car:  Main routes in are I-90 and I-5, both major highways.  Click here for the rough layout, but you'll definitely need driving directions, either from an on-line mapping service or from someone at your destination.

While we wait for the monorail to be built, here are some bike, public transportation, and commute links:

WA Dept of Transportation
Information on average commute times if you are traveling in the greater Seattle area. Be especially wary of commutes that involve crossing the I-90 or 520 bridges or traveling on I-5 or 405.

King County Bicycling Map

Craig’s List
A free service with thousands of apartments and room-share opportunities listed. You can limit the search by price and various keywords such as a specific neighborhood.  Just about the best search site out there.

Seattle Times
Let’s you search by price and neighborhood. Also has some information about neighborhoods.

Co-ops
Seattle has a variety of cooperative living situations that are sometimes cheaper than other housing options. This link will take you to a page with general descriptions of some of the co-ops as well as a link to the co-op housing board where you can search available co-op housing.

University of Washington Housing Page
This has some good info about locations, leases, neighborhoods, maps, etc.

 

In Seattle:
Once you get to town, you can drive around likely neighborhoods looking for signs, but there are also plenty of bulletin boards with housing postings including the University of Washington housing board, libraries, community co-ops, and some resource centers. Also, some neighborhoods put out their own papers with classified sections that you can pick up on corners and in coffee shops in the neighborhood of your choice.

More general information about low-income housing and resource links can be found at Housing Resources.

Relocating to Seattle
This site contains basic relocation information and links about setting up power, phone, etc. under "Miscellaneous Necessities"

Freecycle
Yahoo group for people to post things they need or want to give away for free. If you see something you want, contact the donor immediately—things go fast!

Flexcar
Car sharing program that can be a great alternative to owning a car. When signing up on-line, use AmeriCorps promotion code V25ACorps for a $25 credit.

UW Surplus
UW has a surplus store that is only open on certain days of the month but often has great deals on furniture, computers, and all sorts of random stuff.

 

Dental:  While dental care is not covered under the WSC or VISTA insurance, there are still some options for low-cost dental care.  Here are some resources, and your supervisor may know of more:

• King County Dental Society:  Has link to low-income clinics with lots of information

• Dental Emergencies: 

  • UW Emergency Dental Clinic: 206-543-5850
  • Harborview Emergency Clinic: 206-731-3189

  • King County Referral service: 206-443-7606

• Dental Hygiene Schools:  These schools offer reduced-cost cleanings, simple fillings, and check-ups from dental hygiene students (who are supervised).  Costs are about 30% lower, but you have to qualify, and it does take longer.

• Dental Resources:  Low-income providers of various dental services in King, Snohomish, and Pierce Counties. Includes contact information, scroll down to Washington.

• Seattle and King County Low-cost Dental Care Facilities 

• Dr. Rick Chavez offers free dental care on Valentine's Day. 8006 15th Ave NW, 206-789-6377

  Updated 7-17-07