This diversity includes economic, educational, religious, architectural and social differences. Niche neighborhoods include multi-million dollar homes, on large lots, that were built for large Catholic families in the early 1900s. Current owners are corporate executives and entrepreneurs. Gleaming new condominium and apartment buildings, added to those that were built since the 1900s, help give Capitol Hill the second densest population in Seattle and include students attending Seattle Central Community College and Seattle University. Students add a population and cultural representation from around the world. It isn’t at all unusual to hear two or three languages drifting across the room in conversation.

There are activities, restaurants and shops for a wide range of interests. Smells and sounds place you in a vibrant city with something for everyone. The residents of the Hill also have immediate access to world class medical facilities like the Group Health Central Hospital and the Swedish Medical Centers. Medicaid and Medicare subscribers are supported by the offices of specialty providers like Sound Mental Health and Sound Options. Grocery stores range from the national chains to local coops and health food outlets.

Public transportation options include routes that reach all corners of Seattle with regular frequency. In the near future Sound Transit’s Link Light Rail will continue through Capitol Hill on its route to Northgate. In the other direction the link will provide access directly to the Seattle/Tacoma International Airport and the world.

If you have any more questions, please don’t hesitate to call or email me. I look forward to sharing my enthusiasm for this neighborhood with you.

• The Pike Place Market – Pike Street screams Seattle, from the top of Capitol Hill where it intersects Madison to the western end in the Pike Place Market.  It connects Seattle to Puget Sound by bringing together the fruits of the region’s entrepreneurs and the oceans that surround it.  There are handcrafted and commercial products of most every kind; groceries and seafood to suit anyone’s tastes; all perched above the Elliott Bay with views of water and the Olympic Mountains beyond. Any of the restaurants are fun because of the atmosphere. I particularly like Campagne; they have a café for either lunch or dinner and a restaurant that serves exquisite French meals. Le Pichet is another of my favorites for something a little less formal.
• A ferry ride to Winslow or Alki beach – The views from the Washington State Ferry decks can make you tingle. The ride to Winslow is an easy one that takes you across the sound to Bainbridge Island and the town of Winslow.  The town is a five minute walk from the ferry landing and has a number of small restaurants and shops to explore.  The foot ferry to Seacrest Dock in Alki can be developed to include a 4-5 mile walk around Alki Point on a level seaside path with views along its entire length.  I usually allow myself a stop at Spud’s Fish and Chips because some of the calories will be burned off on the walk.
• Queen Anne Hill – Views, entertainment and great food make this a very desirable urban neighborhood in which to live.  From the Westlake Center, take the monorail to the Seattle Center.  On the “must do” list is the Space Needle and the Experience Music Project (EMP).  Don’t eat.  From there take a bus or taxi to the top of Queen Anne Ave; the counter balance.  Find your way to Kerry Park and enjoy another view over Seattle to Mount Rainier.  Follow Highland Drive to the west around the corner to see the Olympic Mountains and Puget Sound.  My favorite pizza spot is Via Tribunali on W Galer.  How to Cook a Wolf is another one of Ethan Stowell’s great restaurants there.
• Ballard – Founded on the bounty of the sea and more recently by young and restless, Ballard is a beautiful mix of young and old.  The Hiram M. Chittenden Locks, Shilshole Bay Marina and Golden Gardens give you a true sense of how the people and landscape of Seattle are connected to the sea.  There is lots of night-life on Ballard Ave.  I really enjoy Bastille for a special meal.
• Miscellaneous – To fill in moments of boredom here are a few more things that will warm your cockles.  Fly to Roche Harbor on Kenmore Air for the day and have lunch at the McMillin’s.  Enjoy a concert at the Benaroya Concert Hall; I think that this is what it must be like to be inside a cello while listening to musical concert.  The sound is unparalleled in the world.  Have dinner at Poppy or lunch at Boom Noodle my favorite restaurants on Capitol Hill.

We might take some comfort in the understanding that PMI has included data from a number of sources, identified in The Report, to calculate a risk factor for each of the markets.  “The Risk Index uses economic, housing, and mortgage market factors (including home price appreciation, employment, affordability, excess housing supply, interest rates, and foreclosure activity) to determine these probabilities”.