Seattle Neighborhoods: Ballard

For most of the 20th century, Ballard was a working class lumber and fisheries neighborhood, lined with mum and pop stores, had a strong Scandinavian heritage and was known as Snooze Junction. Today, Ballard is the polar opposite, with young professionals and young families moving here, closely followed by changes in Ballard’s business mix to meet their needs. The southern end of Ballard lies on the edge of Salmon Bay, manages to maintain some of its industrial activities giving you a hint of this neighborhood's past.

Ballard, one of Seattle’s largest neighborhoods, is located NW of downtown and is a great place to live in or just hang out for a day. This neighborhood is surrounded by water on two sides with the beautiful Puget Sound to the west and Salmon Bay / Ship Canal to the south. To the north lies Broadview, with Greenwood, Phinney Ridge and Fremont to the east. Magnolia lies to the south.

Ballard includes these communities:

• Loyal Heights
• Whittier Heights
• Sunset Hill
• Crown Hill
• Blue Ridge  
• North Beach
• Olympic Manor

This Seattle neighborhood has undergone a lot of change in a relatively short period of time, some for the better and arguably some for the worse. In recent years, Ballard real estate has seen an explosion of new construction, particularly of Ballard condos and Ballard townhomes (see real estate section below). Much of this is a result of Seattle’s higher density year 2024 plan.  Many residents are unhappy with the pace of development with Ballard losing some of its old charm including one of the few bowling allies left in Seattle for new construction that is currently and sadly bulldozed and on hold. Opinions will usually depend on how long you have lived here which is demonstrated by fact is now a lot easier to order sushi than lutefisk.

Ballard Real Estate

Ballard real estate can be divided into two distinct areas. North of approximately 60^th Street NW, Ballard has the feel of an old established neighborhood, mainly comprised of quiet suburbia single family homes. This area has many lovely quiet residential streets with a great mixture of of architectural styles. You can buy anything from a 100-year-old small single story homes to a large multi-million dollar home with panoramic views of the Puget Sound and Olympic Mountains. Ballard architectural styles include Dutch Colonial, Tudors, Cape Cod, craftsman, ramblers, bungalows, infamous “skinny houses”, and a serving of contemporary new construction. This part of Seattle has remained “relatively” unchanged during the recent building boom.

South of approximately 60^th Street NW, as you head towards the vibrant heart of the Ballard area, homes transition to a higher density of condominiums and townhomes. As mentioned above, Ballard real estate has seen a rapid change over the last few years with many townhouses and in particular, large Ballard condo developments being built. For example, the area close to the 24^th Ave and Market Street has seen a huge change with the Metropole Off Market, NOMA and The Park condo developments which all opened between 2006 and 2010. On Leary Ave, just off Market St, the 287 unit Canal Station North opened in 2007. Other developments are on hold waiting for the enconomy to turnaround. Parking is a lot harder to get in downtown Ballard these days and pubs and restaurants are doing just fine.

Please see the tables below for some data on Ballard home sales, which will give you an overview of how this neighborhood is priced.

Median* home prices for Ballard single family homes, Ballard townhomes and Ballard condos for the last six months of 2009 (data will be updated quarterly).

*Where median price is the price at which half the homes sold for below that price and half the homes sold for above that price.

Price ranges for Ballard single family homes, Ballard townhomes and Ballard condos based on the MLS sales data for the last six months of 2009 (will be updated quarterly).

If you would like more information or have any questions regarding Ballard real estate, please contact a Ballard Realtor.

Ballard Real Estate Map

Best of Ballard

Ballard is blessed with a mixture and natural and man-made features that make living here so good. To take in the best features, try taking this walking tour which is good for both the heart and the eyes! Start at Sunset Park (34^th Ave NW and 77^nd Street), which has panoramic vistas of the Olympic Mountains the Puget Sound. I got lost in Seattle years ago before moving here form Portland, and ended up at Sunset Park. I said to myself, “if I ever move to Seattle, I’m going to live in Ballard!”, which is where I now live. Continue east on NW 77^nd Street and then head north on 32^nd Ave NW to a stairway at the junction with Loyal Ave NW and  NW 85^th St. (opposite Café Fiore). 

Descend the steep steps while avoiding joggers or wheezing walkers, continue all the way down through the forest, past the barking dogs in the dog park, and emerge to Golden Gardens beach where the Olympic Mountains and Puget Sound reappear before you. Take a break and get some sand between your toes as you take it all in.  Now continue east along the waterfront past the temptations of the Little Coney ice cream / French fries parlor, along the plethora of boats anchored at Shilshole Bay Marine and the modest Corinthian Yacht Club of Seattle. This whole area is currently undergoing a major renovation including replacing the old wooden creosol perfumed moorings (I love that smell!).

At the end of the marina, you move onto the road (Seaview Ave NW) and continue east. If you can’t wait until hitting downtown Ballard, pop into Ray’s Boathouse restaurant, head to the upper floor, and have a beverage of your choice while taking in the views from the deck (assuming the tourists haven’t gotten all the good seats). There’s an old wooden pier next to Ray’s, so if you’re into creosol fumes, inhale! Further along, just after the junction with 32^nd Ave NW, you will hit the famous Hiram M. Chittenden Locks (aka “the locks”) where saltwater and freshwater meet and boats are floated up to get between the two. You can also observe salmon migrating from the Puget Sound to Lake Washington. Expect to see stampeding tourists here too. You will continue towards Ballard Old town while doing your best to avoid the allegedly "world famous" fish ‘n’ chips tempations of the Locks Pub continue east as the road becomes NW Market Street.

When you hit 24^th Ave NW, you will be entering the thick of Ballard. Most of the shopping, dining, nightlife, entertainment and people watching are located on Market Street and down along Ballard Ave NW (aka Ballard Old Town). You will find everything from dive bars to celebrity-endorsed restaurants, multiple sushi establishments competing for diners, to mobile food vans serving hotdogs to music lovers staggering out of the Tractor Tavern. New businesses are popping up at an amazing rate with many full of eager customers.  Come back on Sunday morning for the Ballard’s excellent farmers market held in the Old Town area.