Home › Forums › Open Discussion › How safe is West Seattle?
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May 25, 2012 at 7:43 pm #759109
cwitParticipantYou’ll definitely find crime when looking at the WSB Crime Watch & you’re smart to be precautious, as a practice, but I would agree with your ‘somewhere in the middle’ in regards to West Seattle.
I’ve felt fairly safe here but always lock up doors and windows when I’m away from the house, check out any out of the ordinary noises, etc. But that would be the case for me for any neighborhood.
The comments and forum sections at WSB do get a little rowdy though ;)
May 25, 2012 at 7:53 pm #759110
munchkin22MemberWe’ve lived in the Alaska St junction area, sort of, since 1973 and had only one break in next door and that turned out to be some young neighborhood hoodlums that got caught. A rental house across the street was found to be dealing drugs and the neighbors took care of that in short order. I’m a purist when I say West Seattle because the borders I consider to enclose it are much closer in than others say they are. Alki, the bay to 35th SW, Thistle to the south.
I’d stay away from the Delridge corridor and White Center. Sorry folks, like I said, I’m a purist. Been here in WS for 59 of my years, moving 6 blocks from my childhood home.
We have had our random shootings, but most of those are out of area folks doing stupid things, as they will everywhere.
I suggest looking at the police stats on crimes by location and see for yourself.
May 25, 2012 at 8:08 pm #759111
KevinParticipantOur realtor told us (15 years ago) to stay west of 35th.
May 25, 2012 at 8:15 pm #759112
SmittyParticipantThe PC crowd will have a cow, but WS is huge and the crime stats vary dramatically by neighborhood.
Generally speaking (and this is where they explode) staying west of 35th is your best bet for reduced crime. Also, the further north you go the better as well. Alki – for obvious reasons – is an outlier.
And, no – I do not live in Admiral!
http://web5.seattle.gov/mnm/statistics.aspx?tabId=3
It defaults to homicide, but pick total major crime in the drop down box.
May 25, 2012 at 8:42 pm #759113
JanSParticipantexcuse me, but what about all those folks who live east of 35th SW…our own JoB…Ken, the computer guy, and many others – and the new Highpoint area, too.. purist? come on, now…we’re better than that.
I live in the Admiral District of West Seattle..love it…even when some of the clubs nearby get a bit loud on weekends. I live across the street from the new Safeway, and have no problem, as a 65 yo woman with a cane, walking over there after dark. Yes, crime happens everywhere, but I think that a good many people have a misconception about West Seattle in general. No more crime than anywhere else, and it’s not too far away from anything, as some would have you believe. I think it’s a great, open community. And, yes, I have lived here for over 37 years…
May 25, 2012 at 9:03 pm #759114
JiggersMemberWhat’s wrong with 35th? I used to live in White Center for five years no problems. I don’t understand what a purist means. Someone edumacate me please. Maybe because the majority of 35th is a corridor of subsidized low income rent and housing for poorer people? Let’s not sugarcoat it folks. Spit it out.
May 25, 2012 at 9:32 pm #759115
SmittyParticipantMay 25, 2012 at 9:36 pm #759116
munchkin22MemberWhen I was younger, Sealth used to come to West Seattle, as in High School, and Alki and create a lot of trouble including the famous Sealth/WS Alki riot in the late 60’s.
Drugs seem a lot more prevalent in the Delridge corridor, at least outwardly.
Yes, we have all those friends east of 35th, and admittedly, their neighborhoods seem quiet and well kept. I guess my younger emotions are showing today.
A friend of mine got a bullet hole put into his van several years ago while driving through Highpoint toward the old K mart. Stuff like that sticks with you. That neighborhood looks vastly improved after the makeover.
We’ve seen drug deals go down in broad daylight across from Bartell’s in WC.
I figured I’d raise some shackles, but it’s the ne’er do wells of which I speak, not the law abiding folks that most of us strive to be.
My apologies to anyone I may have offended.
Jiggers, I have nothing against poor people. We are some of the most ardent supporters of NV since they landed where they are. Not to mention some of the greenbelt folks as well. We’ve become great friends.
I believe WS is becoming too dense ….population wise, and that changes the old small town feel it once had. The social engineering experiment of forced busing decimated neighborhoods as people left the city to make their own choices about what school their child would go to. It was mostly about proximity,not race. Ours were bused to Beacon Hill until we chose to put them in private school to keep them near home. Darn it! probably lit another fire didn’t I?
May 25, 2012 at 9:46 pm #759117
kootchmanMemberJoB is a hoodlum I would say… she just can’t jump fences anymore, so she is “cured”. But in her heart…. There is more crime in the lower income neighborhoods. That a good spit? WS is as safe as you can expect in an urban environment…. your safety is proportional to your status as a neighbor would be my advice. I have had one theft of a generator in 18 years… done in broad daylight and my neighbor called 911 and I … in time enough to see them speeding off. They weren’t locals… though. Just a buncha crackheads I am guessing they were on property theft patrol. It was random. The license plate was stolen…. from a Kirkland car.. interestingly enough. It’s never a risk free world but I feel safe and I feel my family is safe. My ears would bleed from boredom in Kirkland.
May 25, 2012 at 9:46 pm #759118
goodgracesParticipantIt’s really hard to generalize about neighborhoods in WS (or anywhere, I’d imagine). I’ve been on streets in Genessee Hill and the Lincoln Park area that gave me the creeps and on blocks on Pigeon Point and Highland Park and Westwood (east of 35th AND often east of Delridge) that were amazing, beautiful, full of cute homes and amazing, involved families and neighbors. It really just depends. I always say, go for the HOUSE that you like, then check out the immediate neighborhood (several blocks in either direction), then evaluate. Sticking only to certain neighborhoods in your search limits your options and is actually no guarantee that the micro-neighborhood within the larger “named” neighborhood will have a good vibe.
May 25, 2012 at 9:48 pm #759119
kootchmanMembergoodgraces… I forgot about Pigeon Point… it is a great neighborhood… and east of 35th… so there ya go…
May 25, 2012 at 9:51 pm #759120
kootchmanMembergoodgraces… I forgot about Pigeon Point… it is a great neighborhood… and east of 35th… so there ya go…
May 25, 2012 at 10:12 pm #759121
WSratsinacageMemberNorman, West Seattle is fairly community oriented but the family friendliness and small town feel has been slipping away each year, in my opinion. I also do not feel as safe as I used to and I live in what people say is one of the nice areas. There are lowlife thugs in all areas of WS in my opinion.
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Most importantly, if you have or will have kids, look into the current status of Seattle Public Schools.
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Also, commuting in and out of West Seattle by car, for work, is very congested unless you can leave WS around 6 AM and get back by 3 PM.
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Just a few thoughts. Good luck.
May 25, 2012 at 10:16 pm #759122
goodgracesParticipant@WSratsinacage: Do you mean “commuting in and out of West Seattle” *by car*? My husband bikes, takes the bus, and occasionally walks and rarely has issues. It is mostly folks who commute via car over the WS bridge that have problems with congestion in the a.m. and p.m.
May 25, 2012 at 10:24 pm #759123
MBParticipantI grew up a block off of Delridge AND went to Sealth and I had a great childhood and was surrounded by great families with lots of kids to play with. That was a few years ago :) but my Mom still lives in the same house and she’s never had a break in, ever (moved there in 1980). I lived in an apartment on Delridge for 2 years, never had a problem. Rented a house in Highland Park from 2007-end of 2011, LOVED my neighborhood and my awesome neighbors (many of which had been there for over 30 years). The hubby and I just bought a house in the Sunrise Heights neighborhood last October and I have to say, we have the best neighbors EVER. We live on a quiet street with tons of young families and lots of community involvement. I have lived in West Seattle my whole life, always East of 35th, and I have always felt safe. Turned into a damn good adult too (if I do say so myself). Sure, all neighborhoods have their issues and there most definitely is not a force field blocking crime from crossing the 35th border. In fact, the 3 murders that come to mind all happened West of 35th, so there you go. Criminals cross the street in all directions, period. There are fantastic neighborhoods in every corner of West Seattle filled with great people, not all of which can afford to live West of 35th (myself included). I love West Seattle, all of it…you just have to be an observant person who doesnt walk around afraid. If something looks wrong, it probably is and you have to go with your gut. It’s not Bellevue, but it’s not Compton either :) It’s a normal area with fantastic attributes and sometimes crime sprinkled around…kind of like…everywhere!
May 25, 2012 at 10:28 pm #759124
MBParticipantI do have to agree though, that some of the small town feel is slowly being lost. It’s a sad reality, but again, that is a sad reality everywhere these days!
May 25, 2012 at 10:48 pm #759125
queseraMemberI grew up near Alki, lived there for a while as an adult, and now like in Highland Park. While Highland Park feels less safe in some ways, EVERY neighbor has been friendly, approachable, and most of them introduced themselves our first day in the house. Living on Alki? Couldn’t get to know our neighbor across the hall (yes, we were nice). So, some of the small town, “let’s look out for each other” feel is absent in the “nice” part of West Seattle but you may find it in the “bad” part.
That having been said, the worst part of living in West Seattle is the West Seattle Bridge.
As a “purist,” I also have to say…we have enough people here. Move to Ballard ;)
(oooh….now I’ve taken being a jerk to a whole new level. Sorry transplants!)
May 25, 2012 at 11:40 pm #759126
JanSParticipantlol..quesara..I think we all understand…you just happened to vocalize it in a way.
I remember a post on here a couple of years ago…someone complaining that their car had been broken into, and they were angry because they had picked the Admiral District (44th SW, I believe, behind the theater)and that sort of thing wasn’t supposed to happen here. Priceless…like we’re immune? There’s a force shield protecting us from crime? Crime happens…I know..car was stolen a year and a half ago…but that’s the only crime perpetrated onto me in the 37 years I’ve been here…
May 25, 2012 at 11:45 pm #759127
WSratsinacageMembergoodgraces, I edited my comment to include car (thought that was obvious).
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If you’re trying to say more people should bike, walk, or run to work, I totally agree but it doesn’t work for people who have infants or have to transport heavy items, for example. It is also not safe (or quick) to bike to XYZ city 15 or 20 miles away based on stories in the media of cyclists being killed by cars. Ones chances of survival are better in a car vs a bike. Another example is when that jogger got hit by a truck down below the bridge last year on the alternative transportation day/week promoted by the city. And a couple of years ago, a guy got hurt real bad on one of those sitdown bikes at the bottom of Admiral hill.
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Still, I bet there are a lot of people who can skip the car but they do not for safety reasons or maybe pure stubbornness/laziness :).
May 25, 2012 at 11:54 pm #759128
suzanneParticipantI’ve lived in West Seattle over 25 years. Some of that time was on 49th and Hudson, then near the north end of Lincoln Park and for the past 14 years, in Arbor Heights. I have always felt safe and have never had any problems. I love West Seattle!
May 26, 2012 at 2:12 am #759129
BonnieParticipantI have lived in West Seattle for 22 years now and my husband grew up in the Admiral District. Since we have been married we have lived east of 35th on Avalon (car got sideswiped once), right off California in Gatewood (a drunk driver ran up onto our lawn one time in the middle of the night) and at our current house in Fauntlee Hills (someone threw eggs at our house once). That is it. But when my husband lived in the Admiral area as a teenager someone took a shotgun and shot up the side of his sister’s boyfriends car that was sitting outside their house.
May 26, 2012 at 3:31 am #759130
WSBKeymasterCompared to many communities/cities, crime here is almost negligible. The whole point of the Crime Watch section IS to let those who are interested know what IS going on – but it’s only part of what’s going on (what we either cover because it’s major, or hear about from folks who want to share what happened to them, in hopes of educating others).
No area is crime-free, and no era was ever crime-free … we moved to West Seattle 21 years ago, lived on Beach Drive for the first two years, and some idiot vandals went around shooting out car windows, including ours. That’s the ONLY personal tale I have to tell.
Yes, you can research the stats through SPD’s tools, but since we have to listen to the scanner (among other things) for a living, I can tell you there are often more calls in western WS than in eastern WS, so the “east is more dangerous” claim (we were told the same thing in 1991 – only we were told CALIFORNIA was the dividing line! crazy!) is just not so. Both of this year’s murders have happened west of California, BTW (well, one right on the west side of it). But that doesn’t say anything about west vs. east. Just the way two certain sets of circumstances played out.
To normanbell – Good luck in your decision! – TR
May 26, 2012 at 3:52 am #759131
normanbell37MemberThanks to everyone for your posts! It sounds like there’s a range of opinion out there, with most leaning toward “take precautions, but it’s a great place to live.” My overall impression is that I’m impressed with the level of engagement you all have in your community. 23 thoughtful posts in less than 12 hours! I hope things work out and that my wife and daughter and I have the chance to call West Seattle home someday ourselves. (and don’t worry Quesera, we’ll tell everyone that we moved to Ballard and to stay the heck away from WS. :)
May 26, 2012 at 4:37 am #759132
WorldCitizenParticipantSleepy community. Not much violent crime to speak of west of 35th and north of Thistle. Very courteous people. Very homogenous population (in the areas mentioned).
May 26, 2012 at 5:56 am #759133
BonnieParticipantSo, WorldCitizen since I live several blocks south of Thistle but on the west side of 35th does that mean there is much much more violent crime and I should be worried for my safety? I guess if I moved 1/2 mile north I’d be safe by your standards?
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