{"id":581,"date":"2021-03-26T21:29:11","date_gmt":"2021-03-26T21:29:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.ark7.com\/?p=581"},"modified":"2023-05-19T15:42:00","modified_gmt":"2023-05-19T15:42:00","slug":"seattle-one-of-americas-fastest-growing-cities","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ark7.com\/blog\/articles\/seattle-one-of-americas-fastest-growing-cities\/","title":{"rendered":"Seattle, One of America\u2019s Fastest Growing Cities"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Seattle, founded in 1851, is a city that has become a diverse blend of people and cultures over time. In 2020, the city was ranked 2nd in the \u201cLargest Cities with the Highest Growth\u201d in a WalletHub study. Young professionals are also moving to the Seattle area especially because of the growing number of jobs. According to the official Pods blog, millennials have moved to Seattle not only to find jobs at major tech companies, but also for attractions such as Seattle\u2019s parks, nightlife, and community.<\/span><\/p>\n

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The Seattle Skyline with the Seattle Space Needle and Mount Rainier in the distance.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In November of 2020, Vancouver\u2019s The Daily Hive reported that \u201cSeattle has ranked fourth in North America for high-tech software job growth.\u201d According to Seattle Geodata, the number of jobs in the area has increased 34% since 2010. Tech jobs have seen an even higher rate of growth. \u201cThe Seattle metropolitan area added 88,000 tech-related jobs between 2010 and 2019, an increase of 39%,\u201d CompTIA stated in a 2020 press release. The number of jobs, specifically in the tech industry, is expected to increase as Google and Amazon have said that they plan to continue investing and creating more jobs in the Seattle area.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Downtown Seattle, home of the city\u2019s famous Space Needle, is quickly growing as tech companies such as Google, Facebook, Adobe, and Amazon open new offices or move from San Francisco\u2019s Bay Area to Seattle, creating many new career options in the area\u2019s tech industry. According to GeekWire, Google employs over 6,300 people in Seattle and will continue creating jobs in the U.S. Similarly, GeekWire reported that \u201cAmazon has surpassed 75,000 employees in the Seattle region.\u201d Google is also currently expanding its South Lake Union campus in Seattle from a \u201c330,000-square-foot building\u201d to \u201c900,000 square feet of office space,\u201d according to 425 Business.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Downtown Seattle at Night.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Community and Life in Seattle<\/b><\/h2>\n

Seattle\u2019s diverse community and location are quickly attracting professionals and families. In addition to its growing Millennial population, the U.S. Census states that the city has a large Asian American population at 15.4% of the total population. Seattle is also known for its LGBTQ community and was ranked number 5 on Realtor.com\u2019s \u201cTop Places for LGBTQ Folks to Live.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Seattle is famous for its many coffee houses and bars, music cultures, art museums, and galleries. The city offers the benefits of urban life with the natural hiking trails of Washington State. Curbed Seattle states that \u201cthere is a lifetime of hikes to be done within an hour or so drive of the city.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Seattle is a walkable city with high scores in many districts on Walk Score, such as a score of 93 for Capitol Hill, and a score of 93 for the University District. Transit services such as Sound Transit are also available to commute to work, school, or Seattle\u2019s downtown area with Pike Pine Retail Core shopping, the Seattle Art Museum, and the Seattle Public Library.<\/span><\/p>\n

Seattle\u2019s Competitive Real Estate Market<\/b><\/h2>\n

Seattle’s housing market is currently extremely competitive–on Redfin, a home in the Seattle Housing Market spends just 12 Median Days on Market. This demand is even seen in other parts of Western Washington. \u201cA recent listing for a four-bedroom home in Puyallup drew 45 offers,\u201d Heidi Groover of the Seattle Times reported in early March. Houses are also selling at much higher rates. “In King County,\u201d Groover said, \u201cthe median home sold for $750,000, 11.1% higher than last February and about 3.4% higher than in January, the biggest month-to-month price jump since June.\u201d According to Zillow, Seattle home values have gone up 8.2% in one year. Redfin also reported in February that Seattle was one of the top five metro areas with the highest bidding-war rate with a 73.8% bidding-war rate.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Seattle D1 (Source: Redfin)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Our New Seattle Property<\/b><\/h2>\n

Our Seattle property, Seattle D1, is a two-story duplex located in King County. Built in 1924, this duplex is in excellent condition and has gone through many remodels, with the most recent in 2020. The first floor has a kitchen, living room, a half bathroom, and a washer and dryer. The second floor has 3 bedrooms, 1 bathroom, and a study room with remodel potential. Additionally, there is a 1 bedroom and 1 bath unit in the basement, bringing the entire duplex to 4 bedrooms and 2.5 baths total.<\/span><\/p>\n

This property has high potential to be an Airbnb, a student dorm, or a rental for young professionals. Extra storage space in the basement could also be further remodeled to create a second bedroom in the basement unit.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The neighborhood around Seattle D1 is rated A+ on Niche.com, a site that reviews and analyzes locations for the quality of their neighborhoods, schools and colleges. Seattle D1 is a 5-minute walk to the University District Farmers Market and dozens of surrounding restaurants, coffee shops and tea shops, offering a variety of dining choices.<\/span><\/p>\n