Ballard named ‘Best Neighborhood to Live In’

Seattle Weekly is confirming what we already know – Ballard is the best place to live. They just revealed their “Best of” list and Ballard is the top neighborhood.

Keegan Hamilton writes this about Ballard:

According to local legend, back in 1904 when pre-annexation Ballard was the seventh-largest city in the state of Washington and notorious for boozing and gambling, its mayor ordered all city business to cease for a day as a mandatory respite from his citizens’ carousing. Obviously, it ain’t your great grandpappy Sven’s Ballard anymore. And that’s a good thing. Mostly. Lament the condo invasion if you like, but the truth is that the new high-density Ballard is the natural evolution of the working-class burg that predated it. There are still beautiful parks and public areas, easy access to downtown, and enough bars that a thirsty person could belly up to a different one every Friday night for a year. But it’s also now home to an outstanding farmers market, many of the city’s finest restaurants, great music venues and record stores, a good movie theater, boutique shops, and, admittedly, quite a bit of bourgeoisie. And though it’s not nearly as blue-collar as it was, you don’t have to look too terribly hard to find rowdy dockworkers and boatsmen. You just have to visit the right bar.

The Seattle Weekly “best of” list includes people, places, food & drink, sports & recreation and shopping & services. To see the entire list, click here.