Talk about a boater's paradise, boats are everywhere in Seattle! Water and mountains offering spectacular views of Puget Sound, Lake Washington and Lake Union surround the city. The awesome height of Mount Rainier, the Cascade and Olympic Mountains can be witnessed from all over the city. These are views which confirm Seattle's easy access to outdoor recreational activities including boating throughout the year. The Seattle Metropolitan boat communities mostly line the east and west sides of Lake Washington with access through the Ballard Locks to the oceans of the world. There are many marinas as well as lots of private and community docks. Great marinas like Elliott Bay, Shilshole, Carillon Point and Des Moines. And then there are the floating homes on Lake Union and along the ship canal and water view condominiums on Alki, Kirkland and Belltown. Seattle is at the heart of the tremendous Puget Sound boating area offering great marine facilities as well as a wonderful place to live and work. With so many boat communities to choose from, you are bound to find many to your liking.
Joe Marvin | Whidbey & Fidalgo Islands North to Canadian Border
Boat Community Specialist
Windermere Real Estate/ Whidbey Island
32785 SR 20, Suite 4
Oak Harbor, WA 98277
Location: Whidbey Island / Oak Harbor
Office Phone: 360-675-5953
Cell/Direct: 206-605-1436
Email: joemarvin@boatcommunities.com
Agent Fax: 360-679-2619
I live in a wonderful Whidbey Island boating community named Mariners Cove. Our home is on a canal with a 60' dock where I moor Meridian, a 46' Knight & Carver sports sedan. I am a member of the Oak Harbor Yacht Club and on the Finance Council for St. Augustine's Parish. I am focused on providing real estate services to owners and buyers of boating community properties in my area. Whether buying or selling properties, please give me a chance to help you. Its what I do.
ALKI Alki (Beach) in West Seattle is best known for its salty, sandy beach, narrow streets, newly constructed condominiums mixed with quaint houses, some with breathtaking views of the Seattle skyline. The area has become one of Seattle's hottest condominium markets. The community has very few private docks but Harbor Island Marina and South Park Marina on the Duwamish River are convenient for moorage. There usually is a waiting list just like most marinas in Puget Sound. So get on their list if you plan to buy in the Alki area. Alki is an easy commute to downtown Seattle and SeaTac Airport. Homes and condos start in the mid $300's to over $5 million.
BELLTOWN Being located between the retail core of downtown Seattle and the Seattle Center, Belltown contains much of downtown Seattle’s residential base, living mostly in high rise condominiums with city, water and mountain views. Belltown is home to many of Seattle’s best restaurants and nightclubs, and the Bell Harbor Marina. Guest moorage is available during the summer with monthly moorage available from September 1 through May 31. The Elliott Bay Marina with permanent year round moorage is a mile northwest on Magnolia. If condominium city life is for you, Belltown may be just what you are looking for. Condominium prices range from $300,000 to over $5 million.
DES MOINES Centered around the 900 slip Des Moines Marina and 6 miles of Puget Sound shoreline, this community has a lot to offer boaters, all within minutes of downtown Seattle and Tacoma. Des Moines neighborhoods offer housing of every type and price range from waterfront mansions with private docks to affordable cottages. The city is on a slope down to Puget Sound with views from most of the city. Home prices range from under $300,000 to over $1 million. Condominiums start at under $200,000.
HUNTS POINT Hunts Point is a small up-scale waterfront community surrounded on three sides by Lake Washington. There is no doubt that the 450 residents of Hunts Point enjoy the good life. Most homes are on waterfront lots and are tucked behind entrance gates. The homes are large with private docks for the owner’s yachts and/or seaplanes. The commute to downtown Bellevue, Kirkland or Seattle is convenient with the SR 520 bridge close by. For those who need moorage, the Carillon Point Marina is close by. Like all of the Lake Washington boating communities, Hunts Point has water access to the oceans of the world through the Ballard Locks. Homes and mansions in Hunts Point are priced in the millions.
KIRKLAND is located on the east shore of Lake Washington. It is 10 miles east of downtown Seattle and just north of Bellevue. Kirkland is a city of 40,000 where small businesses and corporate headquarters exist side-by-side. It has good shopping, great schools, marinas and private docks for your boat, and many homes and condominiums with water views and/or Lake Washington waterfront. The Lake Washington Ship Canal provides access to Puget Sound and the Pacific Ocean. As stated on their web-site, ”In Kirkland you will find an emphasis on the arts, education, business development, natural resources and quality of life. These values are the pride of the community that many work to enhance.” Home prices near downtown and the waterfront start at around $500,000 upwards to over $5 million. Condos start at around $300,000.
LAKE UNION At the center of Seattle, Lake Union is an urban oasis that supports a diversity of use including marine industrial use, residences near and on the water, birds, sea life, boats, seaplanes, tourist attractions and city parks. Condominiums, houseboats and single family homes with water and city views, moorage, marine facilities and services, restaurants, boat shows, schools and activities. It is part of the passageway from Puget Sound to Lake Washington and the center of boating activities in the Pacific Northwest. This community is famous for its houseboats or floating homes with moorage. It has many Marinas close by, but very few private docks. Just blocks from downtown Seattle's business and shopping core. Condos, houseboats, and homes around Lake Union start at $300,000 upwards to over $2 million.
LAURELHURST & WINDERMERE These up-scale communities in Seattle contain many Lake Washington waterfront homes and mansions with private docks and impressive views of Lake Washington and the Cascade Mountains. They are close to the University of Washington and downtown Seattle. For those without a private dock, the marinas on Lake Union are close by. Like most of Lake Washington's waterfront communities, the homes are large and well maintained. Waterfront homes range from $2 million up. Water view homes start at around $500,000.
LESCHI Enjoy the maritime views of the Leschi Marina from your home on the hill just above Lake Washington. The Leschi community is located in central Seattle providing its residents an easy commute to downtown Seattle. More of a marina for sailboats and smaller cruisers, the marina has 200 slips up to 38’ and a couple of great restaurants. There are also a few homes with private docks. Like most marinas, there is a waiting list for marina moorage, so if you are planning to buy a Leschi home, get on the waiting list. Leschi homes range from about $600,000 to over $3 million.
MADISON PARK and the nearby communities of Washington Park, Broadmoor and Denny Blaine are very attractive to Seattle's downtown high-rise office workers. Although not a true boating community for lack of a local marina, most Lake Washington waterfront homes in this community have private docks with water and mountain views. Madison Park is also close to the Seattle Yacht Club Clubhouse & Marina, Leschi Marina, and just a few miles from the many marinas on Lake Union. It enjoys quaint shops and restaurants, a community beach, park, and tennis courts. Besides upscale homes, Madison Park has a good mix of lakefront condominiums.
MAGNOLIA has many upscaled homes with water, mountain and city views. It is blessed with a number of good marinas capable of handling just about any size yacht and a wide variety of marine services. It is also home to Seattle?s Fishermans Terminal. With a population over 22,000, Magnolia is located on a peninsula just northwest of downtown Seattle. Even though it is only minutes from downtown Seattle, it still has a small-town feel.
The community has its own "downtown" with shops and restaurants as well as very popular restaurants in the marinas. The Ellliott Bay Marina is probably the best on the West Coast, let alone Puget Sound. Magnolia has very few homes with private docks. Home prices range from $500,000 to over $5 million.
MEDINA With a population of 3,000, Medina consists of 1200 homes, many on Lake Washington waterfront with private docks. It is a short commute to Seattle and the major Eastside cities. Like Hunts Point and Yarrow Point, Medina is an up-scale community that can offer boaters the best of the best…if you can find that perfect home to fit your needs. There are also two marinas close by for those boaters who do not have private docks. Medina homes start at around $1 million to upwards of $5 million.
MERCER ISLAND Most people like to dream of some day living on an island. Here’s your opportunity to fulfill that dream by moving to Mercer Island. It’s in the middle of Lake Washington and home to about 22,000 people. It’s connected by Interstate 90 to Seattle and Bellevue, and its central location and island status help to provide a strong sense of community as well as being very convenient. Boaters can enjoy having their boats in their backyard. The short commute to Seattle, the woodsy quiet setting and the excellent schools have made Mercer Island one of the most desirable places to live in the Seattle area. According to Forbes, the city of Mercer Island is the wealthiest in the state. Listed here are only waterfront homes, most of which have private docks. Prices range from around $1.5 million to over $10 million.
MEYDENBAUER BAY Located next to Historic Old Town Bellevue, the up-scale boating community of Meydenbauer Bay is a boater’s delight with most waterfront homes enjoying private docks. There is also the Bellevue Marina and the Meydenbauer Bay Yacht Club with a combined total of 150 slips of all sizes. Beautiful homes in a tranquil setting with water and marina views surround the bay. And condominiuims, too. Within walking distance to Bellevue business and shopping districts and an easy commute to Seattle make it one of the areas most sought after communities for boaters in the Seattle area. Condos and homes start at $300,000 and go upwards of $5 million.
NEWPORT SHORES is a boating community in the city of Bellevue on Lake Washington with access to the oceans of the world through the Ballard Locks. The community has over 300 up-scaled homes, 100 of which have lake or canal waterfront with private docks or bulkheads for their yachts. Downtown Bellevue and access to downtown Seattle is just minutes away. Within the community, there is a marina, Newport Yacht Basin, with 119 boat slips from 26 to 60 feet. The community has a yacht club, tennis courts and a swimming pool. Newport Shores seems to have it all for boaters. Homes range from $1 million to over $8 million.
SUNSET HILL / SHILSHOLE MARINA The Sunset Hill section of Ballard is mostly west of 32nd NW to Puget Sound between Ballard Locks to the south and the Blue Ridge Community to the north. Many of the homes have westerly views of Shilshole Marina, Puget Sound and the majestic Olympic Mountains. It is an area rich in boating activities and events. It has a large marina, Shilshole Bay Marina, great restaurants, a wide variety of home styles and condos, and a West Marine store. The community has a few homes with private docks at the entrance to the ship canal and a few more marinas on the fresh water side of the locks. It is a short commute to downtown Seattle. Home prices range from around $350,000 to over $2 million.
YARROW POINT The Town of Yarrow Point sits approximately 5 miles from downtown Seattle and is bordered by the cities of Kirkland, Clyde Hill, Medina, and the Town of Hunts Point. It contains over 400 homes and a population just over 1,000 residents. Over one fourth of the homes in Yarrow Point enjoy Lake Washington waterfront locations with private docks or water access, the remaining three quarters offer views ranging from expansive to territorial. Yarrow Bay and Carillon Point Marinas are close by for those boat owners without a private dock.
Home prices range from $1 million to around $4 million.