What areas should I avoid moving to in and around Seattle?

I will be moving to Seattle in May. I've never been there before, so can anyone tell me what areas to avoid? On the othere hand, does anyone know great places to live? Thanks!What areas should I avoid moving to in and around Seattle?
I would avoid West Seattle. It is pretty, but the West Seattle Bridge is a bear when it comes to traffic and it is pretty much your only way to get anywhere. Also, because of the way it was built when it gets cold outside, the wind blows under the bridge and freezes it. There are always accidents on the bridge. The hills are steep, so in the snow you won't be able to get anywhere. Also, avoid White Center, which is sort of low rent West Seattle. They say that they are trying to revitalize it, but people keep getting shot there. Don't move to Raineer or South Seattle either, as that is where most of our gang activity lives.



If you are going to be in the city, I recommend Ballard, Greenwood, Magnolia (also on a steep hill, but the area is nice), Queen Anne (you can rent in Lower Queen Anne and avoid the hill problem and it is walking distance to downtown), Fremont, Northgate (close to the mall and buses), Lake City (might be tough to get around, depending on where you work), the U-District (home to the University of Washington, and also some of our more colorful Seattleites), or Capitol Hill (also home to some of our more colorful Seattleites and a significant portion of our gay/lesbian residents).



On the East Side there are Bellevue, Issaquah and Mercer Island, which are very nice communities, kinda pricey though. Also, it isn't worth it if you have to bus. The buses going North/South are good, but East/West not so much. You have to take one of the floating bridges to get into the city and the traffic during rush hour is awful. Also, if there is a snow storm, you can forget about it.



If you want better housing prices, look in Shoreline and Mountlake Terrace. They are North of Seattle, but if you take the bus it is an easy commute. If you are planning to drive to work, and you work downtown, you should know that it costs between $12-$18 per day to park and most companies won't pay for it, though many offer bus passes.



For my money, my favorite areas are Ballard (because I grew up there and it is a very nice community with lots of artists) and Greenwood (also near where I grew up). I lived in Belltown, which is between Queen Anne and what we would officially call "Downtown Seattle." It is near the Space Needle, kind of expensive, but really fun! If I could move anywhere that I haven't already lived, it would probably be Capitol Hill. There is never a shortage for entertainment. Unfortunately my husband doesn't care for urban living.



Also, one tip I will leave you with: Never go to Pioneer Square alone at night. That is where most of the good clubs and bars are, but it is very dangerous. I know burly men who were afraid to go there alone. But it is worth it if you are with a group.



Hope this helps!
Okay, I am not saying that it is the best neighborhood in the world, but Rainier Beach has a reallly bad reputation, way worse than it deserves. I live there, and sure I wouldn't want to walk around side streets in the dark, by myself, but it's not scary or anything. In seattle, the worst neighborhood won't be nearly as bad as it will be in other big cities, so when someone from seattle says that a neighborhood is "really dangerous" it's only a little scary.



some good neighborhoods i would recommend are capital hill, seward park/ lakewood, or madrona. these are all safe, nice neigborhoods that are pretty close to lots of activities.



i would stay away from the neighborhoods up north like freemont, ballard, sandpoint, etc. because they are pretty boring and very homogenous. there is no diversity in the people, and not many activities take place there.



i would also avoid living in the suburbs, because they are just boring. most of the entertaining things to do in seattle are around down town, so the closer you are the better.What areas should I avoid moving to in and around Seattle?
I used to live in Capital Hill and it is a great neighborhood but stay away from the 1700 block of Summit...that's where I lived and it was always noisy and too many creepy crawlers all the time. Drug dealers and hookers on that block plus a halfway house so lots of doped up burn outs wandering up and down the block. Ask any Seattle cop and they'll laugh as they agree with me.
uhh..honestly if your trying to avoid violence and such..I guess I would have to say that S. Seattle is the more "urban" area..



but honestly..I would live anywhere in the County..thats just me though.



If your looking for more of the yuppy subarb area..then the eastside would be your best bet. (Bellevue / Kirkland/ Redmond)..Your def. gonna pay for that there though..



I live in S. King county in the Renton/Tukwila area. I havent been shot at or robbed...



Honestly like the guy above said..it really depends on what kind of enviormment you prefer...??
The only answer I can say for sure is the ocean. Keep in mind I don't know what you're used to, some people are completely scared of anything but suburbs and some people are fine in any situation.