Seattle Magazine has ranked Kenmore No. 1 out of 110 best-known Seattle neighborhoods and surrounding cities for best neighborhoods to live. The communities featured in the magazine’s annual roundup of best neighborhoods to live combine ratings in median home price, percentage change in median home price from 2007 to 2008, crime rate, percentage of students who passed the fourth-grade Washington Assessment of Student Learning (WASL) test, park acreage and commute times. The results of the comprehensive survey appear in Seattle Magazine’s August 2009 issue.
According to Seattle Magazine’s survey, the Top 10 Best Neighborhoods in the Seattle metropolitan area are:
1. Kenmore
2. Shoreline
3. Bellevue
4. Mountlake Terrace
5. Mercer Island
6. Redmond
7. Federal Way
8. Des Moines
9. Northgate
10. Kent
“The city of Kenmore is honored to be ranked No. 1 for best neighborhoods to live,” said Mayor David Baker. “Kenmore is a vibrant community that features a regional trail, state and local parks, Lake Washington, safe neighborhoods, nationally recognized schools and easy access to major employers.”
Kenmore was recently recognized in the August 2009 issue of Family Circle as one of the top 10 cities in the United States for families to live. The communities featured in the magazine’s annual list of perfect places to call home combined ratings in affordable housing, good neighbors, green spaces and A-plus public-school systems.
Kenmore is a city of just over 20,000 residents at the north end of Lake Washington near Seattle. The city is located less than 15 minutes from both Interstate 5 and Interstate 405. It was settled in the early 1900s and has had a strong sense of community throughout its history. It was incorporated as a city in 1998. The regional Burke-Gilman bicycle trail goes through Kenmore and city and state parks provide recreational opportunities for residents. Kenmore’s educational institutions include the Northshore School District, Bastyr University (a widely recognized research and training center for natural medicine) and the nearby Bothell campus of the University of Washington. Significant public investments are under way in Kenmore: a city hall that is on track for LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Gold Certification; a new King County Library; a new fire station; and major street and sidewalk improvements.
