Residents of Queen Anne Flats are three blocks from the most recognizable landmark in Seattle and the Pacific Northwest, the Space Needle. Built for the 1962 World’s Fair, the Space Needle is 605 feet at its highest point with an observation viewing deck at 520 feet. Visitors can see not only the Downtown Seattle skyline, but also the Bellevue skyline, the Olympic and Cascade Mountains, Mount Rainier, Mount Baker, Elliott Bay and the surrounding islands throughout the Puget Sound. The Space Needle is located within the Seattle Center, which is a 74 acre campus that is the City’s arts and entertainment center year-round. Seattle Center hosts more than 5,000 events each year that bring in over 12 million visitors.
Attractions at the Seattle Center include the Pacific Science Center, the Children’s Museum, the Science Fiction Museum, Key Arena, which was home to the Seattle Supersonics for 30 years, Memorial Stadium, which hosts popular musical festivals, the Seattle Center Skate Park, McHaw Hall’s opera house, the Seattle Repertory Theatre to view plays, and the Experience Music Project, Paul Allen’s rock music museum which is known for its bold architectural design.
The Seattle Center also features the Monorail terminus, which transports passengers to downtown Seattle’s shopping district at Westlake Center. Some of the popular festivals and events hosted here are the music festival Bumbershoot, the Northwest Folklife Festival, holiday Winterfest activities, and the Bite of Seattle.
Located blocks south of Queen Anne Flats lies the Olympic Sculpture Park, formerly a nine acre industrial site that was transformed into an open and vibrant green space for art. Built in 2007 by the Seattle Art Museum, this waterfront park gives Seattle residents and visitors the opportunity to experience a variety of sculptures in an outdoor setting, while enjoying the breathtaking views and beauty of the Olympic Mountains and Puget Sound. Admission is free and the park is a popular destination for art enthusiasts as well as walkers and joggers.
Queen Anne has become one of the most highly sought-after neighborhoods in the Puget Sound. It is considered a neighborhood of choice for those that work in downtown Seattle and want to be centrally located in the city. In addition to having one of the lowest crime rates in the city, Queen Anne’s old world charm, boutiques, restaurants, and nightlife also make this neighborhood an ideal place to live.
Queen Anne is bordered by South Lake Union and Belltown to the south, Fremont and the Lake Washington Ship Canal to the north, Lake Union to the east, and Puget Sound and Magnolia to the west. Queen Anne’s name derives from the architectural style typical of so many of the early Victorian houses in this area. The historic mansions of this neighborhood are home to many of Seattle’s economic and cultural elite. These grand homes sell easily for over $1 million, especially those in the vintage Queen Anne styling that gave the area its name.
The neighborhood’s main thoroughfare, Queen Anne Avenue, links the area with downtown environs and has become a magnet for trendy restaurants, upscale hotels, and popular bistros. Just about every type of restaurant can be found on Queen Anne Avenue North, or in Lower Queen Anne, at the base of the hill.
