Central Waterfront Apartments & Rentals

The Central Waterfront neighborhood—set along Puget Sound in Downtown Seattle—definitely draws tourists. It also, for many of the same reasons, reels in a selection of lucky residents. This strip of the city thrives with restaurants, shops, parks, and recreation. Olympic Sculpture Park even features a beach. From a Central Waterfront apartment, you’ll be a stone’s throw from Downtown shopping, Puget Sound attractions, and some of Seattle’s finest scenery.

In years past, the Central Waterfront served as the hub of all maritime activity for the city. That changed in the 1960s when a new port to the south took over Seattle’s shipping. This stretch Downtown shifted to receive tourists and cruise ships. Old piers welcomed new restaurants and shops. From Pioneer Square up to Olympic Sculpture Park, the Central Waterfront continues to blossom with development.

A boom in retail and recreation has brought an excellent lifestyle to those living along the Central Waterfront. While there are no official boundaries to the neighborhood, within the vicinity you’ll find Pioneer Square, Pike’s Place Market, and a slew of other entertainment options. Waterfront Park and Olympic Sculpture Park are just two choices if you’re looking to take in some fresh air. You can stroll along the piers to find shopping and dining, stop in at the Aquarium, or catch a ferry all the way to Victoria, British Columbia.

Hotels claim most of the bedrooms found along the Central Waterfront. This is where cruise ships dock, and it’s a major tourist mecca. There are some apartments and other modern rentals to be found in the neighborhood, however. You can find signs of the way things used to be as well, but those older units are growing scarcer. A two-bedroom Central Waterfront apartment averages around $1,600 a month in rent.

Living along the Central Waterfront is great if you’re commuting by ferry. It’s also conveniently close to Downtown public transportation options. Parking and driving, however, are not so hot here.

The closest library to the Central Waterfront is the Central Library of the Seattle Public Library system, on 4th Avenue Downtown. There’s a United States Post Office on Union Street, a few blocks up from the water. City residents elect their mayor and nine city council members at large, i.e. without regard to neighborhood. You can catch a ferry to Bainbridge Island, Bremerton, Vashon Island, or West Seattle from the terminal on Pier 50. Other ferries will take you farther afield.

Zip codes serving the Central Waterfront are 98101, 98014, and 98121.