A Few of the Many LGBTQ+ Friendly Neighborhoods in Seattle

We love talking with our Diva Dwellers about the many LGBTQ+ Friendly Neighborhoods in Seattle and getting their tips on each community!

First off, Seattle is super friendly to our LGBTQ+ community. EVERY neighborhood in Seattle has our Framily (aka LGBTQ+ folks) living happily in each and every one of our many neighborhoods. Seattle is in fact one of the most LGBTQ+ friendly cities in the nation. And in this post, I am excited to share some of the top neighborhoods that our Diva Dwellers love!

Luckily for you, the majority of us who work at Team Diva are LGBTQ+, including me. I’m your resident real estate diva and happily married lesbian to the other Diva on this team, Kim. Kim and I have lived all over this city. And not once have we felt unsafe being loud and proud living in Seattle. In fact, it is hard to keep up with all of the neighborhood Pride events that happen every year.

For this post we asked the community which neighborhoods were their favorites for going out, living in, and of course, be out and proud in.

SUPER LGBTQ+ Friendly Neighborhoods in Seattle

Divas Take The Hill Pride fundraiser 2016

Bonus Neighborhoods – Luckily for us all of Seattle is LGBTQ+ friendly and affirming!

Special Mention – Pioneer Square is the OG Gayborhood of Seattle

A Few of the Many LGBTQ+ Friendly Neighborhoods in Seattle

Ok, here we go! We reached out to many folks in our community and asked which were their favorite neighborhoods. Here is the list!

Capitol Hill: The Gayborhood

AIDS Memorial Project at Cal Anderson Park and the Entrance to the Light Rail Station on Capitol Hill

Our favorite neighborhood is and will always be Capitol Hill. Team Diva got its start in a tiny office on the corner of Olive and Belmont and from there, a queer real estate empire was born. Capitol Hill is the beating heart of Seattle’s LGBTQ+ community. Every Pride season, Capitol Hill is where the Pride festivals are hosted. In addition, the LGBTQ+ bars, community groups, and businesses call this neighborhood home.

Check out the recent guide we created for Capitol Hill here >

Let’s chat about moving to Capitol Hill >

West Seattle

Surprisingly, West Seattle has one of the highest numbers of LGBTQ+ folx in the city. That is our instinct and it was definitely the data in the 2010 census that proved that. Unfortunately, that a-hole who was in office before Biden made sure that LGBTQ+ identifiers were removed from the 2020 census. So now we are just going from what we generally can tell by bars opening, stores with queer owners, etc. Oh, and of course West Seattle has its own Pride festivities. West Seattle is one of our favorite gayborhoods.

Check out the recent guide we created for West Seattle here >

Let’s chat about moving to West Seattle >

Madison Valley/Madrona

The area just east of Capitol Hill is Madison Valley and Madrona. It was one of the first areas that was gentrified by the LGBTQ+ community as we moved from Capitol Hill to other areas in the city. Below I go into detail about the impact of this gentrification. The lovely thing about Madison Valley and Madrona is the number of small restaurants and businesses that are LGBTQ+ owned. It is also the home of Bailey/Boushay House which opened as an assisted living facility for people living with HIV/AIDS. When it opened originally back in the early days of the AIDS Pandemic, it was one of the few places in the nation that specifically worked with people with HIV/AIDS.

Check out our neighborhood pages for Madison Valley and Madrona >

Let’s chat about moving to Madison Valley and/or Madrona >

Central District

The Central District is the historically Black neighborhood of Seattle and still remains the heart of the community today. Like Madison Valley and Madrona, the Central District was also impacted by gentrification by the LGBTQ+ community moving from Capitol Hill to this area. Below there is more detail about this. Regardless, the Central District is home to many in the LGBTQ+ community. It is also the home to the CD Arts Forum, one of our favorite Black-centered arts organizations in the city. And it often gives a stage to LGBTQ+ Black artists when other major arts organizations have a tendency to ignore local talent.

Check out the guide and video that our team member Lindsy created about the Central District. Her family goes back in the neighborhood for four generations and has a huge legacy in our city.

Let’s chat about moving to the Central District >

Ballard

You would be surprised to learn that Ballard was once an affordable neighborhood. Many younger Capitol Hill expats bought their first homes in Ballard. From there a huge and thriving community has grown. Ballard is definitely a hub for our community. Just recently The Seattle Times wrote an article Three Queer Owned Ballard Bars to Kick Off Pride Month With a Toast. Specifically we all are in love with Rough and Tumble. It is the only bar in all of Seattle where you can watch womens sports. During the world cup this was one of the few bars that showed all of the games. Thank you!

Check out the guide Kim did about Northwest Seattle. She also goes into detail about Ballard.

Let’s chat about moving to Ballard >

Columbia City

Way back in the olden days of the 1990s, I moved to Columbia City. And I was not the only queer person on the move. Shortly after I moved to Columbia City, a young lesbian in our community opened up Lotties, which later became Lottie’s Lounge. Columbia City is the main hub for Rainier Valley. It has a long history of being one of the most diverse neighborhoods in Seattle. Unfortunately, some of that diversity is waning as affordability becomes an issue in much of Seattle. It also has a huge LGBTQ+ community. We are proud members of the South of 90 group which is an LGBTQ+ social group here in South Seattle.

Check out Kim’s guide to Southeast Seattle which includes much of Columbia City.

Let’s chat about moving to Columbia City and Rainier Valley>

White Center

Why is White Center the best LGBTQ+ neighborhood in Seattle? (Ok, well technically it is in unincorporated King County!) We do not know. But we do know that we just got back from White Center Pride and it felt like Pride of the olden years but better. There were no corporate sponsors. It was put together by volunteers. And everyone who came out did so intentionally. White Center is also home to the Lumberyard, a gay bar on the 16th. We freaking love this neighborhood!!!!!

Check out how we celebrated Pride in White Center >

Learn more about White Center on our neighborhood page >

Let’s chat about moving to White Center >

Wallingford

Changes!!!! Surprisingly Changes is one of the oldest LGBTQ+ bars in Seattle. There is not an old Gay who went to UW who did not at some point end up at Changes. And yes, back in the day Wallingford was an affordable neighborhood. In fact, Kim could have bought a home close to Greenlake for only $140,000 back in the 1990s. Yes, even Divas have real estate regrets. Wallingford is extremely affirming and supportive of the LGBTQ+ community. You will easily find many Pride flags throughout this neighborhood at all times of the years. And if you are in the know, you know that Sundays is the day at Changes.

Learn more about Wallingford on our Neighborhood Page >

Let’s chat about moving to Wallingford >

Burien

All the cool kids are moving to Burien. Why? It is more affordable than Seattle, has an awesome community, and it also hosts its own Pride. Technically, Burien is not in Seattle but it would be weird if we didn’t mention Burien. We have so many LGBTQ+ Diva Dwellers who live in this awesome suburb of Seattle.

Learn more about Burien on our newest blog post about this fab area >

Special Mention – Pioneer Square the OG Gayborhood of Seattle is Another LGBTQ+ Friendly Neighborhood in Seattle

We would be remiss in our community efforts if we didn’t mention Pioneer Square. Yep, Pioneer Square is not just the oldest part of Seattle—it was actually the original Gayborhood in Seattle.

Gentrification is a Big Part of Our LGBTQ+ History in Seattle

Garfield High School, one of the landmark buildings featured in History Link's walking tour of the Central District designed with Jackie Peterson — Garfield High School, one of the landmark buildings featured in Black History Link’s walking tour of the Central District designed by Jackie Peterson

Before we leave you, we need to acknowledge the way our community has participated in the gentrification displacement of BIPOC communities in Seattle. Yep, we are part of the problem. Back in the day, Seattle had a racist policy of seizing Gramma’s home if the grandchild was “dealing” pot and happened to live with her. This was part of the Weed and Seed program in the Central District, Madrona, and Madison Valley. Those homes were later put up for sale by HUD and sold at depreciated value. Often to mostly white gays and lesbians who were moving off of Capitol Hill to nearby neighborhoods.

Fast forward to the recent tech boom and we are seeing displacement and affordability severely impacting neighborhoods like Capitol Hill (the gayborhood). This time by mostly tech workers. The tough part is that it is displacing mostly younger and less recoursed queers. It is really important that we take into account our own impact on gentrification and the ongoing displacement of the community by being an urban tech hub.

Now You Have Your List of the Few of the Many LGBTQ+ Friendly Neighborhoods in Seattle

Sylvia O’Stayformore at Divas Take the Hill 2015. Photo courtesy of Seattle Gay Scene.

I hope this list helped you in your search for the queerest and gayest neighborhoods in all of Seattle. And remember, Seattle is overall an extremely affirming place for our LGBTQ community. Every neighborhood in Seattle is super LGBTQ+ friendly. For instance, I didn’t even include Beacon Hill or the UDistrict because of space. Both of these neighborhoods and others have so many rainbow warriors living in their midst.

What About Other Neighborhoods in Seattle?

Overall, Seattle is an extremely LGBTQ+-friendly city and there are a ton of great neighborhoods. For instance, we are a bit sorry we had to cut neighborhoods specifically in Northeast Seattle. But we had to come up with our top ten list and well… Anyhoo, here are guides to all of our neighborhoods to help you with your search for these awesome areas:

Guides To Seattle’s Many Neighborhoods

Here is the List of a Few of the Many LGBTQ+ Friendly Neighborhoods in Seattle

Special Mention – Pioneer Square the OG Gayborhood of Seattle

We are here to help. Our team understands that the process of buying and/or selling a home can take a year or two. And we are more than willing to give you a personalized plan to get the ball rolling. Feel free to contact us directly at thediva@teamedivarealestate.com or call/text 206-271-0264.