Best Places to Live and Launch 2008: No. 1, Bellevue, Wash.
What do you think of Bellevue, Wash., the No. 1 town on our 100 Best Places to Live and Launch list? Do you run a local business? How do you feel about the town’s taxes and regulatory climate? Have you been able to attract good workers? Tell us about it. The best replies will be published here, and possibly in future stories in Fortune Small Business.
Comment
Email
RSS
DiggBellevue Washington is a beautiful city, but the rain, cold and snow is a definite deterrent. I used to live there, too bad a common complaint is depression and obesity due to the weather conditions.
Posted By Scott Hornsby, Hollywood, CA : March 26, 2008 11:08 am
The Bellevue/Seattle area has cloudy skies frequently, but the total rain fall per year is well below many major cities. WE just tell everyone it rains all the time so more people won’t move here. Also, the Seattle area is rated #8 nationwide in a 2009 survey of “fittest” cities.
TOOOO much rain and very liberals. The traffic is horrid also.
So much bashing of the weather in Washington state. I sense jealousy, I mean really the only reason people are writing nasty reviews about Bellevue is because they are upset or envious that their precious little hometown suburb didn’t receive any accolades. Give it a rest, people in the Northwest deal with the weather, if it was such a problem there wouldn’t be 4 million people living around Seattle or 2 million living around Portland. Sure the weather falters compared to Southern California but the standard of living (if you an afford it) is excellent and the city itself is beautiful. Downtown seems to be transforming itself as well into a destination of its own. So everyone, the only reason you bash this city is because you are a little hurt that maybe your Boulder or your Yonkers or your Santa Rosa didn’t top the list. This is all coming from a Madrileño (citizen of Madrid) who has visited the city on a number of occasions. Wonder what the next decade holds for Belleveue…
I grew up in Bellevue and have lived there 38 of my 50 years on this planet.
No matter where I relocate, I ALWAYS come back to Bellevue. It IS the best.
Clean. Metropolitain. Green. Progressive. Great schools. Great community. Just wonderful. I wish it would stop growing though…. go ahead and stay where you are!
i think instead of bellevue , i would rather invest in asia someplace , maybe india or china
The main difference between Bellevue and Seattle is that Bellvue is the landing pad for rich foreigners or ones smart enough to escape their home countries. Seattle has a beating heart of compassion when it comes to low-income families and the schools suffer under that crushing weight. Bellevue is not faced with half the burdens that a large city like Seattle is. Bellevue is a tabula rasa whereas Seattle has deeper systemic problems.
Bellevue is an absolutely wonderful little city. Downtown is gorgeous, clean and safe. City Council has made all the right moves! It’s a great place to live!
Derek Geldenhuys
We’re balling in Bellevue. Settle down in Medina and you’re set. We chill with Bill and the rest of my homies here all day and just kick it hard. Much love for the M and for all of the eastside.
Bellevue is the most affluent city in Washington. The result of this affluence has been, skyrocketing home prices and over building for the past 10 years. We are just now feeling the effects of the real estate down turn, with hundreds of high rise condo projects in mid construction and multimillion dollar homes being built on speculation, the prices are falling fast and hard. Short sales are now the norm and builders and home owners are feeling the sting. The bubble has burst in Bellevue, Seattle and most of Washington. Homes priced in $1,000,000.00 or higher range, have dropped in value as much as 40% and there is no bottom in sight. Real estate inventories are high and buyers are scarce. This combined with the inability to obtain mortgages; the ridiculous interest rates charged for Jumbo and Super-Jumbo loans, has made it a buyers’ market for those who have the cash.
I work in Bellevue. I live in Burien which just south of Seattle. Coming from California just a year ago ( to seek refuge due to California being ‘deep in it’ and the hot weather LOL) I guess I’m so new that I see Bellevue as an suburb east of Seattle. Whats with all this rivalry it’s just across the bridge, geez it’s like you people are talking about two different countries. I will agree it’s expensive but so is the city of Seattle, and it is a bit WASPy but you can find towns like that anywhere in the U.S not just Bellevue. It’s kinda like the Beverly Hills of Seattle. I sure can’t live there but would in a heart beat. I’m hispanic and do not feel a bit of racial tension, the WASPy-ness comes from the socio-economic factor.
Who can enjoy Bellevue ? – it is impossible because the traffic of hords of yuppies that choke the arterials. Anyone who lives here avoids downtown because of it. As far as culture – what culture ? Seattle’s culture is rooted in prostitution and logging. Diveristy ? Diversity comprises East Indian H1 slave labor who work at Microsoft. They are note worthy in that they are the only ones who actually use the sidewalks in Bellevue. Unlike other U.S. established cool places to live – there are no established hangouts or clubs. There seems to be little crime in Bellevue so the cops have little to do but write tickets. Then of course there is the well reported “Seattle Chill” – Bellevue-ites are polite but not friendly. I havent figured out whether it attracts those types – or whether Washington-Seattle-Bellevue causes those types. This place sucks – Im moving to the sun shine – summer start on July 24 last year – the weather here is dismal – hence it being the suicide capitol of the U.S.
I’ve lived in Bellevue my whole life and feel very claustrophobic. I understand why Bellevue ranks #1 for a promising financial future–if such a thing exists these days. Bellevue is covered in housing in all sizes and prices, has great schools, and is rich with racial diversity. However, Bellevue’s culture is sour. While we enjoy every luxury we could ever need at our fingertips, we can never have enough. Compared to other American towns to which I’ve traveled–financially promising or otherwise–Bellevue’s inhabitants are particularly rude and self-servient. If you’re a new family looking for Wysteria Lane, Bellevue is he spot for you. For those of us who love the real world-try East of the Cascades.
What’s the weather like?
- Todd Charske
Bellevue has many nice things, including great parks and money to keep them maintained. Unfortunately, new development in Bellevue was not designed to be street friendly, have street appeal, or encourage walking. Land is so expensive that there are no set backs from the road. Development could have contributed to a sense of pride and community. Instead, multi-story condos are everywhere (downtown Bellevue is now a dense condo jungle) and the buildings go right up to the streets. Cost of land, and using every bit of it replaced aesthetics and tastefulness.
I worked in downtown Bellevue for a few years and it’s a great place to work. Yes, traffic sucks during the day. Yes, it rains a lot in the winter. Yes, it’s expensive to live there. Still, if I was making >$150k per year I’d move my family there in a heartbeat. As for “culture”, it’s all in the eye of the beholder. My definition is likely different than yours.
Bellevue is a great place to live. Yes, it costs a lot of money to live there. But it’s one of the safest cities in the country. It has one of the best public school districts in the country. The people are upwardly mobile, even the wealthy Republicans are fairly open-minded. It’s also incredibly diverse. The school district is almost 50% visible minorities, and 1/3 of the residents are foreign-born. It’s a new city and working on developing a real culture, so of course it lacks the “culture” of Seattle, but Bellevue wasn’t anything 50 years ago. Bellevue represents what will soon be happening to “suburbs” all over the United States, and it’s a very cool thing.
I don’t really care if there are spoiled kids and rich soccer moms at the mall. I can walk around town in the middle of night and not even worry about anything happening. The police are great, they don’t harass and have pride in making Bellevue a safe place to live. Also, regardless of what you think of Bellevue, it is probably one of the most beautiful places to live in the state. Stunning views, a city of parks, green everywhere. Great northwest living with a diverse atmosphere, Bellevie is the Pacific Northwest of the future.
Too mush rain- not enough sunshine! Must have a new car and plenty of plastic to fit in this community.
Dennis from San Mateo, up here in the “sterile suburb of Seattle” we love the fact that you Californians bad mouth us. Because when we see all of you up here with your California license plates it gives us reason to flip you off! Oh and if it’s so bad up here, why are all of you relocating up here? It must be because the state of California is in deep, And your looking for some refuge.
I grew up in Bellevue and moved to Seattle as soon as possible. If you can appreciate strip malls on a grand scale move to Bellevue (PS transportation is terrible). During peak traffic hours a trip to the airport will take hours. The nature of the region is A++, and there’s no such thing as bad weather just improper clothing. So grab your mini-van, furnish your white-picket townhouse from Bedbath & Beyond and hit the new Macy’s in Bellevue WA.
To Geo: Absolutely correct – - hit the nail on the head.
Bellevue is a sterile suburb of Seattle, with a bland, everything-paved car culture. You’ll spend a lot of time sitting in your car on the freeway, but walking anywhere (outside the mall that passes for “downtown”) isn’t an option either.
Oh, and don’t slit your wrists during the long, wet, dark winter.
I don’t know a damn thing about Bellevue, but I see you’ve left Mississippi off the list. You idiots, you obviously sit in your offices and do get your research be websurfing and from the entertainment industry. Looked at Mississippi lately? Guess not, too bad for you. That’s fine, we’re growing leaps and bounds without you, best kept secret in the country. On second thought keep on ignoring us, watch movies like “Mississippi burning” and keep labeling us as ignorant and uneducated. We’ll keep taking on companies like Nissan and Toyota…they’ve done their homework…
Bellevue is a GREAT place! Even though I live in downtown Kirkland, I’m only a 5-10 minute drive to anywhere in Bellevue. This whole area (Bellevue-Kirkland-Redmond) is such an ideal place to live. Very clean, safe, friendly…and much lower key. It’s very modern, and has lot’s of activities.
I LOVE Bellevue!! I have lived here for almost 15 years. I am so excited about downtown and all of the growth. I am so proud of this town. Also, I have 2 children and the schools are great for them. The parks are also amazing for the children. We just love it :)
You have got to be kidding. Washington State as a whole, ie as a government, is broke financially. As for this choice, it lasts only as long as the wealth here, which is only skin deep. Try again.
The state has a big B&O & RTA tax and the city of Bellevue has a big B&O tax as well; right off the top no deductions. It is very expensive to live & work or run a small business in…crowded freeways and back streets are as common as the never ending rainy, gray days. Washington state is anti small business. Bellevue is a “Big Business” town with little or no breaks for the small business.
Your “driving the speed limit” is inconsiderate, self-righteous, and the reason Seattle is renowned for awful traffic. Also, “slit their throat” is sociopathic in any context. Get help.
It’s curious that your comment about Spokane specifically listed gray skies as a drawback, but did not list this as a drawback for the six places in Western Washington and Oregon that you listed (Bellingham, Bellevue, Olympia, Portland, Corvallis and Eugene.) All of these places have more gray weather than Spokane, and all get at least twice Spokane’s precipitation. E.G., Bellevue gets about 34 inches to Spokane’s 17 inches. Portland is even wetter.
Bellevue is horrible. Seattle is horrible. I was born and raised in Queen Anne and half of my relatives lived in Seattle, half in Bellevue. Every single part of why I loved both cities have been ruined by all the people moving here to “find themselves.” Go back to the midwest or where you came from and be a liberal THERE…. we need more liberals in those ridiculous conservative towns. I am a liberal if one wishes to label and the next time some twenty something flashes by me in their car flipping me off because I happen to be driving the speed limit I’m going to pull over their out of state car and slit their throat.
thank you,
jackson bloom
I have been listening for years to my brother refer to the ‘bridge and tunnel crowd’ (a term stolen from the denizens of Manhattan) in regards to the spoiled eastside residents. The comment is always made with a bit of disdain followed by “but not you of course”. He does not recognize his own superiority complex any more than many of you that have posted on this site. I have learned to ignore the ignorance since there is nothing to gain in having the argument. I grew up in a nice neighborhood in Seattle which is now far beyond affordable to me. There is not a neighborhood in Seattle that is within my financial reach that I would feel comfortable raising my children in. Now that I have settled in Bellevue I feel very much at home in my new neighborhood. Yes, we have doctors, lawyers, politicians and the like. We also have plumbers, landscapers, grocery clerks, public employees and all other segments of society. (Well that is not quite accurate…we have less than our share of criminals but I’m O.K. with that). We have neighbors that get together for the holidays, sporting events, and school functions. We have schools that far exceed those offered in Seattle and most of the surrounding communities. We have safety and security for our families. We have community involvement and cultural diversity. It is pretty clear to me why Bellevue was given top honors. The people that seem surprised by that are the ones paying too much for their homes in a city that cannot figure out how to provide a decent education for their children. Don’t get me wrong, I love Seattle for all it has to offer. It is just not the right place for me to raise a family. Oh, by the way…I’m a bit of a liberal that leans to the Democratic side, as are many of my neighbors.
I started Eastside Business newspaper http://www.EastsideBusinessJournal.com here in Bellevue 3.5 years ago. The business climate has been great and it is a great place to live and raise children.
It has changed a great deal since I grew up here, but mostly for the better. The thing that I really like is that there are people here from all over the world. Somewhere around 40% of all Bellevue residents were born in a different country, so I’d have to say we’ve become very diverse. One of my goals is to connect business people from with different backgrounds and to make ALL business people here on the Eastside feel welcome and valued.
I have lived in Bellevue for the past 3 years. It is a lovey and beautiful city with lots of growth and diversity. I just hope that the city figures out traffic congestion issues so it stays the #1 place to live.
Well stated, Chris from Bellevue.
I moved to Seattle in 1993 with my husband from Little Rock, ARK. He was stationed on Fort Lewis. For a brief period of time friends and other family migrated there. Starting their business on Whidby Island. I worked in Bellevue but couldn’t afford to live there on my income alone. But it was a great place to work. I also spent time after hours there socializing in comedy clubs and getting some night life. I really liked hanging out in the hotels at Maxy’s. I interviewed only one other job opportunity in that area for a printing company. A job offer was made but I declined. Recently the big business of things was conventions and seminars. It felt refreshed to be back on the eastside agian after all this time. But again it was a delightful homecoming. Really big real estate. I love Seattle. And can’t find any place else to live. Way to go Bellevue being No. 1. Some other communities are Kirkland and Factoria in Washington. Every time I shop at Bellevue Square I lose my car. And to be frank I’m just now learning how to live in a high cost state. But my insurance is down. My car is older. And I now recieve public assistance. No state tax in Washington. No sales tax in Oregon. Geographically not a bad area for weekend travel.
I grew up in Bellevue and live in the Bay Area. There are parallels between the Seattle-Eastside vs SF-Silicon Valley relationship, and Bellevue is the most established Eastside city. But is Bellevue a better place than Bothell, Redmond, Kirkland, Issaquah, etc to start a business? No. Descriptions of Bellevue being WASPy and lacking a sense of cultural vibrancy are fair, but Bellevue has never been about cultural pursuits and Seattle is just across the bridge…
Interesting to see this as I have been contemplating a move to Bellevue (from Phoenix).
Bellevue is just about the coolest little town ever invented. Everything is within walking distance–you literally never have to leave the area (downtown) unless you want to.
But yes, it is somewhat pricey although with Washington’s zero state income tax, things do somewhat equal out.
Good choice, Money.
These corporations you love so much are constantly trying to undermine workers rights and shipping out American jobs so fast it makes your head spin. They fight every environmental & safety legislation tooth & nail. Without VW driving, Apple using, Starbucks drinking liberals like me you world would be a stinking fetid sewer and and working at Walmart would (and soon may) be considered the epitome of upward mobility. The America hating, corproate loving, war profiteer, right wing extremists have sold out America to corporate interests. They’re slicing up American on the alter of corporate profits.
Actually what I was told was that when Hong Kong was handed back to China in 1997 the rich Chinese left and bought homes in places like Bellevue and Vancouver, BC. They had lots of money and buying these big expensive homes, I heard, was nothing for them. I remember going home once and being surprised how the ethnic makeup had changed. And you get many Indians in the Crossroads area and most work at Microsoft. So, yes Bellevue has changed and become more of a mixed area as opposed to how it was when I was growing up there in the 80’s and early 90’s. Maybe it’s not so stifling to live there but when I was there is was all about money. And whenever I go back it seems the same but then again I don’t live there anymore.
The influx of Asians into Bellevue is recent. I went to Somerset, then Tyee and Newport in the late 80’s, hardly any Asian when I was there. It was awful how snobby people were, how spoiled the kids were. My parents had money but I wasn’t spoiled (like bought a flash car at 16, that was pretty common) but you see many kids that are horribly spoiled in Bellevue.
I went to Tyee Middle School and Newport High School in Bellevue. Oh YES it is full of snobs!!! Really amazingly SPOILED ROTTEN kids! oh and it rains all the time, cold in winter, everyone is trying to one-up each other with cars and houses. Factoria is boring (full of snotty teenagers from Newport High) and so is Bellevue Square (full of bored housewives who can’t spend enough). And so many people in Bellevue act like Bellevue is some mecca of culture and creativity. It’s not, it’s a boring suburb full of bored people. Yes my parents still live there, yes they are filthy rich. I really don’t know why a place that is so difficult for an average American family to afford is listed as #1??? I think there was a payoff somewhere.
the bellevue banker…
the town is great to live in as long as one holds the republican party line
on all political issues…also, leading local republicans don’t like to mingle with the citizens.
It’s crazy to see where Bellevue has gone since my parents moved me there when I was 10. It definitely appears to aspire to be the Minneapolis to Seattle’s St. Paul…except a lot classier?
Bellevue is not the place to live if you can’t stomach people who, like some on this comment thread, express distaste at having to see homeless people. It is, however, a great place to live if you are one of those people.
As for Crossroads, I’ll be the first to admit it is a really cool mall as malls go; it comes closer to serving as a genuine community center than any other mall I’ve ever encountered. Though that’s not saying much.
They must not have travelled in Bellevue during communte hours! Traffic bites, and with 2 mil. more people on their way to the greater Seattle-Bellevue area by 2020, it is only going to get worse. I live here…and I love it here…but I would never have listed Bellevue as the number one place to live. I also agree that it is: (a) very expensive; and (b) most of the residents are snobs and unfriendly.
We tell outsiders that it rains so much so they won’t move to Washington! We are too crowded as it is without enticing more people to move here! So…YES…IT RAINS AND RAINS AND RAINS!
Just an FYI… Scotland is the birthplace of golf!
Sarasota, FL:
Like many of the places on your list, the Sarasota area is not in transition or a bedroom community,no crowds except during the Winter months when everyone wants to be here. In contrast it is an expensive metropolitan hub. We have the Ritz, the opera house many many arts… it has grown in recent years. We have Turvis…you know those cups that everyone uses for hot or cold drinks, the best beaches in the world…look them up Casey Key, Bird Key, Siesta Key, Long boat, Lido and so on…What about a film fest we got that too..with very famous actors going on this weeked as a matter of fact. Startups everywhere, a booming downtown that includes healthy residential neighborhoods, rising skyline with parks and perhaps the most golf courses in the US,,,,after all this was the birth place of golf. Lets not foget shopping the BEST…small boutiques everywhere and this year Neiman Marcus and Nordstrom are coming…how about our neighbors Bradenton and Ellenton and lets not forget Lakewood Ranch…yes look that up and see how many companies have moved in that area. We have our own airport with talks to have a Virgin Airline express here…we fly everywhere from our little town. We also have the Allman Brothers here…and Stephen King…how about the Landers Sisters yes they are here as well. We have the top liberal arts university in the country ever heard of New College or the Ringling school of arts how about USF,,,,yes they are here as well. Gosh there is so much here on the South West…ho did I forget some of the best restaurants in the world are here as well…just come on down…
Posted By Chester, Sarasota, Florida : April 3, 2008 8:48 pm
Bellevue is yuppy; Seattle is granola. The weather here is the best in the world . . . much like Germany.
It is not worth staying in Bellevue due to the high cost of living.I believe that it is tremendously overated and am suprised that is No 1 for Business. Well,only makes me be more skeptical of Fortune articles in the future.
Bellevue is a great City to work and live. I have just moved from San Francisco where I resided for more than 20 years. I don’t understand why so many people complained about the “rain” at the Eastside; in fact, the statistic shows it is similar to San Francisco. The schools at Bellevue are excellent. Sure this is a good place to raise kids, to do business and to live there. Go to website and check out the best thing to do in Bellevue and you will find out more useful info.
this town is full of snobs and not very friendly. but if what your looking for is an opportunity to make money this town is for you.
Bellevue is expensive, especially if your trying to buy a single family home or condo close to or in downtown, but worth it! What an amazing city. Well deserved as #1!
I live AND work in Bellevue and I have nothing but love for this city. Downtown is especially stunning during the holidays. It amazes me that I can stop at a stoplight, look around and not see a single piece of trash on the ground. Am I one of the rich elite? No. I work my forty hours a week here and get by just like thousands of others. However, I enjoy driving to work, working, getting back in my car and being back on my couch without incident. Being asked for my change or if I would like to purchase crack are just not activities I need in day to day life. While I do stomach these atrocities of Western society when my travels take me outside of my city, I’ve never experienced it here. That is a benefit that will keep me here.
We just moved from Bellevue in 2007 to another WA city. Bellevue is a great place for folks from Los Angeles to move when looking for a place in WA, especially when they enjoy living amongst all the transient contractors from Microsoft.
Bellevue is great if you are a rich, white, conservative WASP.
Have you ever heard of anyone developing skin cancer from the sun?
Have you ever heard of anyone developing “rain cancer ” from the rain?
Exactly
You better not contemplate living in Bellevue and working across the lake, I did and finally had enough of the horrendous daily commute and moved to Seattle. This author might want to talk to some residents before printing what someone else told her. Otherwise, it’s like writing a research paper based on 1 or 2 books.
I think the author better check out her facts, especially since our governor is using this article to promote why she should be re-elected.
The article states the following:
While local businesses must pay the statewide Business and Occupations tax on their gross receipts, there’s no corporate income tax. Businesses with less than $135,000 in taxable revenues (the highest threshold in the area) don’t have to pay the B&O tax. Easy airport access and a highly skilled workforce make Bellevue an attractive option for startups looking to break big. -Mina Kimes
As a business owner, I am being crushed by the B&O Tax, one of the most regressive tax systems in our country. We pay on Gross Receipts, whether we are profitable or not.
The following is right off the State of Washington Web Site:
The state B&O tax is a gross receipts tax. It is measured on the value of products, gross proceeds of sale, or gross income of the business.
Washington, unlike many other states, does not have an income tax. Washington’s B&O tax is calculated on the gross income from activities. This means there are no deductions from the B&O tax for labor, materials, taxes, or other costs of doing business.
They make it sound good that we don’t have a State Income Tax; however, the current Governor is working on getting that one through without changing the B&O tax. The reality is that the B&O Tax is a GRT – Gross Receipt Tax that has many hidden aspects. It is not a fair tax and we have had it since 1933.
This is a tax for a state government that does not know how to be fiscally responsible. The B&O in Washington States exempts small business from the B&O Tax if gross receipt sales do not exceed 28K per year. Now that is generous!
The other thing this author didn’t do, is take a drive on the wonderful 405!
We do really well with transportation issues to. I may have to become a Republican!
I suppose if you live *and* work in Bellevue, it might be okay. Work anywhere else and you’re looking at an hour and a half commute each way across the bridges. The commute is a major deterrent for people in other areas of Seattle to work in Bellevue. I think you’ve overrated it, by a wide margin.
Re:
Bellevue residents think of Seattle as the “scarey city” and avoid all its cultural highlights, save for games at the ridiculous stadiums built on the backs of otherwise neglected community services.
Posted By Max, Seattle, WA : March 26, 2008 2:53 pm
Dear Max: “cultural highlights”??? Do you mean the vagrants and ubiquitous homeless drug addict teens or Pike Place Market? Typically liberal of you to include mention of the “otherwise neglected community services.” Your comments typify those of your VW-driving, Apple computer-using, Starbuck’s-drinking colleagues, hypocrites who love to rally against “corporate interests” while relishing in your consumption of Fortune 500 companies’ products. What a phony!
Sarasota, FL:
Like many of the places on your list, the Sarasota area is not in transition or a bedroom community,no crowds except during the Winter months when everyone wants to be here. In contrast it is an expensive metropolitan hub. We have the Ritz, the opera house many many arts… it has grown in recent years. We have Turvis…you know those cups that everyone uses for hot or cold drinks, the best beaches in the world…look them up Casey Key, Bird Key, Siesta Key, Long boat, Lido and so on…What about a film fest we got that too..with very famous actors going on this weeked as a matter of fact. Startups everywhere, a booming downtown that includes healthy residential neighborhoods, rising skyline with parks and perhaps the most golf courses in the US,,,,after all this was the birth place of golf. Lets not foget shopping the BEST…small boutiques everywhere and this year Neiman Marcus and Nordstrom are coming…how about our neighbors Bradenton and Ellenton and lets not forget Lakewood Ranch…yes look that up and see how many companies have moved in that area. We have our own airport with talks to have a Virgin Airline express here…we fly everywhere from our little town. We also have the Allman Brothers here…and Stephen King…how about the Landers Sisters yes they are here as well. We have the top liberal arts university in the country ever heard of New College or the Ringling school of arts how about USF,,,,yes they are here as well. Gosh there is so much here on the South West…ho did I forget some of the best restaurants in the world are here as well…just come on down…
Crossroads…seriously? Is that the best you can offer up for “ethnic diversity?” Come on, that’s pretend. For starters Seattle is much more diverse (and has a higher education rate..) you may measure diversity by some cute lanuage you thought you heard, but head to the Central District, the International District, North Gate…there are REAL communities of diverse people.
The Crossroads thing only proves my point, get out of the bubble.
“Immediately noticed how welcome illegal immigrants are, and how snobby youth happily smoke pot at the entrance to the 2 malls in Bellevue, often in full view of ’security’.”
–>
It’s a lie! I lived in Bellevue for 7 years, and I’ve never seen any person smoking pot in Bellevue. How can you recognize illegal immigrants? I can’t do it. However, I can recognize homeless people. There are a lot of them in Seattle, but only a few ones in Bellevue (I usually haven’t seen any one on most of days). Any drug edicts or criminals are not welcomed in Bellevue, so the violent crime rate is several times less in Bellevue than it’s in Seattle. I like Bellevue because it’s a very clean and neat city. I feel completely safe and comfortable at night in Bellevue. I can’t say the same about Seattle.
“It’s funny…Hearing a lot of comment about Bellevue being elitist…mostly coming from urban dwellers across the lake (Seattlites). Seattlites, like many elitist urbanites, tend to look down on their prosaic suburban neighbors.” And all of those Seattlites need to check out the high density living space known as “Crossroads”… the Bellevue neighborhood that has a far higher percentage of subsidized housing then Seattle and a far higher level of ethnic diversity. On any given Saturday you can hear live klezmer along with conversational Polish Russian and Spanish while you enjoy knish across from the Piroshky stand.
“Bland” suburbia has the same value as every other sterotype. The important thing to keep in mind is that it Rains here ALL THE TIME. (And okay probly Emmet Watson would want me to reinforce the “Bland Suburbia” stereotype too but it just Galls me to hear such easily disproven tripe repeated over and over again as if it were true). By the way; it’s raining here -right- -now-, I have to go save a kitten that just washed down the street.
Bellevue is a CRAP HOLE. It’s a poser downtown and the traffic is the worst in WA. Everybody there talks about how elite it is and how the traffic is better. A quick check of Seattle proper shows higher realestate(finite amount of land vs. sprawling hell) and WSDOT lists 405 as WAY worse than 5. They all live in a sad dream…
Grew up in Bellevue (1950s and 60s) and it’s kinda sad to see it become SO affluent. The sleepy town is now a land of high-rises and pockets of super-rich. As for rain, it means nothing. The unspoken (or reported statistic) is the number of overcast days… something like 250.
We have managed to recruit a significant amount of talent to our company, http://www.SecondSpace.com , headquartered in Bellevue. The proximity to other high technology companies is an asset and it is very easy to go back and forth from Bellevue to Seattle for business meetings, entertainment and cultural events.
It’s funny…Hearing a lot of comment about Bellevue being elitist…mostly coming from urban dwellers across the lake (Seattlites). Seattlites, like many elitist urbanites, tend to look down on their prosaic suburban neighbors.
That being said, yes, Bellevue is suburban and rather bland. Seattle is a more interesting place to work and live. Ultimately, they’re both part of a beautiful metropolitan area with much to recommend it.
Look, I hate to throw a wet blanket (that’s a lie ;) but I’m going to have to report about half of you to the Lesser Seattle guys and the other half to the OWL party (tnx to my friends in seattle.politics).
Get it -right- natives: “It rains here all the time…”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emmett_Watson
-Boyd (3rd gen B’vueite)
As far as the rain is concerned, that is mostly a winter “thing.” My home town of Buffalo gets as much cloud cover as Seattle does. The difference is that could cover is scattered randomly over the year while in Seattle all the cloud cover is packed into the late-Fall to early-Spring period, leaving the summers simply gorgeous! Upper 70s to mid 80s most of the summer and nothing but sunshine. Besides the winter clouds, there is a lot of drizzle and only occasionally snow. Mild weather all year long. For weather you can’t beat Seattle and San Francisco.
Snow? It hardly ever snows here! Rain? It rains more in NY or Boston, look at the statistics. Summers here are the most beautiful in the U.S., it feels like living in Switzerland near the Alps. Obesity? Are you kidding? People in the Pacific NW are some of the healthiest people anywhere. What a bunch of trolls.
I love Bellevue! I lived in downtown Bellevue for a year and elsewhere in Bellevue for a couple of years.
The traffic is bad but nothing compared to Seattle’s nightmare. When it rains, people are still out and about – it’s a beautiful, rainy bustle. Bellevue is a quick hop into Seattle or a short drive to the mountains. And even though it is a bit uppity, you can still smile at people when you walk down the street and get a positive response.
Had my job not relocated me, I would still be there today.
Talent is definitely there because of Microsoft. But cost of livng is really high! Not worth it considering the weather. Rain is ok and not as much as other areas. It is the gray skies that bothers me! All dull and gray. Three years is enough, moved down to Bay Area for some sun!
It’s a good town.
It rains here ALL OF THE TIME, and traffic is -horrible-!
Bellevue is an outstanding place to launch a startup. Monster Venture Partners, which I founded in 2007, has backed 17 startups, with about half now operating in Bellevue. The access to talent, capital, and technology in Bellevue is not yet fully on par with the Bay Area but the gap is closing fast. Bellevue, and its environs, are also great for raising families. Last but not least, Bellevue seems to attract a much higher ratio of entrepreneurs who “Build to Last” compared to other major startup hubs. Look for more from Bellevue in the years to come. If you visit, look us up at http://monsterventure.com, and stop by for a cup of Seattle hospitality. Startups welcome here.
So many “Rain” comments…. It statistically rains more in New York than in Bellevue/Seattle :-P Get over it.
Having lived and worked in a number of places around this country, my experience of working in Bellevue is “nice.” It is a “nice” city. The restaurant experience is nothing like Boston or NYC, but it is “nice” and improving (which is what I experience around the entire Seattle area). I know that the talent pool of the entire Seattle area is one of the best in the country, so of course Bellevue benefits. I personally have not run a business in Bellevue, so I can’t personally attest to any of those attributes. As far as I know, our consulting company is primarily benefitting from the talent pool of the entire region and Bellevue just happens to be a “nice” central location.
I’m not sure what all this stereotyping of Bellevue residents as being snobby comes from.
I’ve lived in Bellevue for 5 years and work for the Big Man in Redmond. My neighbors are some of the best neighbors I’ve ever had.
I loved living and working in Bellevue, until we tried to start a home business – at which point we ran into a regulations fiasco, the specifics of which prevented us from running the business. We ended up having to move, selling our home at a loss because of the remodel we’d done to support the business.
Doesn’t it _rain_ there about 2 days out of 3? And this is a place you consider to be #1 as a place to “live and launch”? Get real.
Actually Robin, if you happened to continue reading the on Bellevue, it specifically says Bellevue has a low crime rate, which I fully stand behind after growing up there for all my life. No, it is not a great place to start up a business, but in my mind there is no other place in which I’d rather be. With so much to do, and everything so close (A Major City, Airport, Ski Resorts, etc.), how can you deny that Bellevue isn’t a wonderful place to be. Oh, and sorry for all the rain. You people must have been uninformed that it is in the Pacific Northwest, and rain happens at times. Nonetheless, the summers are always beautiful and you rarely see rain, which is when it most matters, right?
I was born in Seattle and raised in a relatively affluent neighborhood in Bellevue. In high school, I worked for the City of Bellevue Parks Department and was thus able to explore every inch of the city and found its aesthetics, surroundings, environmental consciousness, parks, and trails to be some of the best in the region. Bellevue, though often stereotyped as an elitist and snobby ivory tower for Seattle’s rich, is actually surprisingly diverse both economically and ethnically. The majority of homes in the city are generic 1970’s family homes built with modest facades and yards. Many areas in the city are home to lower-income and small multi-family residences (eg. Factoria and Crossroads).
Though the fact that about 40% of Bellevue’s population is non-white is often thrown around so as to bolster the argument that the city is not generally elitist, it proves somewhat the opposite in many areas in the city. Largely due to the prospect of free access to world-class education, many affluent Asian families move to the suburbs and develop what might be described as anti-white Asian neighborhoods in some of the city’s newer developed communities. This new form of foreign-born elitism can be evidenced by racial makeup figures for schools in some of the city’s wealthiest communities.
(Somerset Elementary – [39% White, 48% Asian, 10% Mixed], Newport High School [55% White, 35% Asian, 6% Mixed]
In summary, Bellevue is hardly an elitist retreat for Seattle’s rich and should not be stereotyped based on proximity to the smaller neighboring cities of Medina, Clyde Hill, Yarrow Point, and Hunt’s Point, home to Bill Gates and Jeff Bezos. Whether or not it is a good place to start a business should be determined by entrepreneurs, not disgruntled Seattleites, too preoccupied with old-time Bellevue stereotypes to observe that Bellevue is growing into a true cosmopolitan city of its own.
The traffic stinks, and the bus service is not an option — takes two hours to get to work, when I can drive there in 20 minutes. The City Government is disfunctional, with an honorary mayor who is elected from the city council in rotation to count as a “bennie” on their resumes, while a non-elected and non-responsive “City Manager” fills the role of what would be the mayor in other cities, insulating the staff from both the citizens and from the city council, while making up reports to tell the council what a great job they are all doing! Meanwhile the staff is engaged in shall we say “overly friendly” relationships with the City’s contractors….
I lived in Bellevue for 4 years. Immediately noticed how welcome illegal immigrants are, and how snobby youth happily smoke pot at the entrance to the 2 malls in Bellevue, often in full view of ’security’. Article does not mention crime rate or rude behavior of citizens. City is NOT a place to start a business. Try Redmond or Everett, Woodinville or Issaqua.
Bellevue would be a horrible place to launch a new business.It is dominated by chainstores,facades built to look like old buildings. The politics reflect a very white, very privileged upper class. Much better to begin in Maple Valley, or Auburn, with more moderate homes and lifestyles. Finally I suspect tremendous numbers of defaults are pending. Avoid Bellevue!
Bellevue is built around a shopping mall from which is derives all its “culture”.
Ugh.
There is a lot going on in Bellevue but it is a very generic city. No culture, no great history like Seattle and Tacoma.
It is sort of like Vegas without the gambling.
I have to agree with everything in this article. I also work for a young company, Guidant Financial Group in Bellevue WA. We all feel very lucky to work in such a beautiful city. Yes the housing is expensive, but you get what you pay for, and quality of life is part of that.
Limeade (our company) loves Bellevue, and offers the following balanced advice to entrepreneurs:
Pros:
Great software talent and overall education level
Closer to Seattle than the article indicates
Awesome place to raise kids
Cons:
Gray (I like the word “bleh”) weather
Smug (happens in many nice places)
Boring (it is a suburb after all)
The density coming to downtown is transforming it from a suburb to a city — which should make it more interesting.
When I moved to the eastside in 1986, there was a postcard showing a car heading over the 520 bridge from Seattle to Bellevue. The caption on the card said “Honk if you love mauve.” In the 80’s, mauve and gray were very trending colors and Bellevue was the up and coming trendy suburb.
This has changed. If you look at the reverse commute, this tells you a lot. More people commute to work on the Eastside than commute to work in Seattle. The economic hub of the region is becoming more balanced between Seattle and the eastside.
Downtown Bellevue, in fact, many of the cities on the eastside, have a diverse population, different age and economic groups.
Yes, it is expensive to live here, but the trade off is real estate historically has been a sound investment. If you buy real estate and own it for a few years, you will make a profit in this area.
I lived and worked in Bellevue for years, the businesses and restaurants are the best but it rains way too much. So I packed up and moved to Southern California.
I love Bellevue, especially its people and landscape but I moved from Southern California and have to say that the weather is a little too cloudy and “bleh” here, for the most part. On those sunny days though it is one of the most beautiful and enjoyable places I have ever been to. I really like it here :-)
We love it (Bellevue), I love it… almost as much as Seattle… just 10min away.
For me it was worth it to pay more to live in Bellevue, my commute is 13 mins to hundreds of businesses, have great schools and very low crime. In fact Bellevue has some of the lowest crime for it’s size anywhere.
To all those who move here: be wary of your commute and try to live near bus stops or the upcoming light rail or you may be driven crazy.
I have lived in the Greater Seattle area all of my life (41). I have watched Bellevue go from a Seattle suburb to a true city. I think Bellevue is quite beautiful and unique. I don’t know how business friendly it is but I know that Bellevue and most of the “Eastside” is an ideal place to raise a family. The two biggest con’s are: cost of living and traffic. The traffic on 405, either direction is nightmarish during rush hour and will likely get much worse over the years because you really can’t build the freeway out much due to land/water constraints. While I like Bellevue, I do prefer to visit, shop and dine there. I am raising a family in Sammamish and prefer the more suburban feel here. I would have to agree that there is more wealth in this area and the accompanying attitude that some might have may be an elitist, unwelcome turnoff. I would also say that there is a downside to living in a much less affluent area as well so as in everything in life, there is a pro and a con.
This is great publicity for a great city! Bellevue is truly one of the best places to live, work, and play on the West Coast!
If you haven’t ever traveled to Bellevue, I would highly suggest coming here, if you like entertainment, shopping, or relaxation!
If you want to find out what is going on in ever so quickly growing Downtown Bellevue area, check out the following site:
http://www.downtownbellevue.com/
When we started our technology consulting company 7 years ago, we gave a lot of consideration to our location. Given that this was a period when many technology companies were closing their doors, saving money where ever we could was a high priority. However, we elected to lease space in downtown Bellevue. While this was a much more expensive option, we knew that we had to focus on our employees and customers to make our company successful. A location in downtown Bellevue offers great amenities to our employees, including more than 30 restaurants within a 5 minute walk, several fitness facilities within the same 5 minute walk, and very importantly, a coffee shop in nearly every building. The office buildings are all Class A space that employees can be proud of, and that send a message to our customers that we are a “top” level consulting firm.
Yes, we have absorbed higher costs in being in downtown Bellevue, but maximizing profit has never been our intent. We wanted a great place for our employees to work, and we feel that we have that in downtown Bellevue. The results speak for themselves. As a pure consulting company, we have grown from 3 people in 2001, to nearly 600 people today. Without a great place to work and a committment to our employees, this could not have happened.
I absolutely agree! I have lived in Bellevue since 1991 and have been in the mortgage industry for the last 8 years and I have seen a tremendous amount of growth and prosperity, especially within the last 5 years. I am so grateful to be a part of such a beautiful city. I will add, however, the cost of living and home prices are quite costly. As in life, you have to take the good with the bad! Ken.
Bellevue? In a word: Boring. Perhaps not elitist, but assuredly a hub of conspicuous consumption. Interestingly, they aren’t even aware of it, but then is that really a surprise? From the local perspective, Seattleites look at Bellevue as classic SUV and McMansionville. Bellevue residents think of Seattle as the “scarey city” and avoid all its cultural highlights, save for games at the ridiculous stadiums built on the backs of otherwise neglected community services. In other words: Its not much different here than any other city in the US, although the Pacific Northwest is quite a beautiful place to live.
Neither Microsoft, Amazon, nor Starbucks were started in Bellevue. I’m not sure what kind of businesses you would start in Bellevue, but I can’t think of a single recent software startup worth mentioning. The downtown area is a gaudy mess and the suburbs are nice, but very costly.
A good starting point for startup related groups in Seattle/Bellevue is here:
http://www.seattletechstartups.com/doku.php?id=other_resources
I have a unique view regarding Bellevue as I have had the opportunity to work at the Downtown Association, Chamber of Commerce, and private business over the past 15 years. Bellevue is an amazing community. We are well educated, skilled, diverse (most diverse in the state, by the way) and entrepreneurial.
I have lived and visited most of the US and have never come across another city with as much to offer as Bellevue.
Kudos also to a city government that is fiscally conservative, business-friendly, and does a tremendous job taking care of its citizens – people and businesses.
Come see for yourself!
Bellevue is over rated, I have several start ups. The trend is moving start ups to Las Vegas, Bellevue is way to expensive, and is the last to change with trends. Yes, Microsoft does dominate here, but most of the new Web 2.0 start ups are using non Microsoft products.
I am surprised that Bellevue was selected as a good place to start a business (I assume that means small business). I have worked in the Puget Sound area for over twelve years and in the Bellevue / Kirkland corridor for over two of those and in my opinion it would not be a good start up location for many types of businesses.
It is very expensive, and even though Bellevue City tends to have more business friendly policies then Seattle it is still in King County which does not. As an example; much of the cost of living in the City is due to King Co’s application of the Growth Management Act which has substantially added to development and housing costs in the area over the years. Furthermore; remember when Boeing moved its headquarters to Chicago from the Seattle area? One of the reasons sited was to seek “a more business friendly environment”.
Of course, the commute needs to be mentioned. The commute to Bellevue is now the worst in the state, even surpassing that to downtown Seattle. Unless your employees can qualify for jumbo loans to purchase the 500K+ houses in Bellevue then they will have to “drive till you qualify”, which will mean living much father north or south. A 30mi. commute from North of Bellevue can easily take 2hrs one way, during rush hour. That is not an exaggeration, I have done it.
I would think Everett and the growing Snohomish Co. area (north of Bellevue) would have scored higher to start a new business in Washington State.
There is absolutely no foundation to the rumors that it is “elitist” or snobby here. Bellevue is beautiful, busy, cultural, and giving Seattle a run for its money. Startup companies may not name our high-rise buildings, but their employees undoubtedly fill the floors.
We just moved away from Bellevue after 20 years of living there. The downside: The downtown has become a monument to conspicuous consumption and a place where “the haves” all hang out together. The upside-the public schools are great and we really loved our neighborhood, and we made full use of the well maintained public parks and beaches.
Born and raised in Bellevue, absolutely agree. Why do you think Microsoft, Amazon, Starbucks, Boeing all came from the greater Seattle area? No income tax, Bellevue is also small business friendly. The city may appear snobby and homogoneous to some, but its actually a collection of diverse, smart people working in their passions. The scenery is also beautiful and the city itself is growing economically. Check out http://entrepreneur.meetup.com/1145/ for Bellevue’s entrepreneurial scene.
Bellevue WA: very corrupt and unfriendly place, sorry.
Bellevue, the East Side as it and the Redmond/Kirkland/Bellevue area is known around here are notorious for being elitist, snobby and just a bunch of botoxed middleaged rich people. Any “workers” come from the Seattle side of Lake Washington, people who “work” on the East Side can’t afford to live there. The commute from Seattle takes well over an hour in rush hour traffic. As far as I can tell, Bellevue is not interested in any small business, they only want big corporate tech companies or high end retailers.
Bellevue Washington is a beautiful city, but the rain, cold and snow is a definite deterrent. I used to live there, too bad a common complaint is depression and obesity due to the weather conditions.
Have you found the town supportive of local businesses?
Have you been able to find good workers here?
Features-
Smart entrepreneurs are now doing deals in 140 characters or less on Twitter. More -
As more customers choose - or are forced - to fill prescriptions by mail, independent pharmacies are struggling to survive. More -
A Texas hospitality company considers where to invest and where to cut back to weather the recession. More -
How 7 innovative companies are inspiring workers and boosting the bottom line. More -
42 startups duked it out in the world's most lucrative business plan competition. We trailed one team to the bitter end. More -
The Emerging 200 program aims to boost job growth by training inner-city entrepreneurs to expand their companies. More -
These resellers of DVDs, CDs and books make millions from the media industry's leftovers. More
Bellevue, WA looks nice, but it’s not worth the price. Homes and Condos are overpriced, and apartments still are trying to charge outrageous prices even though prices are going down.
I swear half of India lives here and works at Microsoft. Microsoft should be boycotted for there continued practice of hiring people from India rather than hiring US workers especially in this economy.
Also if you don’t work in the computer field, I wouldn’t move here. It’s ridiculous how low companies pay here if you aren’t working in tech.