Blogs Seattle’s Lake Washington Waterfront – The Emerald Coast

My favorite blogs featuring Seattle’s Lake Washington Emerald Coast (Madison Park, Denny-Blaine and Madrona) are Madison Park Blogger and Seattle Waterfront Homes.

Madison Park Blogger is by Bryan Tagas. He posts articles about 10 times per month. From his 4/22/12 post: “Today marks the third anniversary of Madison Park Blogger. What began as something of a lark has morphed over time into a cross between a labor of love and a duty. My goal has been to provide Madison Park with a timely source of news and (very occasionally) commentary, about the things that impact this .9 square miles of lakeside turf that we are lucky enough to inhabit. I remain dedicated to that mission. . .” Bryan is a longtime Seattle corporate banker who is at heart a frustrated journalist. He graduated from Roosevelt High School and UW (where he served as editor of The Daily) and has been a Madison Park resident since 2002.

Seattle Waterfront Homes is by Sam DeBord. He posts articles about 15 times per month. From his 4/21/12 post: “Waterfront home sales in Seattle were up 57% from February to March, with the seasonal rise in sales being bolstered by an even stronger rise in home buyers’ confidence in the market. Eleven Seattle waterfront homes were sold last month, with the top prices reaching $1.5 million for a waterfront condo in Madison Park and $1.95 million for a waterfront home in Laurelhurst. . .” Sam is a Realtor and Managing Broker in the Northgate office of Coldwell Banker Danforth. He is a Puget Sound native, has a business degree from USC and has worked in the real estate industry, including technology/web development, for the majority of his life. He has been interviewed as an industry expert by such publications as The Wall Street Journal, Realtor Magazine, Money Magazine, and Seattle Homes and Lifestyles.

Seattle Neighborhoods Lake Washington Waterfront – The Emerald Coast

Seattle’s Lake Washington Emerald Coast neighborhoods are Madison Park, Harrison/Denny Blaine (commonly just “Denny-Blaine”) and Madrona. The Madison Park neighborhood includes all the Seattle LW waterfront from the SR-520 Bridge to what would be the extension east of Prospect St (the north edge of the Seattle Tennis Club, p25 LW 130 Homes). Denny-Blaine is to the immediate south and includes the waterfront to Howell Pl, just south of Denny Blaine Park, Viretta (Kurt Cobain) Park, and the McCaw mansion on p38 of LW 130 Homes. Madrona is the next waterfront to the south. It includes Rob Glaser’s 3 lots and 2 mansions through the last LW 130 Homes Seattle mansion, Peter Rose’s on p40. The Leschi neighborhood is to the immediate south of Madrona.

The Seattle City Government web site is the basis for these boundaries. Some real estate sites, Google and Wikipedia have different definitions of the neighborhoods and boundaries. For example, some list a “Washington Park” neighborhood but the City does not list any neighborhood by this name. Wikipedia and Google define, but each differently, Washington Park as a small 5 acre neighborhood in central Denny-Blaine, with no waterfront, adjacent to the south end of Broadmoor Golf Club and the Washington Park Arboretum. Some real estate listings have some Madison Park and Denny-Blaine waterfront homes listed as being in Washington Park. Neighborhoods apparently don’t have “official” boundaries because I am told, by residents and Realtors, the city officials are not “official.” Realtors, residents and neighborhood associations like to say their homes are in the neighborhoods that they think are the most prestigious. They may be right.

People who don’t live in the area often refer to the entire Emerald Coast area as Madison Park (as I do in the above map) because it is the best known and has a business district.