I recently read in an article in Seattle Magazine that Seattle has been named the most walkable city in the United States for 2025. That got me thinking about individual walk scores, which you can find by plugging in your address on Walk Score’s website. This came up after I commented in a Facebook group I belong to called “Retiring on a Budget.” I mentioned that I have a walk score of 99 because I live on the corner of Stone Way N and N 45th Street, and many folks asked, “What is a walk score?”
I never knew what a walk score was when I lived in Upstate New York. I learned about it from my daughter, who has lived in Seattle since 2001. Walkability is important to her because she has low vision and realized at a young age that she would never be able to drive. That’s one reason the University of Washington was the perfect place for her to go to school, and she stayed on to live and work here. In 2021, she bought a condo in the Wallingford/Fremont area on Whitman Avenue N, trading off the convenience of the U-District for a lower walk score: 78/100. This is due to a lack of grocery stores, drug stores, and other essential businesses near her. She is hoping that as Stone Way continues to be developed—with new housing and open first-floor spaces designed for businesses—a grocery store will open nearby, which will improve her walk score.
I have written before about living without a car—walking and relying on public transportation as a way to save money while living in Wallingford. When you decide to give up your car, the walkability of your location becomes especially important. I feel fortunate to be in an ideal spot, with so many services I need within a short distance. I also have two different bus lines that stop right in front of my building.
This table shows how Walk Score explains the scoring it gives:
| Walk Score® | Description |
|---|---|
| 90–100 | Walker’s Paradise Daily errands do not require a car. |
| 70–89 | Very Walkable Most errands can be accomplished on foot. |
| 50–69 | Somewhat Walkable Some errands can be accomplished on foot. |
| 25–49 | Car-Dependent Most errands require a car. |
| 0–24 | Car-Dependent Almost all errands require a car. |
Even within Wallingford, walk scores can vary a bit from one location to another. In addition to a Walk Score, a Bike Score and a Transit Score may be assigned to a particular address or an entire region. The company also maintains a ranking of the most walkable cities in the US. Walk Score, which is owned by real estate company Redfin, was launched in 2007. While some folks may take issue with its methodology, it is generally considered a useful indicator of walkability. I think this is especially helpful for retirees who are considering a move—or just renting an Airbnb while on vacation—if they are looking for a walkable location.
I would be interested in what you think of your own walk score in the neighborhood, and what additional businesses would make Wallingford even more walkable. I know many people are sad about the movie theatres that have closed over the past few years, leaving us with fewer options here in Wallingford. That said, I can hop on the 44 bus to catch a film at Majestic Bay in Ballard, or take the 62 downtown and see a movie at the Regal Meridian on 7th Avenue, which has super comfy seats.
As we age, many of us appreciate spending less time in our cars, and walking is good for us as well. Many members of the previously mentioned “Retiring on a Budget” Facebook group, as well as its sister group—which I love—“Retiring on a Shoestring Budget,” find the rising costs of car insurance, maintenance, and new vehicles hard to manage on a fixed income. As a result, many new retirees are rethinking the traditional suburban retirement dream. Living in an urban setting, like I do, is becoming more appealing as people explore their retirement options in their 60s.
The most important factor in choosing a walkable place to retire is whether the area has what you need and want without having to get into a car. My location does: I have a grocery store, pharmacy, bank, post office, library, medical and dental offices, a veterinarian, pet store, phone and internet providers, coffee shops, restaurants, wine bars, ice cream, a thrift store, a dress shop, socks, dry cleaners, a hardware store, flowers, furniture, a gym, hair stylists, a senior center, and parks within walking distance of my apartment. Entertainment and anything else I need are easily accessible by the buses that stop right in front of my building.
What more could I need? That is why I have a 99 out of 100 walk score.
Editor’s note: see the other articles in Patti’s series “Retiring in Wallingford”:
- Weather or Not a White Christmas
- Book Review: Dancing with the Muse in Old Age by Priscilla Long
- Living Without a Car
- How Did I Collect All This “Stuff”?
- Aging in Place in Your Family Home
- Navigating Volunteer Opportunities
- Retiring in Wallingford on a Budget
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Great walkable parts of Wallingford are either around the stretch of 45th from Domino's to Meowtropolitan, or Stone Way south of 40th or 38th. The true challenge for many would be the living cost, especially on that Stone Way stretch where condos are all new and expensive. Older and/or smaller rental options around 45th is probably a reasonable balance as Patti said. For other parts of Wallingford, it's not that they aren't walkable. They are just good walkable instead of great walkable. Somebody living around Meridian and 36th surely can walk to everything, just mostly not that close.
Yes, that it why it is important to put your own address in to check out everyone's individual score. I am lucky to live where I live, especially since I do not have a car. I walked to my volunteer gig at the Assistance League thrift store on 45th for a couple of hours, then I walked to the library to see if they have IRS tax forms, which they ordered but not in. They did tell me I could go on IRS.gov there and I can print them out there. That is a great help since I do not have a printer. I then walked to QFC and shopped and took the bus home for a $1 since my bags and backpack were heavy. I did my errands walking and hopping the bus and back home again. I mostly walk home from QFC except when my eyes are bigger than my bags like today and just easier on me to hop the bus.
Great post. Walkability was a key reason for us when we bought our house here more than 20 years ago and it's been getting way, way better since then. I've been car free since 2018 and never regretted it a moment.
Thanks, it was important to my daughter and myself as well, since not having a car made my move here possible because of the savings of not having and maintaining a car.
The walkability metric cited in that Seattle Magazine story is quite possibly the dumbest imaginable. I equate walkability with pedestrian-friendliness, which is sorely lacking in Seattle. Sadly, cars rule this town, and Seattle has very few pedestrian-only zones—we can't even get them out of Pike Place Market, which seems like the lowest hanging fruit possible.
As for this neighborhood, when U District light rail opened, we were promised a more pedestrian-friendly access between Wallingford and the station. Five years later, nothing has improved. Over here in East Wallingford our Walking Score is 81, and our Transit Score is 77. Five years ago, those numbers would've been higher. Bring Back the 26!!!
I think the walkability metric is like this to at least make different places in the US distinguishable. Seattle is way more walkable than 99% of the places in the US already, and if you score it low then you'd just squish all the US into a very narrow and undistinguishable low score band. The score wouldn't be that meaningful then. I think the score is doing its job. Actually most cities around Seattle barely got sidewalks. Bellevue is mostly without sidewalks.
And we've talked about 26 so many times. All stops on the old 26 line still got busses other than the stretch in Wallingford. Why? Low density and low ridership. The bus was nearly empty most of the time in the Wallingford stretch. Failed to zone up fast enough doomed the line.