About Shoreline, WA

A suburban city located 15 minutes north of Seattle, bordering North Seattle to its south, Lake Forest Park to its east, and Woodway, Edmonds, Lynnwood, and Mountlake Terrace to its north. Shoreline was considered North Seattle until about 12 years ago, before it seceded and became its own independent city. The reason for the secession was to gain control of their school systems; and now the Shoreline School District is rated one of the best in the State. Because of its location, residents enjoy the best of both worlds… the calm and laid back atmosphere suburbs offer and a very short trip to one of the nation’s most vibrant and beautiful cities to experience the urban life (and the dining and shopping, of course!).

What draws people to Shoreline?

Besides the nice balance of the location, is its highly acclaimed school district, the family oriented lifestyle it offers, the rapidly growing business community, and – last but definitely not least – the happy median of the abundance of trees and beaches that boast the most beautiful sunsets on Puget Sound.

Homes in Shoreline

Shoreline homes tend to be more affordable compared to the Seattle market, another reason why people decide to take their property searches there.  The median housing price is about $399,950. Also, Shoreline tips over more to the residential side, with more than 70% of the households being single family residences. However, like Seattle, Shoreline definitely has its “brand name” neighborhoods. The Richmond Beach, Richmond Highlands, The Highlands, and Innis Arden neighborhoods are highly acclaimed neighborhoods and have several outstanding view properties, especially as most of them are right on the sound.  Housing prices lower when you get closer to Aurora Avenue (Hwy 99), mostly due to the traffic noise and the proximity to the commercial district, which is located on Aurora.

Geography and Bordering Cities

Shoreline, which is estimated to be around 6,900 acres, has 330 acres dedicated to parks (there are 25 of them). Shoreline has several cities bordering its city lines. Seattle to the south; Woodway, Mountlake Terrace, Edmonds, and Lynnwood to the north; and Lake Forest Park to the northeast. More about Shoreline Georgraphy and Bordering Cities.

Getting Around Shoreline

Shoreline is convenient in that there are several highways very close by. There’s Highway 99, also known as Aurora Avenue, which starts down south in Fife, WA, and runs all the way up to Everett, WA. Because Hwy 99 runs through Shoreline, North Seattle, Downtown Seattle with opportunity to branch off to the West Seattle Bridge, and to the SeaTac Airport, it is an excellent alternative during traffic hour, when the Interstate 5 is extremely congested. 99 also runs north through Edmonds, Lynnwood, Mukilteo and then to Everett, also a fantastic alternative to I-5 during traffic hours.

Shoreline Schools

There is one school district in Shoreline – the Shoreline School District- which includes 9 public elementary schools (two were closed in Nov, 2007), all with enrollment of no more than 570, 2 public middle schools, 2 public high schools, and its very well known community college (Shoreline Community College) which was established in the 1960’s. The very first high school in Shoreline was Shoreline High, which was closed in 1986; the school property is still currently used as the main athletic facility for the entire district.