Madison Park

Photo via rutlo

In the Northeast corner of central Seattle, the beautiful, exclusive community of Madison Park overlooks Lake Washington and is capped by Union Bay. An enclave of luxurious homes and green spaces, Madison Park is a destination for Seattle’s elite.

The residential neighborhood of Madison Park sprung up around its namesake, a pristine 8.3 acres of public park space that has been a favorite among Seattleites since the early 1900’s. It was a popular Summer getaway for wealthy locals and saw a significant amount of transit service for the first two decades of its existence. It was a stop along Seattle’s short-lived cable car line and even had a ferry to Kirkland until 1950 when the Lacy V. Murrow Memorial Bridge provided faster, toll-free transit to Mercer Island and beyond.

The gem of the neighborhood is the park itself. Madison Park is naturally divided into two sections by 43rd Avenue East. On the eastern side of the road, the park includes a public swimming beach, the Madison Park Co-Op children’s playhouse and a dock, while the west is a traditional field with a playground and tennis courts.

A large portion of inland Madison Park is the Broadmoor gated community and private golf course. Broadmoor rests east of the vast Washington Park Arboretum, by far the largest park in central Seattle. The Arboretum is mainly operated by the University of Washington and contains a stunning variety of indigenous plant and wildlife that has been designed and maintained by the Arboretum Foundation for 75 years.

Photo via Gino

The public residential portion of Madison Park is an upscale neighborhood with locally-owned shops and restaurants that are all decidedly family-oriented. Following a pedestrian-friendly path down Madison Street, the majority of the shops and restaurants in the neighborhood are independent and specialized with a distinct locals-first feel. From casual American fare like Bing’s Bodacious Burgers to upscale Italian cuisine at Sostanza Trattoria, Madison Park’s cafes and restaurants are consistently rated as some of Seattle’s finest.

The crown jewel of education in Madison Park is the independent K-12 private program at the Bush School. With under 600 students total, the Bush School guarantees individual attention to its students through their entire pre-college education. Most of the schools in Madison Park are private, though Montlake Elementary on the north end of the neighborhood is a well-respected K-5 public program. The nearest public high schools to Madison Park are the Center School in Lower Queen Anne, Roosevelt High School on the north side and the Nova High School in Madrona.

Photo via opacity

Madison Park is very conveniently located. It is just south of University District and Fremont, has easy access to Bellevue across the Evergreen Point Bridge and is nestled close to the cultural center of Capitol Hill. Madison Street is a main line directly into the central business district downtown, making for an astoundingly easy commute.

Madison Park is the finest residential option central Seattle has to offer. With gorgeous parks, a lakeside view and tree-lined commercial streets it is a Pacific Northwestern paradise.