Bellevue Chamber of Commerce

Fortune Small Business magazine(FSB) recently named Bellevue the best place in the nation to live and launch a business.

In addition to Bellevue’s talented workforce and growing downtown, FSB reported "huge corporations exist symbiotically with start-ups, a booming downtown abuts healthy residential neighborhoods, and the rising skyline is tempered by an abundance of parks, as well as lakeside and mountain views. Easy airport access and a highly skilled workforce make Bellevue an attractive option for startups looking to break big, [and] Bellevue’s excellent healthcare and schools are key attractions for relocating families."

How the 100 Best were chosen: FSB ranked 296 Census-designated metro areas by business friendliness (Launching Score, % New Businesses) and lifestyle offerings (Living Score). Then, through reporting, picked the town within each of the top 100 metro areas that best blends business and pleasure. Click Here for complete Fortune Small Business "Best Places" ranking information.

Whether it's a waterfront estate, a suburban rambler or a high-rise urban condominium, Bellevue offers homes for every size family at any stage of life.

Bellevue neighborhoods are a diverse mix of upscale urban downtown living and quiet residential neighborhoods. Community involvement and interaction are paramount within all Bellevue neighborhoods, and an abundance of youth, cultural and family-oriented activities are the cornerstone of Bellevue's lifestyle.

Urban Living at Its Finest
If Bellevue is a city of distinct neighborhoods, there is none as distinct as the booming population of residents in the downtown core.

The number of residents setting up households in downtown Bellevue has grown exponentially in the past 10 years. Developers continue to follow the successful formula of building high-rise condominiums coupled with street-level retail space. The concept brings the Downtown to life after work, with a steady stream of patrons and residents visiting popular eating establishments and shopping at some of the best venues in the northwest.

The city's downtown is in the middle of a transformation and new condominium and apartment projects are adding housing options in the heart of the City. Currently, almost 2,900 housing units are under construction downtown. Since 1990 the population of downtown Bellevue has quadrupled. Between now and 2020 the downtown population is projected to increase from about 5,000 to 14,000. This is almost two-thirds of the population growth forecast for the city.

Great Neighborhoods
West of downtown Bellevue are some of the oldest and most well maintained communities in the region. The community of Meydenbauer features beautiful homes with its own public park and beach on Meydenbauer Bay.

The Crossroads area comprises the east end of the city across rolling hills to the shores of Lake Sammamish. Celebrated for its vibrant diversity, the Crossroads community is attractive to young families and newcomers. Just south are the Lake Hills and Phantom Lake areas named for the secluded bodies of water and gentle slopes that attracted some of the original settlers to the area.

Further south, across the I-90 corridor, are the Somerset, Cougar Mountain and Newport Hills neighborhoods where houses have views of the Seattle skyline or the Cascade Mountains. Newport Shores is on Lake Washington just off Coal Creek Parkway. The area has its own marina and recreation center for homeowners.

Bellevue boasts an impressive 1,894 acres of parks and open spaces.

New housing opportunities exist in the heart of downtown Bellevue.