With century-old buildings and trees, Seattle Pacific University may be one of the prettiest spots in the city. And we are in the middle of it all on the north side of Seattle’s Queen Anne neighborhood. The campus is minutes from downtown, and a short walk to the famous Fremont Bridge, coffee shops, and several parks. If you love to get outside, take the Pacific Northwest up on the hiking, camping, snowboarding, and more it has to offer.
City of Resources
Did you know that eight Fortune 500 companies make their home in Seattle — and SPU grads have worked at all of them? The Center for Career and Calling and the Mentor Program help students make connections at hundreds of Seattle companies, big and small.
Employers Within Walking Distance
- Google
- Brooks Running
- Adobe
- Tableau Software
Prominent Seattle Employers
- Amazon
- Microsoft
- Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
- Swedish Medical Center
- Boeing
- World Vision
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- Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center
- Starbucks
- Seattle Seahawks
- Nordstrom
- and many more
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Nicknamed The Emerald City, Seattle is not only a matchless location for internships and service-learning opportunities, but it’s also a popular tourist destination, with great restaurants and places to see. Here are a few suggestions from the Admissions staff to get you started exploring SPU’s neighborhood highlights.
SPU students snap a photo outside of the Museum of Pop Culture at Seattle Center.
The Surrounding Neighborhoods
Seattle is one of those cities that lives like a town. It’s full of quirky neighborhoods, and it’s small enough that you’ll usually run into someone you know on a Saturday afternoon when you are out and about.
SPU students get to live and learn at the crux of three fantastic Seattle neighborhoods, and we think you’ll love living here as much as they do.
Queen Anne
Seattle Pacific is tucked on the north side of Seattle’s Queen Anne Hill ― it’s quiet, residential, and friendly. Just up the hill from campus is a village-like avenue with more coffee-shop study haunts and eateries than you’ll ever know what to do with. Further down the hill bustles with a downtown vibe.
Our favorite Queen Anne destinations:
- Seattle Center, for a Space Needle view and gobs of photo opps
- Malena’s Taco Shop, for the real deal (and a steal)
- Storyville Coffee Company, for mochas, pastries, and hipster points
Fremont
You won’t get through orientation at SPU without at least one invitation to walk to Fremont along the ship canal. It’s a gorgeous 10-minute stroll in every season, but especially in the fall. Once you arrive, it’s public art, local boutiques, and peaceful protesters with clipboards galore.
SPUers love a lot about Fremont:
- Theo Chocolate, because of free samples and an educational factory tour
- Thai restaurants, because massaman curry is life
- Internships at Google, Adobe, and Getty Images, because, hello
Ballard
Once a Scandinavian fishing village, Ballard is home to longtime locals, young professionals, families, and plenty of SPU professors. It’s full of great food, coffee shops, and the places you’ll probably head to for groceries and light bulbs (Fred Meyer, we’re looking at you).
Ballard is famous for:
- Larsen's Danish Bakery, where the kringle is crisp
- Majestic Bay Theatres, where movie-watching feels old-school
- Golden Gardens Park, where SPU beach bonfires are a weekend staple in the fall and spring