Seattle is one of the fastest growing regions in the United States. According to Puget Sound Business Journal more than 61,000 people moved to the Seattle area in just this last year, which has brought up the issue of rent affordability and the ever-worsening traffic throughout the region.
There are a handful of big employers that call the Pacific Northwest home, and the cost of living near those employers has been rising beyond reach of many current and potential workers, which may push some to live farther away from their job. With rent on the peak-end in hot neighborhoods, such as Belltown and South Lake Union, where renting a similar home in a neighboring city is significantly less, it has become difficult for employees who want to live near their work place. Therefore it contributes to the growing traffic issue that plague the region.
The map pictured above, by Dupre + Scott Apartment Advisors, shows the breakdown of the current average rents for a one-bedroom apartments in each area.