About Downtown Bellevue
The fundamentals of Bellevue's Downtown are extraordinary.
Downtown Bellevue is the second largest city center in Washington. Centrally located in the Puget Sound region, Downtown is the economic and cultural hub of what is called "the heart of the Eastside.”
Connected & Accessible
Downtown has an average Walk Score of 95, and continues to cultivate a reliable multi-modal transportation network, strengthening economic growth and offering multiple transit options for all. Approximately 1,150 buses connect through the Bellevue Transit Center each day, connecting to the newly opened Sound Transit 2 Line. Light rail has enabled easy connections via stops at South Bellevue, East Main, Bellevue Downtown, Wilburton, Spring District/120th, BelRed/130th, Overlake Village, and Redmond Technology stations.
Expanding Mobility Hub
Positioned at the intersection of major east-west and north-south transportation corridors, Downtown is bounded by SR 520 to the north, I-405 to the east, and I-90 to the south. Bellevue's strategic location has established it as a key employment center for sectors including technology, biomedical sciences, legal, venture capital, architecture, engineering, and real estate development. Just 17 miles via I-405 from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, Bellevue and the greater Seattle area are central to international trade. Additionally, it ranks third in the U.S., after Washington D.C. and New York City, for the number of foreign embassies.
Job Growth
Downtown Bellevue has increased its jobs base by 25% since 2015, now supporting over 60,000 employees. More than 1.5 million sf of new office development has opened in the past three years with more than 3 million sf currently under construction.
Amazon continues to expand its Puget Sound headquarters here, now occupying nine buildings with 11,000+ employees Downtown. In the next few years, we can expect up to 25,000 Amazon employees total.
Thriving Economy & Taxbase
Downtown Bellevue has evolved from a suburban business district and Seattle bedroom community to a thriving urban destination encompassing 410 acres, 4.5 million square feet of retail and entertainment uses, and 10 million square feet of office space. Downtown represents less than 2% of the city's land area, but its economic activity contributes nearly one-third of the city's tax revenue. Since 1974, the Bellevue Downtown Association will continue to champion and provide leadership for a viable, livable, memorable and accessible downtown.
Vibrant Retail
A premier shopping destination for the Pacific Northwest, Downtown attracts tens of millions of shoppers each year and generates an estimated $1 billion in annual taxable retail sales. The Bellevue Collection and The Shops at the Bravern are the major retail attractions with stores including Nordstrom and Nordstrom Rack, Tesla, Gucci, Anthropologie, Hermes, Louis Vuitton, Macy's, West Elm, Crate & Barrel, Apple, Peloton, and Nike. Old Bellevue offers great food and interesting shops in a vibrant neighborhood setting. Downtown is served by five grocery stores.
Culinary Destination
With 200+ restaurants, cafes and fast-casual dining available in the heart of Bellevue, Downtown has emerged as one of the best places to explore new cuisines. No need to travel far to experience phenomenal global flavors, Downtown Bellevue champions a diverse culinary scene that makes the trip worth it.
Here, you can find chef-owned farm-to-table establishments, omakase dining experience, high-quality steakhouses, beloved coffee shops, and so much more. Scan our dining directory to find your next place to eat.
Talented Landscape
Downtown Bellevue is a hub for the region's tech, creative and interactive economy and is home to many well-known companies like Amazon, Valve, Bungie, Northwest HQ of Salesforce, U.S. offices for Chinese companies Baidu, Alibaba, and Tencent, The Pokémon Company International and more. Nearby neighborhoods like The Spring District and Factoria continue to add onto our innovative landscape by welcoming Meta, Global Innovation Exchange, and T-Mobile's North American HQ. Take a look at which tech companies continue to call Downtown Bellevue their home.
Attracting Visitors & Tourism
As a visitor, Downtown Bellevue offers unique experiences, restaurants and local attractions just a few steps away from dozens of nearby hotels. Downtown is served by approximately 4,000 hotel rooms at distinguished full-service properties, including the Pacific Northwest’s first InterContinental Hotel, Hyatt Regency, Westin Bellevue, W Bellevue, Marriott, Hilton, Courtyard Marriott, AC Marriott, Residence Inn Marriott, Hilton Garden Inn, La Residence Suites and more. Whether it's a staycation, business trip or leisure travel, we recommend checking out Visit Bellevue - Bellevue, Washington's Official Destination Marketing and Management Organization - for your official visitor's guide to Downtown.
Livable Downtown
Parks and open green space comprise 5% of Downtown's land area. Major parks include the 20-acre Bellevue Downtown Park, the scenic Meydenbauer Bay Park waterfront, Ashwood Park and more. According to the Census Bureau's latest 5-year ACS averages, women outnumber men among Downtown residents, and the median resident age is 34 years old. Bellevue is one of Washington state's most diverse and inclusive communities, home to residents from around the world attracted by the region's job base, Bellevue's school district, and the city's growing cultural amenities.
A Cultural Destination
The Downtown community is home to a number of popular arts and cultural organizations, such as the Bellevue Arts Museum, Meydenbauer Center Theatre, and KidsQuest Children's Museum. The heart of Bellevue also hosts the Pacific Northwest's largest arts and crafts fair weekend in late July, the Wintergrass Music Festival in late February, free outdoor summer concerts, and Bellevue Jazz & Blues Music Series in early October. Snowflake Lane at The Bellevue Collection and the Bellevue Downtown Ice Rink at Bellevue Downtown Park have made Downtown the region's most popular holiday event destination.
Residential Growth & Neighborhoods
Downtown is Bellevue's largest and fastest growing neighborhood. Since 2010, the population Downtown has more than doubled to nearly 15,000 residents. In 2017, the City Council adopted land use code amendments that completed the Downtown Livability initiative which produced updates to support the vision for downtown as a vibrant, mixed-use center. Downtown is also bordered on three sides by vibrant single-family neighborhoods, each enjoying walkable proximity to Downtown amenities. Looking to stay? Explore our directory of residential properties
Public Safety
With a police and fire departments consistently lauded by residents and businesses, Bellevue has one of the lowest crime rates in the country. The Fire Department ranks among the top 1 percent of fire services in the U.S., extinguishing fires quickly and maintaining one of the highest cardiac arrest survival rates in world. Based on the City of Bellevue's annual Performance Measures survey, 97% of respondents report feeling very safe and somewhat safe walking around Downtown during the day, and 82% percent report feeling very safe and somewhat safe after dark. View City of Bellevue's police resources for more information.