From funky Fremont ("the center of the known universe") and Nordic Ballard to suburban Shoreline, the area to the north and west of downtown Seattle offers great variety. You can find country life in a quasi-urban setting, upscale living in gated communities -- and just about everything in between.

• Ballard/Broadview/Blue Ridge
• Freemont/Phinney Ridge
• Greenwood
• Shoreline
• Wallingford

All descriptions are from the Seattle PI

'Shingle Town' comes of age

A wave of immigrant Danes, Finns, Icelanders, Norwegians and Swedes gave Ballard an "old country" flavor that lives on today. Ballard was known early on as the world's top producer of wood shingles and for its fishing fleet, still a towering presence above the Salmon Bay and Ship Canal waterfront. Its housing density has been increasing in recent years, and its business districts are known for restaurants and nightclubs.

Fremont has an eclectic mix of galleries, vintage stores, tattoo parlors, barbershops, knickknack stores, recording studios, restaurants, pubs and some of Seattle's best-known statues. Phinney Ridge is home to Woodland Park Zoo and known for a multitude of pets. In fact, it's estimated that there are three dogs for every fire hydrant in the area.

Old-fangled with trendy edge

Greenwood in North Seattle is a neighborhood of contrasts, where coffee shops mix with espresso bars, young families live among senior citizens, and old-fangled brick storefronts have a trendy edge. Annexed by Seattle in 1954, Greenwood still has many streets without sidewalks, and it's still possible to feel like you're in the country. Its commercial district overlaps Phinney Ridge, and the two communities do neighborhood planning together.

Schools, views are big draws

Schools are the biggest draw to this suburb north of Seattle, also known for its Puget Sound water views and the busy Aurora Avenue North corridor. In 1916, Echo Lake already was a popular bathing beach, and during frosty winter weather, the lake was used for ice skating. In 1995, residents voted to incorporate as a city, partly to avoid annexation by Seattle. Some fearing Seattle schools would take over Shoreline's well-regarded public school district.

Plenty of trees and a family feel

Wallingford has a distinct family feel with its tree-lined streets, grand homes (many more than 100 years old), cozy 1920s bungalows and a lively commercial district along North 45th Street. When Wallingford was platted in the 1880s, the area was mainly cranberry marshes and muck. In the early 1900s industry arrived, and today the neighborhood still boasts a lively marine industry.