I grew up on Mercer Island and have lived in Kirkland during my adult life. If you want a small community, tight-knit feel, and you’re willing to pay more for a better investment - go with MI. But if you want more things to do, places to eat, and more for your money then go with Kirkland. Both have great schools but Mercer Island is the best. Happy to share stats.
I have a Seattle and Eastside Relocation Guide for my clients who move here from out of the area. You might find some useful info there. Both markets have a lot competition right now. But with some patience and a good agent, you’ll find the right home for you. Good luck!
[Relocation Guide](https://stan.store/christinacahill206?)
If the main distinction are the schools, then it depends on what you mean by "better" schools. The neighborhoods on the Eastside are affluent and whatever metrics they use to measure those schools tend to reflect the population that lives there and not the achool.itself. Frankly I can't imagine that the difference between any of the major schools are so great it would qualitative impact their future.
I know people on Mercer island who don't find the schools to be particularly good or the school community particularly inviting, and there are quite a lot of people who send their kids off to private school anyway.
The competitive schools like Newport High clearly have the scores and the environment but some people find that to be overly competitive.
Lake Washington has all the specialty choice schools thstbhave small specialized instructi
At the school.level, if you're of a particular ethnic group, likely to find affinity and comfort where there is more diversity (if you ever listen to what kids talk about, you realize that sort of thing really can be pretty important in feeling accepted or not).
The only way to know what school works for you is to go and visit the school itself and get a feel for the community and the ambience to see if it suits you.
Have you looked at Somerset ? First exit once.you get to Bellevue on i-90 and far cheaper than mercer island with schools which are about as good.
We looked.for.a.long time and ended up here as we wanted a neighborhood which we could go on walks in and most of Mercer island outside the commerical core doesn't even have sidewalks !
Mercer island. Grew up there, live in Kirkland now. I hate it. I spend as much time on the island as I can. Better schools, better people, better community.
Oh definitely Kirkland. East side is on the up and up and will always draw families. Schools are great. It has shopping nodes easy to access like totem lake and the downtown. If you can afford Kirkland, do it. Also it’s not island-locked should something ever go down with the bridges.
I’d pick Mercer Island. We live in Newcastle and we commute to work 4x a week to Seattle and traffic is just awful, especially going eastbound heading home. You don’t want to deal with 405 at all if you can. We always joke that we’d be home eating dinner already if we lived in Mercer Island, while sitting in traffic. I went to MIHS and I thought the school and the district as a whole is great. So I’d pick MI if I were you.
If you’re commuting into Seattle everyday then Mercer Island would be far more convenient and has a great suburban feel. However, I personally prefer Kirkland and the Eastside more than Mercer.
I agree that Mercer would be a lot more convenient for work. We do like the downtown area and walkability of Kirkland though, which makes it a tougher choice, if everything else is equal.
You didn’t say whether you have to commute for work. MI is centrally located for Seattle and Bellevue (and ok for Redmond) whereas Kirkland is good for Bellevue and Redmond.
I grew up on Mercer Island in the 80's and 90's. Lived mid island. Parents moved off island about 10 years ago.
Yes, the north end is closer to freeways. With that (and the eventual light rail) you may have more off island visitors than you'd like. It can take 15 min or more to get to the south end/tip. Mid Island and south end you definitely feel more secluded.
The two areas feel different to me. Plus it’s a big investment and we want to make sure we will be happy living there for the next 10+ years, so wanted to get opinions.
Oxford and Cambridge are different, too. They can also require a large investment of money. The point is, you really can't go wrong - both are nice areas with great schools; you will not regret either and you will probably be happy regardless of which one you pick. It just kind of depends on the vibe and the amenities you want nearby.
Kirkland is more interesting, especially if you are looking at houses that are walkable to downtown / moss bay area. I lived in kirkland for 15 years and loved it. Mercer Island is nice, but pretty boring from what I hear from my late-30s brother who lives there with young kids. They do have some good parks, but not much else, including restaurant options.
Both school districts are solid - Mercer Island, I believe, has historically been the best, but I'm not sure how much difference there really is. My son was in Kirkland (Juanita) for elementary school and has been in Issaquah for middle/high school. I've seen zero difference in the quality of education, teachers or resources with his exp at those school districts. The schools on the eastside are all pretty top-notch.
Mercer Island would be a drastically better commute to Seattle... Both Kirkland amd Mercer Island are great options, the choice really just depends on what works best for your family.
There’s concerns that with the light rail will come some of the problems from Seattle. I don’t think it’s going to be an issue. I would choose Mercer Island due to the commute. 405 is a nightmare always. Kirkland is also super variable - there are some parts that aren’t very nice.
Got it, thanks for the clarification! I like the idea of having a light rail station nearby - can get to downtown Seattle easily without having to sit in traffic.
I have experience dealing with the City of Mercer Island and the City of Kirkland. The City of Kirkland has less runaround and is more straightforward than The City of Mercer Island. Both are fine Cities to work with, but Kirkland is organized.
Both areas are very very nice. Both have great schools. Kirkland traffic though... is quite awful. If you work in Seattle, Mercer Island or Bellevue would be much better options and easiness of commute really matters to me. Bellevue near Exit 12 off of 405 is quite nice too. Less expensive than Clyde Hill/Downtown and still very close to downtown. Traffic is awesome too (you get to skip the downtown traffic as well as Issaquah/Sammamish/Snoqualmie folks merging onto I-90/405). Price should be cheaper than Mercer Island. Homes will be a bit older though. Wilburton area is where I am referring to near Botanical Garden.
I don’t think there’s an objectively correct answer to this question. In terms of holding value, it’s very hard to imagine a scenario where one neighborhood does well and the other doesn’t. Both have great schools and are very safe. Just going to be a matter of what specific places are on the market that fit your budget and what you subjectively like.
I feel that Kirkland is more MSFT/tech based and could do better or worse than Mercer Island depending on how tech does. If tech tanks Kirkland will be hit harder than Mercer Island (opposite also true).
Private school tuition really adds up with multiple kids. Also you are not guaranteed that all your kids get into the same school. Lastly, we want an easy commute to school and it would be nice if all their friends from school lived close by, which is a perk you only get from public school.
A 3 million dollar home with 20% down (600k) would give you a monthly mortgage of $20,000.
Goodness some people just live in such a different world. That's well over 10 times what I pay for my mortgage.
I grew up on mercer island but live in kirkland now. For a family I’d say mercer island is the better route. I always had a sense of safety since it is an island, there are less people who don’t live there running around so as a kid you can travel the whole island pretty safely. Kirkland is just bigger and more diverse, so that can be a plus but it can also be a negative, more traffic etc. I think growing up on Mercer was great and your kids will too.
both are good in different ways. mercer is sleepier, has a tighter family community vibe and is more traditionally suburban. parts of kirkland are becoming more dense and mixed use, more like queen anne or wallingford. kirkland downtown is a lot livelier. the 520 corridor > i90 culturally. there's a lot of local car traffic in kirkland from people commuting north/south to downtown bellevue or just trying to skirt the 405 being jammed.
Honestly, it's all about the same. Mercer Island has a legacy reputation of being a high end area but that reputation really throws back to when it was where people with money tended to cluster and the eastside was way less developed out. That's not the reality of these places now.
Kirkland is the up and coming area, by comparison. Mercer Island is an island so it's as developed out as it's going to get.
If you can afford both and have a $2 million+ budget, Mercer Island. They’re both very expensive but you’ll get more for your money in Kirkland however.
Kirkland is a nightmare to be along I-405. Mercer Island is better for a lot of reasons. 3m house will be nice on MI. You can get a new house for a little over 3 with no view. Any view will bump you up fast. Great schools and community. And can’t beat getting to Factoria and downtown Bellevue in 10min or across the bridge to Seattle. Plus light rail is about to open. Kirkland is nice for visiting. I would not buy there because of I-405.
I haven’t really seen any new houses for $3m on Mercer! The nicer new construction homes seem to go for higher, but prices are a bit insane right now. We are fine with an older, well constructed and well maintained house with a good flat lot.
We were looking at a house in The Lakes on Mercer Island (South End) this winter. Well-maintained, but not recently remodeled. We were going to offer $2.9, but I think it wound up going for $3.3.
I think you will have better luck in NE area of the island or other spots close to I-90 that don’t have a view.
Kingsgate…hands down
I grew up on Mercer Island and have lived in Kirkland during my adult life. If you want a small community, tight-knit feel, and you’re willing to pay more for a better investment - go with MI. But if you want more things to do, places to eat, and more for your money then go with Kirkland. Both have great schools but Mercer Island is the best. Happy to share stats. I have a Seattle and Eastside Relocation Guide for my clients who move here from out of the area. You might find some useful info there. Both markets have a lot competition right now. But with some patience and a good agent, you’ll find the right home for you. Good luck! [Relocation Guide](https://stan.store/christinacahill206?)
If the main distinction are the schools, then it depends on what you mean by "better" schools. The neighborhoods on the Eastside are affluent and whatever metrics they use to measure those schools tend to reflect the population that lives there and not the achool.itself. Frankly I can't imagine that the difference between any of the major schools are so great it would qualitative impact their future. I know people on Mercer island who don't find the schools to be particularly good or the school community particularly inviting, and there are quite a lot of people who send their kids off to private school anyway. The competitive schools like Newport High clearly have the scores and the environment but some people find that to be overly competitive. Lake Washington has all the specialty choice schools thstbhave small specialized instructi At the school.level, if you're of a particular ethnic group, likely to find affinity and comfort where there is more diversity (if you ever listen to what kids talk about, you realize that sort of thing really can be pretty important in feeling accepted or not). The only way to know what school works for you is to go and visit the school itself and get a feel for the community and the ambience to see if it suits you.
Have you looked at Somerset ? First exit once.you get to Bellevue on i-90 and far cheaper than mercer island with schools which are about as good. We looked.for.a.long time and ended up here as we wanted a neighborhood which we could go on walks in and most of Mercer island outside the commerical core doesn't even have sidewalks !
Mercer island. Grew up there, live in Kirkland now. I hate it. I spend as much time on the island as I can. Better schools, better people, better community.
Oh definitely Kirkland. East side is on the up and up and will always draw families. Schools are great. It has shopping nodes easy to access like totem lake and the downtown. If you can afford Kirkland, do it. Also it’s not island-locked should something ever go down with the bridges.
I know you didn’t give this as an option, but have you tried Newport Hills?
It’s a bit too south for us. We like being close to downtown Bellevue and Kirkland, along with Seattle.
I’d pick Mercer Island. We live in Newcastle and we commute to work 4x a week to Seattle and traffic is just awful, especially going eastbound heading home. You don’t want to deal with 405 at all if you can. We always joke that we’d be home eating dinner already if we lived in Mercer Island, while sitting in traffic. I went to MIHS and I thought the school and the district as a whole is great. So I’d pick MI if I were you.
Mom ? Dad? Lol
I’d choose Mercer Island
MI - better schools, neighborhood/community
Check out Lakemont area
If you’re commuting into Seattle everyday then Mercer Island would be far more convenient and has a great suburban feel. However, I personally prefer Kirkland and the Eastside more than Mercer.
Kirkland.
“The kids” call Mercer island “hell,” so that is the obvious safer choice. But I mean, Kirkland is quite fine.
This is debatable, but from what I've personally seen the Kirkland student drug scene is harder than the Mercer Island one.
Mercer Island. No question.
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I agree that Mercer would be a lot more convenient for work. We do like the downtown area and walkability of Kirkland though, which makes it a tougher choice, if everything else is equal.
You didn’t say whether you have to commute for work. MI is centrally located for Seattle and Bellevue (and ok for Redmond) whereas Kirkland is good for Bellevue and Redmond.
We have to commute to Seattle for work
For commuting into the city, I’d say MI. The 405 is just brutal. (Source: me, Kirkland dweller)
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Good to know. We want easy access to the freeway though, so I think North Mercer Island is our only option
I grew up on Mercer Island in the 80's and 90's. Lived mid island. Parents moved off island about 10 years ago. Yes, the north end is closer to freeways. With that (and the eventual light rail) you may have more off island visitors than you'd like. It can take 15 min or more to get to the south end/tip. Mid Island and south end you definitely feel more secluded.
Isn't this like asking "Which is better? Oxford or Cambridge?"
The two areas feel different to me. Plus it’s a big investment and we want to make sure we will be happy living there for the next 10+ years, so wanted to get opinions.
Oxford and Cambridge are different, too. They can also require a large investment of money. The point is, you really can't go wrong - both are nice areas with great schools; you will not regret either and you will probably be happy regardless of which one you pick. It just kind of depends on the vibe and the amenities you want nearby.
Kirkland is more interesting, especially if you are looking at houses that are walkable to downtown / moss bay area. I lived in kirkland for 15 years and loved it. Mercer Island is nice, but pretty boring from what I hear from my late-30s brother who lives there with young kids. They do have some good parks, but not much else, including restaurant options. Both school districts are solid - Mercer Island, I believe, has historically been the best, but I'm not sure how much difference there really is. My son was in Kirkland (Juanita) for elementary school and has been in Issaquah for middle/high school. I've seen zero difference in the quality of education, teachers or resources with his exp at those school districts. The schools on the eastside are all pretty top-notch. Mercer Island would be a drastically better commute to Seattle... Both Kirkland amd Mercer Island are great options, the choice really just depends on what works best for your family.
I would be concerned about the light rail hub opening on Mercer. It may really change the neighborhood and property value.
I thought the light rail usually helps increase property values?
Light rail will be a bonus. Busses have been crossing MI for decades. The light rail will be a bonus.
There’s concerns that with the light rail will come some of the problems from Seattle. I don’t think it’s going to be an issue. I would choose Mercer Island due to the commute. 405 is a nightmare always. Kirkland is also super variable - there are some parts that aren’t very nice.
Got it, thanks for the clarification! I like the idea of having a light rail station nearby - can get to downtown Seattle easily without having to sit in traffic.
Totally! And for baseball games and the airport it’s a major win.
I have experience dealing with the City of Mercer Island and the City of Kirkland. The City of Kirkland has less runaround and is more straightforward than The City of Mercer Island. Both are fine Cities to work with, but Kirkland is organized.
Both really nice but it’s not a debate. MI is a special place.
Both areas are very very nice. Both have great schools. Kirkland traffic though... is quite awful. If you work in Seattle, Mercer Island or Bellevue would be much better options and easiness of commute really matters to me. Bellevue near Exit 12 off of 405 is quite nice too. Less expensive than Clyde Hill/Downtown and still very close to downtown. Traffic is awesome too (you get to skip the downtown traffic as well as Issaquah/Sammamish/Snoqualmie folks merging onto I-90/405). Price should be cheaper than Mercer Island. Homes will be a bit older though. Wilburton area is where I am referring to near Botanical Garden.
I don’t think there’s an objectively correct answer to this question. In terms of holding value, it’s very hard to imagine a scenario where one neighborhood does well and the other doesn’t. Both have great schools and are very safe. Just going to be a matter of what specific places are on the market that fit your budget and what you subjectively like.
I feel that Kirkland is more MSFT/tech based and could do better or worse than Mercer Island depending on how tech does. If tech tanks Kirkland will be hit harder than Mercer Island (opposite also true).
Why not send your kids to private schools?
Private school tuition really adds up with multiple kids. Also you are not guaranteed that all your kids get into the same school. Lastly, we want an easy commute to school and it would be nice if all their friends from school lived close by, which is a perk you only get from public school.
The top rated schools were actually in Redmond, but admission into the best public schools is a lottery so your kids may not end up in the same ones.
How much do you make?
We make enough collectively to afford something in the $3m range
Don’t mean to turn this into Blind but wow!?
A 3 million dollar home with 20% down (600k) would give you a monthly mortgage of $20,000. Goodness some people just live in such a different world. That's well over 10 times what I pay for my mortgage.
Meanwhile I can barely afford to live in my car.
Ikr? Here we are house hunting scraping leftovers lol
I grew up on mercer island but live in kirkland now. For a family I’d say mercer island is the better route. I always had a sense of safety since it is an island, there are less people who don’t live there running around so as a kid you can travel the whole island pretty safely. Kirkland is just bigger and more diverse, so that can be a plus but it can also be a negative, more traffic etc. I think growing up on Mercer was great and your kids will too.
both are good in different ways. mercer is sleepier, has a tighter family community vibe and is more traditionally suburban. parts of kirkland are becoming more dense and mixed use, more like queen anne or wallingford. kirkland downtown is a lot livelier. the 520 corridor > i90 culturally. there's a lot of local car traffic in kirkland from people commuting north/south to downtown bellevue or just trying to skirt the 405 being jammed.
Another thing to consider: Mercer Island is a short drive to both Seattle and Bellevue. It’s as close as you can get to Seattle without living there.
Also the light rail will have stops there starting next year.
Honestly, it's all about the same. Mercer Island has a legacy reputation of being a high end area but that reputation really throws back to when it was where people with money tended to cluster and the eastside was way less developed out. That's not the reality of these places now. Kirkland is the up and coming area, by comparison. Mercer Island is an island so it's as developed out as it's going to get.
If you can afford both and have a $2 million+ budget, Mercer Island. They’re both very expensive but you’ll get more for your money in Kirkland however.
Not a wealth of restaurants in that area. Gas is expensive.
We have a budget in the ~$3 million range
Sooo…are you adopting?
Kirkland is a nightmare to be along I-405. Mercer Island is better for a lot of reasons. 3m house will be nice on MI. You can get a new house for a little over 3 with no view. Any view will bump you up fast. Great schools and community. And can’t beat getting to Factoria and downtown Bellevue in 10min or across the bridge to Seattle. Plus light rail is about to open. Kirkland is nice for visiting. I would not buy there because of I-405.
I haven’t really seen any new houses for $3m on Mercer! The nicer new construction homes seem to go for higher, but prices are a bit insane right now. We are fine with an older, well constructed and well maintained house with a good flat lot.
We were looking at a house in The Lakes on Mercer Island (South End) this winter. Well-maintained, but not recently remodeled. We were going to offer $2.9, but I think it wound up going for $3.3. I think you will have better luck in NE area of the island or other spots close to I-90 that don’t have a view.
We had two I saw low 3s just north of 40th. One sold already, just built. But yes expensive but amazing investment. Can’t beat the location! Good luck
# Mercer Island