Briarcliff

Seattle's Magnolia district, about 4.23 miles from downtown, in King County.

Researched and written by Ryan Rose · Updated October 29, 2026

My records put the average home in Briarcliff at 3,057 sq ft, larger than in 95% of the 82 other Seattle neighborhoods I compared. That sits alongside 2,311 homes in Seattle's Magnolia district, 98.4% of them single-family, on lots averaging 7,317 sq ft. I also pulled sidewalk coverage, which I estimate at 72.2%, and found parks such as Arapahoe Triangle and Carleton Center inside the boundaries.

Illustration of a residential street of detached single-family houses, built mostly in the 1940s.
Illustration
Downtown Briarcliff 2 mi N ↑
I marked Briarcliff on a map of Seattle drawn from the neighborhood boundaries the city publishes. Downtown is marked for reference.

At a glance

Area
605 acres
Homes
2,311
Median year built
1945 Older than 75% of Seattle neighborhoods
Average home size
3,057 sq ft Larger than 95% of Seattle neighborhoods
Average lot size
7,317 sq ft Larger than 65% of Seattle neighborhoods
Streets steeper than 8%
17.1% of street length Hillier than 60% of Seattle neighborhoods Elevation 20–381 ft
In FEMA's 100-year flood zone
0.1% of residential lots
Within 500 ft of a freeway
None The nearest is 3.0 miles away
New homes permitted
41 Fewer than 75% of Seattle neighborhoods Since January 2023

Share of residential lots: 98.4% single-family, 0.3% condominium, 0.2% duplex to fourplex

I compared each figure with the 82 other Seattle neighborhoods I have researched that have at least 100 residential parcels.

Getting around on foot

Intersections per sq mile
161
Average block length
414 ft Longer than 70% of Seattle neighborhoods
Sidewalk coverage
72.2% (my estimate)
Transit stops within ¼ mile
59 Fewer than 60% of Seattle neighborhoods
Everyday categories within ½ mile
8

I compared each figure with the 82 other Seattle neighborhoods I have researched that have at least 100 residential parcels.

Parks and recreation

Arapahoe Triangle, Carleton Center, Carleton Highlands, Eastmont Place, Lowery C. "pop" Mounger Pool, Magnolia Park, Parkmont Place

Schools in and near this neighborhood

  • DISCOVERY MONTESSORI SCHOOL
  • Catharine Blaine K-8 School K–8 Seattle School District No. 1
  • OUR LADY OF FATIMA SCHOOL
  • KALEIDOSCOPE SCHOOL
  • Magnolia Elementary School K–5 Seattle School District No. 1

Food, drink and daily errands

Restaurants
2
Cafes
0
Bars and pubs
0
Grocery
0
Pharmacies
0

Restaurants and coffee I found nearby

  • Gim Wah Chinese · Inside the neighborhood
  • El Ranchon Mexican · Inside the neighborhood
  • Taqueria La Sabrosita Mexican · 0.1 mi away
  • Pink Salt Peruvian · 0.1 mi away Patio
  • Kinnaree Thai · 0.1 mi away
  • Uptown Espresso Coffee · 0.1 mi away
  • Yume Sushi Sushi · 0.1 mi away
  • Starbucks Coffee · 0.1 mi away
  • Serendipity Cafe Cafe · 0.1 mi away Patio
  • Nikos Gyros Greek · 0.1 mi away

I pulled these from OpenStreetMap: the nearest named restaurants and cafes, starting inside the neighborhood and measured from its edge. Places marked Patio have outdoor seating, from my research for Outdoor Seating Near Me, my other site; the photos come from that research too.

Housing context

Median home value
$1,559,200
Median gross rent
$3,500 or more
Owner-occupied
89.5%
Renter-occupied
10.5%

I pulled these from the census tract that covers this neighborhood, so they describe the tract, not the neighborhood itself. I report housing and housing cost only.

Bordering neighborhoods