One of America's best small cities is in WA, says US News & World Report
Looking for the best place to live in Washington state? You might want to consider Sammamish, according to a new ranking from U.S. News and World Report.
On June 4, the publication released its list of the 15 best small cities in the U.S. to live in this year. Sammamish took the No. 6 spot. This comes after U.S. News named Sammamish the No. 11 city to live in nationwide in late May.
The King County city, located east of Bellevue, earned high marks from U.S. News for its job opportunities, which the publication attributes to its proximity to Seattle-area tech companies. It ranked No. 3 in the nation for its job market and its median household income of just over $235,000 a year was nearly triple the national rate, right around $80,000.
Its proximity to nature and location on Lake Sammamish, meanwhile, helped the city place in the top 25 in the country for desirability and quality of life.
There is a catch, though. As with much of Washington, Sammamish has a high cost of living. The median home price is $1,185,433, according to U.S. News, while the median monthly rent is $2,403.
Sammamish was the only west coast city to make the list of the best small cities. Here's the rest of the top ten:
Johns Creek, Georgia
Apex, North Carolina
Leander, Texas
Rochester Hills, Michigan
Troy, Michigan
Sammamish, Washington
Ellicott City, Maryland
Flower Mound, Texas
Pflugerville, Texas
Plymouth, Minnesota
While Sammamish was the only place in Washington on the list of the best small cities in the U.S., a few others made the list of the top 250 cities overall, with Seattle's eastern suburbs featuring heavily.
Redmond was the next Washington city on the list at No. 83, followed by Bellevue at No. 126. Kirkland was the last Washington city to make the list at No. 133.
According to U.S. News, each city is given a score across five categories: quality of life, value and affordability, desirability strength of the job market and net migration. Quality of life accounts for 26% of each city's score, and is determined by the quality of the area's schools, infrastructure, health care, economy and natural environment. The other categories account for between 23% and 25% of the total score, with the exception of net migration, which accounts for 2%.
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Travel + Leisure
an hour ago
- Travel + Leisure
This 1907 Warehouse in Seattle Was Just Transformed Into a Luxury Hotel—and T+L Was the First to Stay
Populus Seattle The adaptive reuse design preserves the 1907 warehouse's original Douglas fir beams and brickwork while slashing the building's carbon footprint. Rooms feel like a cocoon, wrapped in original brick, deeply saturated walls, and art that filters into the private spaces from the hotel at large through framed prints and even pour-over coffee packets. The fire-and-ice concept of the food and drink program spans from the signature restaurant Salt Harvest's oak and almond wood hearth to the rooftop cocktail bar Firn, where glacier-inspired cocktails are made with crushed, shaved, and faceted ice. All the artwork is for sale, turning the hotel into a working gallery and a stop on Pioneer Square's First Thursdays, the longest-running art walk in the country. The hotel anchors RailSpur, a placemaking project that's adding fuel to Pioneer Square's evolution by transforming former service alleys into pedestrian corridors lined with public art, shops, and cocktail bars. Opened in late May after two years of construction, Populus Seattle is already making an impression with its regenerative design, expansive art program, and deep ties to the neighborhood. Housed in the 1907 Westland Building, a former steam supply warehouse, the hotel anchors RailSpur, a placemaking initiative that connects three historic structures in Pioneer Square through alleys that draw in the public with the promise of art and cocktails. The front desk and hotel reception. Ric Stovall/Populus Seattle 'We wanted to create a hotel that becomes part of the cultural and physical infrastructure of the area,' says Jon Buerge, president of the Colorado-based Urban Villages, which developed both RailSpur and Populus. It's a fitting ambition for a hotel set amid cobblestone streets and Romanesque facades, just blocks from Seattle's working waterfront and flanked by Lumen Field and T-Mobile Park. But Populus Seattle isn't just another design-forward newcomer among edgy art galleries and expertly curated indie boutiques. (It is the second outpost of the Populus brand, following its flagship Denver location, which opened last October to much fanfare.) 'You're stepping into an experience that was designed to connect people to the city, to the past, to what's next,' says hotel general manager Rod Lapasin. I thought about that a lot as I explored the hotel's thoughtful design, neighborhood ties, layered storytelling built into its bones, and a mission that extends beyond aesthetics. Below is my full review of Populus Seattle. The Rooms Interior of the Douglas Fir Studio King. Ric Stovall/Populus Seattle It was surprisingly sunny in Seattle on the day I arrived, but I must confess I didn't take advantage of the fair weather. Upon entering my corner Douglas Fir Studio, a junior suite with two different street views, a window seat, and a generously sized bathroom decked out in plenty of luxe marble and industrial steel-framed glass, I decide to forgo the mile-long saunter to the Overlook Walk, a new elevated park space at the waterfront. Instead, I steeped in the deep soaking tub to unwind from the bustle of SeaTac Airport before swaddling into a bathrobe with a cup of hojicha tea. Given the adaptive reuse of a 1907 warehouse, all 120 rooms at Populus Seattle, from the standard Lupine room (comfortable, though quite cozy) to the Summit Suite (this space reads more like a luxe pied-à-terre, complete with private cityview terrace), are steeped in the warmth and sentiment of time passed. Thick Douglas fir beams, original to the structure, lend a distinctly woodsy, Pacific Northwest touch to the otherwise contemporary rooms. The accommodations feature brass lighting, velvet seating, and commissioned art framed in salvaged timber that once lined the warehouse floors. These pieces hang against richly hued walls, while exposed-brick facades add industrial character. The occasional siren or celebratory whoop was just a streetwise soundtrack that rooted me in a dynamic neighborhood where the art scene, stadium buzz, and working waterfront converge. If you're the kind of traveler who judges a hotel by its room amenities, then you'll be happy to find plush Matouk robes and towels, bath products by Aesop, Fellow electric kettles, and sustainable, direct-trade java from Monorail Espresso, Seattle's first coffee cart. As an example of the design team's attention to detail, the packaging for the single-serve pour-over depicts "Cats Cradle No. 2," a painting by local artist Becca Fuhrman, whose work is on view throughout the hotel. 'Our connectedness to the community is a many-layered thing,' Lapasin says. 'It all comes together from the past and the present to become the story of Populus Seattle." Food & Drink Around happy hour, a particularly welcoming phenomenon draws folks milling about the hotel's airy lobby deeper into the building: the convivial clamor emanating from Salt Harvest, its signature restaurant, located on the second floor. Buerge explained that this sonic seduction was by design. 'We placed the bar at the top of the lobby staircase for this exact reason." I tried the non-alcoholic Impostore, a bittersweet drink made with Wilderton non-alcoholic aperitivo, and the Bleeding Heart, a floral, bubbly mix of vodka, aloe, strawberry, and cherry blossom that nods to the springtime blooms across Seattle's University of Washington Quad and city parks. I enjoyed both, but ordered a second round of the Impostore. At the rooftop cocktail bar Firn (pronounced feern, the German word for the uppermost layer of a glacier), drinks revolve around ice in various forms: crushed (as in the soju-based Green Acres, flavored with apple and shiso), shaved (Get Schwifty is like a vodka-spiked, melony kakigori), or gem-faceted (the Diamond Sea is a smoky, floral milk punch). Also telling: each afternoon, upon returning from a day of exploring Seattle's latest cultural offerings (like this floating sauna and this fairly new museum, designed like a fjord), the Populus doormen would greet me with, 'Welcome. Heading to Firn?'—a sign of just how quickly the rooftop bar has become a favorite with locals and hotel guests alike. Panoramic views from the Firn rooftop deck. Ric Stovall/Populus Seattle While ice sets the chill upstairs, down in Salt Harvest, flames crackle. 'The restaurant explores fire through Pacific Northwest ingredients from land and sea,' says executive chef Conny Andersson, who hails from Gothenburg, Sweden. (Seattle's robust Scandinavian population is owed to trades like fishing and boat building, kindred between the two cultures.) 'There's a natural overlap in how both regions approach food—minimalist, ingredient-driven, and rooted in seasonality. It's how I cook, and it's how I grew up.' Nearly every dish on the dinner menu is touched by flame. The Neah Bay salmon is just kissed by the oak-and-almond wood fire, yielding buttery tenderness. The free-range pork chop from Washington's Pure Country Farm gets more char but remains unctuous, a rarity for such a lean cut. Wild mushroom spätzle is rich and comforting thanks to Beecher's Flagship cheddar and a ratio of handmade noodles to foraged mushrooms that, to my eye, heavily favors the forest floor. Salmon gravlax, a nod to Andersson's homeland, is cured with Op Anderson aquavit, evoking the classic curing herbs of caraway and dill, then brushed with an umami-rich espresso honey mustard. For dessert, I opted for the Eton Mess, a cloudlike confection of baked meringue, fresh local berries, and Chantilly cream. Activities and Amenities The private dining meeting area. Ric Stovall/Populus Seattle The hotel's features feel more like immersive touchpoints, designed to invite interaction, spark curiosity, and reflect the city's creative spirit. Populus Seattle's commitment to sustainability and art comes together at the entrance, where salvaged tree trunks recall a ghost forest—once-living trees left standing by rising waters and now seen as symbols of regeneration. Just inside, mounted above a living fray of lush foliage, vibrant large-scale paintings reflect a range of visual styles, from psychedelic glitchery ("Garden Sequence 070624" by Przemysław Blejzyk) to folksy surrealism ("We Walked to the Top of the Holy Mountain" by Andrea Heimer) to mystic landscapes ("Night Forest" by Kimberly Trowbridge). Dom Nieri, founder of local art consultancy ARTXIV, curated a collection of 46 original artworks— including a site-specific installation of moss and rope that will cascade through the hotel's lightwell later this year—and 295 limited-edition prints by 35 local, regional, and international artists. Each piece was sparked by a single source of inspiration—the Pacific Northwest—and produced during a summer residency at the neighboring RailSpur Manufacturing Building. 'We'd take groups of artists out for plein air painting, riding ferries, going to the beach, and they'd come back to our 10,000-square-foot studio and respond to the experience,' Nieri says. 'We brought back the original intent of the building as a working production space.' All the art is for sale, making the hotel a working gallery that explores themes of place, persistence, and becoming. I imagine which wall in my tiny San Francisco apartment "Holy Mountain" would look best on, and which imaginary bank account I would draw from to purchase it. Populus also participates in Pioneer Square's First Thursdays—the longest-running art walk in the country—and plans to host guest-exclusive artist talks in the Nature Library and live performances in the Art Room. 'We're not doing things for the neighborhood—we're doing things with it,' adds Nieri. 'That means bringing people in, making space for their voices, and letting the work grow from there.' Family-Friendly Offerings While Populus Seattle doesn't have dedicated kids' programming, it's far from inhospitable to families. During dinner at Salt Harvest, the family seated next to me ordered off-menu pasta with Parmesan cheese for their three kids, though they ended up stealing bites of dad's pork chop anyway. The hotel's walkable Pioneer Square location also makes it easy to explore nearby kid-friendly spots, such as the Seattle Aquarium and the waterfront Great Wheel. Rooms like the Douglas Fir Studio or the Summit Suite offer more breathing room for families. Accessibility and Sustainability As a journalist who's been on the design beat for over two decades, I've read enough sustainability claims to be skeptical, but here, I was pleasantly surprised by the specificity. Converting a 1907 brick-and-timber warehouse into a modern boutique hotel drastically cuts carbon emissions by an average of 78 percent compared to new builds, according to industry studies, giving Populus Seattle a significant head start on its goal of being climate regenerative. 'The adaptive reuse approach was key,' says Buerge. 'It let us preserve character while cutting down on carbon. That's a big win in both directions.' Such an ambitious retrofit also meant striking a balance between design ambition and practical considerations. While the dramatic central staircase serves as an architectural centerpiece, spacious elevators and ADA-compliant rooms ensure that access isn't compromised. But living the net-positive life isn't just about renewable power (Populus has committed to sourcing 100 percent of its energy from off-site solar and wind farms), or planting trees (one for every night you stay, through the aptly named One Night, One Tree program), or diligent composting (food waste will be diverted from landfill by onsite BioGreen360 digesters). Even the cafe's to-go cups are low-impact, made from durable clay, not single-use plastic or paper. Ultimately, it's about leaving the neighborhood better than you found it. 'We're not just looking at net zero,' adds Buerge. 'Carbon positive means going beyond—regenerating ecosystems and reinvesting in communities.' Location The lounge at The Café at Salt Harvest. Ric Stovall/Populus Seattle RailSpur, a placemaking project by Urban Villages, has transformed the area's back-of-house service corridors into walkable public spaces. Today, they feature art, patio seating, and independent businesses like Marigold and Mint Botanicals, plus a forthcoming outpost of the national cocktail bar Death & Co. 'And Populus is the beating heart of it all,' says Buerge. Given the buzz around the hotel, it may well become the pulse of historic Pioneer Square. As Seattle's oldest neighborhood, the area has seen its share of boom-and-bust cycles—from the Great Seattle Fire of 1889, which leveled the place, to the Klondike Gold Rush of the late 1890s, when some 70,000 prospectors passed through Seattle en route to the Yukon, turning Pioneer Square into a hub for supplies, lodging, and entertainment. Despite—or perhaps because of—its gritty reputation, modern-day Pioneer Square holds serious cultural cred, thanks to standout galleries like Greg Kucera, spotlighting contemporary work by emerging Pacific Northwest artists, and Foster/White, long associated with renowned Seattle glass artist Dale Chihuly, as well as indie shops like Flora and Henri, a concept lifestyle boutique next door to the artisanal doughnut cafe General Porpoise. I took great delight in discovering Peter Miller Books + Supplies, a tucked-away gem for architecture and design lovers, where I purchased several Japanese notebooks and Miller's housekeeping homage, "How to Wash the Dishes." It seems the legacy neighborhood is undergoing yet another transformation, with Populus being part of the change. Book Now Populus Seattle doesn't participate in any hotel or credit card loyalty programs, but before booking your stay, check out the hotel's website for its latest offers and discounts. Nightly rates at Populus Seattle start at $359 per night. Every T+L hotel review is written by an editor or reporter who has stayed at the property, and each hotel selected aligns with our core values.
Miami Herald
2 hours ago
- Miami Herald
Seattle GM Botterill's Early Moves Help Kraken, But Playoff Hopes Remain Distant
Since the Seattle Kraken announced in late April that longtime NHL executive Jason Botterill would be promoted to be their new GM, the Kraken have been one of the busiest teams on the trade front. Indeed, Seattle has been hard at work under Botterill, acquiring left winger Mason Marchment from the Dallas Stars on June 19 in exchange for a fourth-round pick this summer and a third-rounder in 2026. Then, Botterill dealt veteran left winger Andre Burakovsky to the Chicago Blackhawks for center Joe Veleno. Finally, on Thursday, Botterill acquired center Frederick Gauthier from the Minnesota Wild for a fourth-rounder in this year's draft. All things considered, the Kraken, on paper, appear to be improved. But the question is, by how much? Marchment posted 22 goals and 47 points last season, and we see him as a nifty acquisition. Botterill replaced Burakovsky's offence (10 goals and 37 points) last season with Veleno's modest offense (eight goals and 17 points) in a salary dump that freed up $3.225 million and installed Veleno as a depth forward. And Botterill used the money he saved in the Burakovsky deal to add Gauthier to fill a need on Seattle's fourth line. You can see what Botterill has been trying to do – firm up his secondary forward slots with players who have established themselves to a fair degree. However, the Kraken still don't have much in the way of elite talents to compete with the top teams in the Pacific Division. Sure, Seattle has some high-end assets – centers Matty Beniers and Shane Wright have high expectations on them, but neither have asserted themselves as true top players. For that reason, we still don't see the Kraken as a Stanley Cup playoff team next season. The Pacific has playoff locks in the Edmonton Oilers, Vegas Golden Knights and Los Angeles Kings – and after that, the Calgary Flames and Vancouver Canucks are going to be fighting for a playoff berth in 2025-26. Even the Anaheim Ducks, who finished four standings points ahead of Seattle last season, are looking like they're going to push for a playoff spot. All of that is to say that, even with their multiple changes, the Kraken are going to face an uphill battle to get into the post-season. You have to give Botterill credit for being aggressive and proactive in his moves, but he hasn't come up with the big fish that this Seattle team really needs to make the jump from fringe playoff candidate to certain playoff squad. Botterill has lots of time this off-season to continue remaking his roster, but as it stands, he needs more skill for his team to truly compete with the Pacific's first-rate franchises. Botterill obviously wants his group to be in the mix for a playoff berth next season, but we see his team as still being in the mid to lower tier of the division. And nothing other than significant, marquee-name acquisitions are going to change that. Get thelatest news and trending stories by following The Hockey News on Google News and bysubscribing to The Hockey News newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting belowthe article on Copyright 2025 The Hockey News, Roustan Media Ltd.
Yahoo
17 hours ago
- Yahoo
Spinnaker Chocolate Expands with New Factory and Café in Wallingford
SEATTLE, June 28, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Spinnaker Chocolate, the beloved Seattle-based craft chocolate maker, is entering an exciting new chapter. The company has officially relocated from its cozy Ravenna shop to a spacious new home in Wallingford, complete with its first-ever café. This expansion gives Spinnaker the room to scale up its bean-to-bar chocolate production, grow its wholesale operations, and introduce long-awaited new products. At the new café, guests can enjoy rich drinking chocolate, locally roasted coffee, and handcrafted pastries, all just steps from the production space where Spinnaker's award-winning chocolate is made from scratch. "Our time in Ravenna has been incredible, and it was bittersweet to say goodbye," said Kelly Van Arsdale, Co-Founder & CEO of Spinnaker Chocolate. "But we're thrilled about what's ahead. This move has given us the space to grow, experiment, and create an even better experience for our customers." A bigger and better experience The new Spinnaker Chocolate location at 3509 Stone Way N, Seattle, WA 98115 features: A welcoming café – Now open! Enjoy an expanded menu, including hot chocolate, mochas, locally roasted coffee, and select pastries from Sea Wolf Bakers, as well as some of our own homemade pastries. More space for chocolate-making & tours – A dedicated production area for larger-scale chocolate-making, expanded wholesale operations, behind-the-scenes factory tours, and hands-on chocolate-making classes. Continued retail experience – The new space continues to offer a full retail experience where you can sample and purchase bean-to-bar chocolate, handcrafted truffles, drinking chocolate, and more. "We know this is a big change, and we're so grateful for the support of our community," added Kelly. "We can't wait to welcome everyone into our new cafe on June 28th and continue sharing our passion for craft chocolate." Stay Connected For updates on new flavors and upcoming events, follow Spinnaker Chocolate on Instagram (@spinnakerchocolate) or visit For media inquiries, please contact: press@ For wholesale inquiries, please contact: wholesale@ About Spinnaker ChocolateSpinnaker Chocolate is a Seattle-based bean-to-bar chocolate maker dedicated to crafting high-quality, ethically sourced chocolate. Since its founding, Spinnaker has been committed to transparency, sustainability, and exceptional flavor, making it a favorite among chocolate lovers in the Pacific Northwest and beyond. View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE Spinnaker Chocolate
