A view of the community. Now 64, she moved to Seattle in 1958 and has lived on a houseboat for the past 11 years. Seattle's houseboat community reached its peak in the 1940s, when a transient population occupied 2,000 houseboats on Lake Union. Prices and lifestyle choices have changed since then. Houseboats range from 250 to 2,500 square feet.
Prices can reach millions, with location and parking key considerations.
In Seattle, houseboats are traditionally defined as large barges with living quarters. Those who live in them differentiate between live-aboards, which can move, and house barges, which cannot. If I were younger, I could see living on a houseboat. We welcome your feedback. All rights reserved.