Congratulations on your Microsoft internship! Now comes a less exciting project: figuring out where to live for a few months in a region you’ve probably only seen on a map.
If you’re working at Microsoft’s Redmond campus, you have more options than you might expect. Redmond itself is convenient; Bellevue has a livelier downtown; Kirkland has a lovely waterfront; and, with the 2 Line crossing Lake Washington, parts of Seattle are worth a look too. The catch is that an address that looks close on a map can still be a fairly annoying trip on public transit.
To help narrow things down, we made the interactive heatmap below with Theretowhere. It shows places within roughly 45 minutes by public transit of Microsoft East Campus Plaza, with greener areas indicating shorter trips and orange or red areas indicating longer ones. That’s a useful stand-in for the main Redmond campus, though your assigned building might be farther from the stop or station.
You can zoom into the map and hover over individual blocks to see their estimated transit times. If you open the full heatmap, you can inspect travel routes too. Treat the 45-minute boundary as a starting point rather than a promise: the precise address, the time you leave, and the walk to your building all matter.
Overlake: the easiest place to start#
Overlake is the part of Redmond that sits around Microsoft’s campus. If avoiding a long morning trip is your main priority, start your apartment search here. You’ll be close to Redmond Technology Station and Overlake Village Station on Sound Transit’s 2 Line, although the last leg to your particular Microsoft building may still involve walking or a campus connection.
Overlake has apartment buildings, supermarkets, restaurants and the practical things you need for daily life. On the heatmap, look around the blue campus pin: the greener areas give you an idea of how much commute time you could save by staying close. It’s more spread out than Seattle’s busiest neighborhoods, though, so check the walking route before deciding that a listing is conveniently located. Two apartments with the same Redmond ZIP code can offer rather different daily routines.
The downside is rent. Being near a huge employment center doesn’t generally produce bargain apartment listings. A room in a shared apartment or a summer sublet may be more realistic than renting a furnished studio by yourself. Overlake also isn’t the place to choose if your ideal summer means being able to walk into a different bar or music venue every evening.
Downtown Redmond: a little more of a neighborhood#
Downtown Redmond is a good middle ground for interns who want an easy work commute and somewhere pleasant to spend an evening. There are restaurants, cafes, a growing number of apartments, and easy access to the Sammamish River Trail and Marymoor Park area.
The 2 Line reaches Downtown Redmond Station, so you can ride toward Redmond Technology Station and continue to campus. That makes living downtown quite different from picking a home farther north or east, where buses may do most of the work. If you find a listing, measure the actual walk to the station. ‘Downtown Redmond’ can cover a fairly wide area in rental listings.
It’s still a relatively expensive city. The lively few blocks near downtown aren’t representative of every Redmond address, either. A place farther out may save money, but the commute could become a bus ride plus a train ride. That’s fine if the timing works for you; it’s less fun when the connection is infrequent.
Downtown Bellevue: more city, still on the train#
Bellevue is a good choice if you’d like a more urban setting but don’t particularly need to live in Seattle. Downtown has tall buildings, restaurants, shopping, parks, and plenty to do after work. It’s also well connected to Redmond by light rail.
Look for homes near Bellevue Downtown Station, or consider the areas around Wilburton and Spring District stations. All are on the 2 Line heading toward Microsoft. The heatmap reaches through much of central Bellevue, but the shading changes as you move away from useful transit connections. Zoom in before deciding that a particular Bellevue address works. Spring District and BelRed have newer development mixed with streets that still feel like they’re changing, so visit the exact block if possible rather than relying on a neighborhood label.
Bellevue won’t necessarily be cheaper than Redmond. Luxury towers can make the monthly rent painful, especially for a short stay. Still, looking a few blocks beyond the most prominent downtown buildings can reveal different options. It’s worth comparing total summer cost rather than the advertised monthly number, including furniture, utilities and lease fees.
Crossroads and BelRed: worth checking for value#
Crossroads, in east Bellevue, deserves a look if downtown Bellevue and central Redmond are stretching your budget. It’s more residential and has shops and food options clustered around Crossroads Bellevue. Crucially, King County Metro’s RapidRide B Line connects Bellevue, Crossroads, Overlake and Redmond.
Here, your public-transit commute is more likely to depend on a bus than a nearby light-rail platform. That’s not automatically bad. A convenient bus stop with frequent service can beat a train station that’s a long walk away. But do check the direction and timing; some addresses require another connection to reach your specific campus building.
BelRed is different. Parts of it sit close to BelRed Station on the 2 Line and offer a direct rail route toward campus. Other parts are still relatively spread out. Neither area is guaranteed to be cheap, but both are useful places to compare against the obvious downtown listings.
Kirkland: beautiful, but check the bus carefully#
Kirkland, especially near its downtown waterfront, is appealing for obvious reasons. Lake Washington, restaurants, parks and a walkable center make it a lovely place to spend a summer. You can also get to Redmond and Bellevue by bus; Metro Route 250 connects Kirkland with both cities.
The important difference is that Kirkland does not have a Link light-rail station. Look at how the shaded area thins around Kirkland on the map; it’s a good reason to check an actual street address rather than treat the whole city as one option. A listing close to the lake could be convenient for restaurants while being less convenient for the bus you’ll need every morning. Don’t assume that a short driving distance translates to a short transit ride.
Waterfront and downtown Kirkland listings also tend to command a premium. If you like the area, search a little farther from the water, then compare bus access and the cost savings before committing.
Seattle: more social options, more commute to think about#
Want to spend your summer in Seattle proper? It’s a reasonable preference, especially if you’re looking for roommates, live music, a busy nightlife scene or a neighborhood with lots of people your age.
There’s good news: the 2 Line began running across Lake Washington in March 2026, connecting Seattle with Bellevue and Redmond. Seattle neighborhoods close to stations such as Capitol Hill, Judkins Park and the downtown transit tunnel are therefore more interesting for Redmond commuters than they used to be. Depending on the station, you may have a direct rail ride toward Redmond Technology Station.
Capitol Hill has restaurants, nightlife and a much busier street scene than Overlake. Judkins Park is more residential, but its new 2 Line station offers a useful crossing toward the Eastside. Downtown Seattle gives you lots of connections, though living close to a station isn’t the same as living close to everything else you enjoy.
The University District can be attractive for summer sublets from UW students, but check the full journey before you get excited about a cheap room. Notice how the map shows smaller pockets of coverage on the Seattle side, rather than shading every neighborhood. A train ride from the U District toward Redmond is possible, yet the total door-to-door trip may exceed your preferred 45 minutes. The same warning applies to Fremont and Ballard, which require additional transit before the cross-lake trip.
A few housing tips before you send a deposit#
Microsoft announced a three-day-per-week office expectation for Puget Sound employees beginning in 2026. Your internship team may have more specific instructions, so confirm your schedule and assigned building before choosing a neighborhood around a hypothetical commute. A longer train ride three days a week feels different from doing it five days, but it still adds up.
Also ask your recruiter exactly what housing assistance is available to you. Some interns discuss a choice between arranged housing and a payment to secure their own place, but the specifics depend on your offer. If you do search independently, look at furnished sublets, rooms in shared houses, student subleases, and short-term rentals. Check that the move-in and move-out dates actually match your internship. A tempting UW sublet starting in June won’t be much help if you need to be in Redmond in May.
Be persistent, and keep your finances in view. Seattle-area housing is expensive, and finding a suitable short-term place can take some patience. Tech offers an opportunity to build substantial financial security over time; practicing restraint while you have a well-paid internship is a good habit to develop. You don’t have to spend your entire housing allowance just because it’s available.
Finally, verify the lease, confirm who has the right to rent the room, and avoid sending money to a stranger based only on pictures. For each promising address, check the route at the time you expect to travel, including the final walk. Sound Transit’s 2 Line information and King County Metro’s RapidRide guide are useful starting points.
If you’re comparing several listings, Theretowhere’s Distance Matrix lets you check their travel times to work, groceries and other places you care about. You can also build your own Theretowhere heatmap if your actual office is elsewhere on campus or you prefer a 30-minute commute. Add other places you care about, such as a friend’s apartment or a grocery store.
The best summer address is the one that leaves you with enough time and money to enjoy the internship and the city around it.