With trolley tracks laid through the neighborhood as early as 1907, Wallingford is a classic streetcar suburb, typified by its many 1920s era box houses and bungalows.

With its central location, numerous public amenities, including the Gas Works Park, and views of both the Olympic and Cascade mountains, Wallingford has long been home to many middle and upper-class families.

While Wallingford is mostly residential in nature, the neighborhood's southern edge, along Lake Union, has historically been an industrial and commercial business strip.

On the southeastern corner of this intersection is the Wallingford Center, a 53,000 square foot elementary school built in 1904 that has been renovated and converted into two floors of shopping and dining establishments with 24 studio apartments above.

Wallingford's business district extends along N 45th Street from Stone Way N in the west to Sunnyside Avenue N in the east and features the QFC grocery store, many small shops, three banks, three pharmacies, a few taverns and bars, the Wallingford Center (the former Interlake Elementary School, now turned into shops and apartments), and numerous restaurants (including the original Dick's Drive-In, founded 1954).

The nearby North Transfer Station, a waste sorting center, was rebuilt in 2016 and includes a small park and playground.

[7] Meridian Playground features a former Roman Catholic home for wayward girls called the Good Shepherd Center, now a shared community space run by Historic Seattle.

Major tenants include Tilth Alliance, Meridian School, the Wallingford Senior Center, and the Chapel performance space which features the Wayward Music Series.

Wallingford playfield borders recently renovated Hamilton International Middle School and features views and a wading pool open in summer months.

Several major motion pictures have featured scenes filmed in Wallingford, including Cinderella Liberty, Scorchy, Harry and the Hendersons, World's Greatest Dad, Singles, Say Anything..., American Heart, Class of 1999, 10 Things I Hate About You, and Three Fugitives.

The designation was criticized as an attempt to prevent further density in the neighborhood and preserve single-family zoning, while proponents favored protection of aesthetic and architectural features.

According to the 2013 American Community Survey, 40% of neighborhood units are single family homes, with the other 60% made up of apartments, condos, and townhomes.