Bitter Lake is a
neighborhood
A neighbourhood (Commonwealth English) or neighborhood (American English) is a geographically localized community within a larger town, city, suburb or rural area, sometimes consisting of a single street and the buildings lining it. Neigh ...
in
Seattle
Seattle ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the 18th-most populous city in the United States. The city is the cou ...
,
Washington
Washington most commonly refers to:
* George Washington (1732–1799), the first president of the United States
* Washington (state), a state in the Pacific Northwest of the United States
* Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States
** A ...
,
United States
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
, named after its most notable feature,
Bitter Lake. It was a mostly natural
forest
A forest is an ecosystem characterized by a dense ecological community, community of trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, ...
of
Douglas-fir
The Douglas fir (''Pseudotsuga menziesii'') is an evergreen conifer species in the pine family, Pinaceae. It is the tallest tree in the Pinaceae family. It is native to western North America and is also known as Douglas-fir, Douglas spruce, Or ...
and
Western Redcedar, inhabited by
Native Americans, until the late 19th century. Development especially picked up when the Seattle-to-
Everett Interurban streetcar reached the lake in 1906. A
sawmill
A sawmill (saw mill, saw-mill) or lumber mill is a facility where logging, logs are cut into lumber. Modern sawmills use a motorized saw to cut logs lengthwise to make long pieces, and crosswise to length depending on standard or custom sizes ...
operated in the area until 1913, when most of the trees had been cut down.
Geography
To its east, across
Aurora Avenue N., is the neighborhood of
Haller Lake; to its west, across Greenwood Avenue N., is
Broadview; to its north, across N. 145th Street, is the city of
Shoreline
A coast (coastline, shoreline, seashore) is the land next to the sea or the line that forms the boundary between the land and the ocean or a lake. Coasts are influenced by the topography of the surrounding landscape and by aquatic erosion, su ...
; and to its south is
Greenwood. N. 130th Street is often considered its southern boundary, although some place it further south, at N. 125th Street, N. 115th Street, or even N. 105th Street.
History
Bitter Lake played a more prominent role in Seattle at mid-20th century when it was not yet officially part of the city. From May 24, 1930 to 1961, it was home to Playland, one of several amusement parks built by the Washington Amusement Company. It was purchased a year after it opened by Carl E. Phare, a designer and builder of
roller coaster
A roller coaster is a type of list of amusement rides, amusement ride employing a form of elevated Railway track, railroad track that carries passengers on a roller coaster train, train through tight turns, steep slopes, and other elements, usua ...
s, who designed The Dipper, a roller coaster with of track and a maximum altitude of . Other notable attractions included The Canals of Venice, of darkness that may have been Seattle's most famous makeout spot for two generations, and a hardwood floor dance pavilion. During the
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...
, it was home to
dance marathons and
flagpole sitting contests.
The amusement park, with parking for 12,000 cars, closed at the end of the 1961 season, under three economic pressures: the rise of
television
Television (TV) is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. Additionally, the term can refer to a physical television set rather than the medium of transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertising, ...
, the rising value of its lakefront real estate, and the impending
Century 21 Exposition
The Century 21 Exposition (also known as the Seattle World's Fair) was a world's fair held April 21, 1962, to October 21, 1962, in Seattle, Washington, United States.[world's fair
A world's fair, also known as a universal exhibition, is a large global exhibition designed to showcase the achievements of nations. These exhibitions vary in character and are held in different parts of the world at a specific site for a perio ...]
), which would dwarf a relatively small amusement park on the edge of town.
Part of the site of Playland is now the
R.H. Thomson Elementary School; the Bitter Lake Community Center sits near the onetime site of the Dipper.
Parks and recreation
The neighborhood is home to Bitter Lake Park. A $2.5 million renovation began in 2023 to its restrooms and for the installation of new playground equipment that would bring the park into compliance with various codes for safety and accessibility.
References
* Jessica Davis, "Remembering Playland". ''North Seattle Herald-Outlook'', July 13, 2005, p. 1.
* Louis Fiset,
Playland -- Seattle's Amusement Park (1930–1961) at HistoryLink.org September 14, 2001, corrected on July 11, 2005, accessed August 27, 2005. Several good photos.
{{Seattle neighborhoods