Genesee Park is a park in the Rainier Valley neighborhood of

Seattle, Washington Seattle ( ) is a port, seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the county seat, seat of King County, Washington, King County, Washington (state), Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in bo ...

. A waterway, Wetmore Slough, before the lowering of

Lake Washington Lake Washington is a large freshwater lake adjacent to the city of Seattle. It is the largest lake in King County and the second largest natural lake in the state of Washington, after Lake Chelan. It borders the cities of Seattle on the west, ...

by nine feet in 1917 as part of the construction of the

Lake Washington Ship Canal The Lake Washington Ship Canal, which runs through the city of Seattle, connects the fresh water body of Lake Washington with the salt water inland sea of Puget Sound. The Hiram M. Chittenden Locks accommodate the approximately difference in w ...

, it was purchased by the city in 1947 and used as a dump until 1963. Development of the park began in 1968. It hosts the hydroplane races and aerobatics air show during the annual

Seattle Seafair Seafair is a summer festival in Seattle, Washington, that encompasses a wide variety of small neighborhood events leading up to several major citywide celebrations. While many small block parties and local parades occur under the auspices of Se ...

, in July–August. The L-shape park is bordered to the north by Lake Washington and the Stan Sayres Memorial Park/Mount Baker Rowing and Sailing Center, the south by a ridge inline with S. Alaska St., the east by 46th Ave. S. and the west by 43rd Ave. S. along its northern segment and 38th Ave. S. along its southern segment, with its namesake, S. Genesee St., traveling east–west through the middle of it. In the 1990s the Rainier Community Center was relocated across the street, from its previous home, onto Genesee Park at its westernmost edge. The park features a nature trail/wild bird habitat plus a large picnic shelter and open grass area on its northern segment, a sand upper-field for soccer plus an artificial turf lower-field for soccer and football along with a fenced-in dog park through its central segment, a circular walkabout in its southwest segment, and three child play areas (one north of S. Genesee St. at 44th Ave. S., one south of S. Genesee St. at 43rd Ave. S. and one at the Rainier Community Center). The two sports fields located just south of S. Genesee St. are equipped with stadium light poles to illuminate the field into the night as needed. During the first week of August, Genesee Park serves as the main entrance to hydroplane races and aerobatics air show festivities, part of Seattle's summer celebration known as Seafair, dating back to the 1950s.

External links

Parks Department page on Genesee ParkParks Department history of Genesse Park (PDF)
{{Protected areas of Seattle Parks in Seattle Rainier Valley, Seattle