Magnolia is the second largest neighborhood of Seattle, Washington by area. It occupies a hilly peninsula northwest of

downtown ''Downtown'' is a term primarily used in North America by English speakers to refer to a city's sometimes commercial, cultural and often the historical, political and geographic heart. It is often synonymous with its central business distric ...

. Magnolia has been a part of the city since 1891. A good portion of the peninsula is taken up by Discovery Park, formerly the U.S. Army's Fort Lawton. Magnolia is isolated from the rest of Seattle, connected by road to the rest of the city by only three bridges over the tracks of the

BNSF Railway BNSF Railway is one of the largest freight railroads in North America. One of seven North American Class I railroads, BNSF has 35,000 employees, of track in 28 states, and nearly 8,000 locomotives. It has three transcontinental routes that ...

: W. Emerson Street in the north, W. Dravus Street in the center, and W. Garfield Street (the

Magnolia Bridge The Magnolia Bridge, built in 1930, connects the Seattle neighborhoods of Magnolia and Interbay over the filled-in tidelands of Smith Cove. It is one of only three road connections from Magnolia to the rest of Seattle. It carries W. Garfield Str ...

) in the south — the

Salmon Bay Bridge The Salmon Bay Bridge, also known as Bridge No. 4, is a Strauss Heel-trunnion single-leaf bascule bridge spanning across Salmon Bay and connecting Magnolia/ Interbay to Ballard in Seattle, Washington. The bridge is located just west of Commodore ...

to Ballard is rail-only, no motorized traffic is permitted to cross the Hiram M. Chittenden Locks, and the W. Fort Street bridge over the railroad tracks only affords access to the W. Commodore Way industrial area (traffic to the rest of the city from that area still needs to take the W. Emerson Street bridge).

Boundaries

Magnolia is bounded on the north by Salmon Bay and Shilshole Bay 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 ...

, across which is Ballard; on the west by Puget Sound and Elliott Bay; on the south by Elliott Bay and Smith Cove; and on the east by the BNSF Railway and the

Port of Seattle The Port of Seattle is a government agency overseeing the seaport and airport of Seattle, Washington, United States. With a portfolio of properties ranging from parks and waterfront real estate, to one of the largest airports and container t ...

's Terminal 91, beyond which is Interbay. Although magnolia trees do line W. McGraw Street in the neighborhood's commercial district, Magnolia's naming was a misnomer. It was named by Captain George Davidson of the U.S. Coast Survey in 1856, who reportedly mistook the plentiful madrona trees for magnolias. Meany, Edmond S., ''Origins of Washington Historical Names'', Seattle: Univ of Washington Press, 1923, p. 157; Phillips, James W. ''Washington State Place Names'', Seattle: Univ of Washington Press, 1971 Groups are actively working to save the remaining madronas on the bluff. On Magnolia's south end is Magnolia Park, overlooking Puget Sound,

Mount Rainier Mount Rainier (), indigenously known as Tahoma, Tacoma, Tacobet, or təqʷubəʔ, is a large active stratovolcano in the Cascade Range of the Pacific Northwest, located in Mount Rainier National Park about south-southeast of Seattle. With a s ...

, and the city skyline. It features a picnic area and tennis courts across the street. Also in Magnolia are Smith Cove and its marina. Discovery Park, in the northwest, encompasses and is Seattle's largest park. Seven miles of trails provide visitors with views of Puget Sound and the Olympic Mountains. Parts of Fort Lawton, such as the officers' homes and other historic buildings, remain in the park. Discovery Park has extensive beaches wrapping around West Point, the westernmost point in Seattle, and West Point hosts a lighthouse which guides ships into Seattle's harbour, Elliott Bay. Adjacent to Discovery Park is West Point, featuring the

West Point Lighthouse The West Point Light, also known as the Discovery Park Lighthouse, is an active aid to navigation on Seattle, Washington (state), Washington's West Point (Seattle), West Point, which juts into Puget Sound and marks the northern extent of Elliott B ...

, which was built in 1881 and is the oldest lighthouse in the area. Walking trails descend from the park to two miles (3 km) of beach and the lighthouse. West Point also contains one of Seattle's sewage treatment facilities, and several archaeological sites.

Highlights

Another highlight is the local branch of the Seattle Public Library, designed in 1964 by architects Paul Hayden Kirk and

Richard Haag Richard Haag (October 23, 1923 – May 9, 2018) was an American landscape architect. He worked on Gas Works Park in Seattle, Washington and on the Bloedel Reserve on Bainbridge Island. Furthermore, he founded the Landscape Architecture Program ...

, who won top awards for design from the American Library Association. In the children's section is a statue of a young girl titled "Girl Holding Doves," designed by Ebba Rapp McLauchlan. Outside hangs a bronze wall sculpture titled "Activity of Thought," an abstract piece of art designed especially for the library by Glenn Alps. The library is furnished with solid walnut tables and chairs custom designed by George Nakashima. Magnolia's business district, called "The Village" by locals, is home to many specialty stores, professional services, restaurants, and industrial and marine services. In the summer, there is a farmers market held on Saturdays in the Magnolia Village. There are three Seattle Public Schools in Magnolia: Lawton Elementary, Magnolia Elementary, and Catherine Blaine K-8.

Neighborhoods

According to the Seattle City Clerk's office, Magnolia comprises three neighborhoods (see map): * Lawton Park – The northern half of Magnolia * Briarcliff – The southwestern quarter of Magnolia * Southeast Magnolia – The southeastern quarter of Magnolia File:Seattle - Magnolia map.jpg, Map of Magnolia Image:BNSFtracks-kiwanisravine-seattle.jpg,

tracks just north of

Kiwanis Ravine Kiwanis Ravine is an public park a block east of Discovery Park in the Magnolia neighborhood of Seattle, Washington. Purchased by the Kiwanis Club in the 1950s and donated to Seattle Parks Department, it is home to the largest nesting colo ...

File:Magnolia Park, Washington - tree and bench.jpg, Park in Magnolia

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 19,156 people, 9,077 households, and 4,828 families residing in the neighborhood. There are 9,416 housing units. The racial makeup of the neighborhood was 87.4% White, 5.8% Asian, 1.6% African American, 0.6% Native American, 0.3% Pacific Islander, 1.0% from other races, and 3.2% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.3% of the population. There were 9,077 households, out of which 20.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.2% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...

living together, 5.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 46.8% were non-families. 34.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.10 and the average family size was 2.73. In the neighborhood the population was spread out, with 17.0% under the age of 18, 7.6% from 18 to 24, 34.8% from 25 to 44, 26.7% from 45 to 64, and 15.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40.5 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.2 males. The median income for a household in the neighborhood was $59,542, and the median income for a family was $79,842. Males had a median income of $51,561 versus $39,107 for females. The per capita income for the neighborhood was $37,754. About 2.3% of families and 5.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.3% of those under age 18 and 5.3% of those age 65 or over.

References

External links