Magnolia is the second largest
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 ...
of
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 ...
by area, located in northwestern Seattle. It occupies a hilly peninsula northwest of
downtown
''Downtown'' is a term primarily used in American and Canadian English 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 district ( ...
. 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
The United States Army (USA) is the primary land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of the United Stat ...
's
Fort Lawton
Fort Lawton was a United States Army Military base, post located in the Magnolia, Seattle, Washington, Magnolia neighborhood of Seattle, Washington (state), Washington overlooking Puget Sound. In 1973 a large majority of the property, 534 acre ...
.
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 the largest freight railroad in the United States. One of six North American Class I railroads, BNSF has 36,000 employees, of track in 28 states, and over 8,000 locomotives. It has three Transcontinental railroad, transcontine ...
: W. Emerson Street in the north, W. Dravus Street in the center, and W. Garfield Street (the
Magnolia Bridge) in the south — the
Salmon Bay Bridge 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 is a canal that runs through the city of Seattle and connects the fresh water body of Lake Washington to the salt water inland sea of Puget Sound. The Hiram M. Chittenden Locks accommodate the approximately diff ...
, across which is
Ballard; on the west by
Puget Sound
Puget Sound ( ; ) is a complex estuary, estuarine system of interconnected Marine habitat, marine waterways and basins located on the northwest coast of the U.S. state of Washington (state), Washington. As a part of the Salish Sea, the sound ...
and
Elliott Bay
Elliott Bay is a part of the Central Basin region of Puget Sound. It is in the U.S. state of Washington, extending southeastward between West Point in the north and Alki Point in the south. Seattle was founded on this body of water in the 1850s ...
; 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 public agency that is in King County, Washington. It oversees the seaport of Seattle as well as Seattle–Tacoma International Airport. With a portfolio of properties ranging from parks and waterfront real estate, to ...
's Terminal 91, beyond which is
Interbay.
Although
magnolia
''Magnolia'' is a large genus of about 210 to 340The number of species in the genus ''Magnolia'' depends on the taxonomic view that one takes up. Recent molecular and morphological research shows that former genera ''Talauma'', ''Dugandiodendr ...
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
Puget Sound ( ; ) is a complex estuary, estuarine system of interconnected Marine habitat, marine waterways and basins located on the northwest coast of the U.S. state of Washington (state), Washington. As a part of the Salish Sea, the sound ...
,
Mount Rainier
Mount Rainier ( ), also known as Tahoma, is a large active stratovolcano in the Cascade Range of the Pacific Northwest in the United States. The mountain is located in Mount Rainier National Park about south-southeast of Seattle. With an off ...
, 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
The Olympic Mountains are a mountain range on the Olympic Peninsula of the Pacific Northwest of the United States. The mountains, part of the Pacific Coast Ranges, are not especially high – Mount Olympus (Washington), Mount Olympus is the high ...
. Parts of
Fort Lawton
Fort Lawton was a United States Army Military base, post located in the Magnolia, Seattle, Washington, Magnolia neighborhood of Seattle, Washington (state), Washington overlooking Puget Sound. In 1973 a large majority of the property, 534 acre ...
, such as the officers' homes and other historic buildings, remain in the park, though many are now private residences. 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 harbor, Elliott Bay.
Adjacent to Discovery Park is
West Point
The United States Military Academy (USMA), commonly known as West Point, is a United States service academies, United States service academy in West Point, New York that educates cadets for service as Officer_(armed_forces)#United_States, comm ...
, featuring the
West Point Light
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 ...
house, 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
Sewage treatment is a type of wastewater treatment which aims to remove contaminants from sewage to produce an effluent that is suitable to discharge to the surrounding environment or an intended reuse application, thereby preventing water p ...
facilities, and several archaeological sites.
Highlights
Another highlight is the local branch of the
Seattle Public Library
The Seattle Public Library (SPL) is the public library system serving the city of Seattle, Washington (state), Washington. Efforts to start a Seattle library had commenced as early as 1868, with the system eventually being established by the ci ...
, designed in 1964 by architects
Paul Hayden Kirk and
Richard Haag
Richard Haag (October 23, 1923 – May 9, 2018) was an American landscape architect who was known for his role in Gas Works Park in Seattle, Washington and on the Bloedel Reserve on Bainbridge Island. Richard Haag's modernist and minimalist ...
, who won top awards for design from the
American Library Association
The American Library Association (ALA) is a nonprofit organization based in the United States that promotes libraries and library education internationally. It is the oldest and largest library association in the world.
History 19th century ...
. 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, and restaurants. In the summer, there is a farmers market held on Saturdays in the Magnolia Village.
There are three
Seattle Public Schools
Seattle Public Schools is the largest Public school (government funded), public school district in the state of Washington (state), Washington. The school district serves almost all of Seattle. Additionally it includes sections of Boulevard Par ...
in Magnolia: Lawton Elementary, Magnolia Elementary, and Catharine 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, BNSF Railway
BNSF Railway is the largest freight railroad in the United States. One of six North American Class I railroads, BNSF has 36,000 employees, of track in 28 states, and over 8,000 locomotives. It has three Transcontinental railroad, transcontine ...
tracks just north of Kiwanis Ravine
File:Magnolia Park, Washington - tree and bench.jpg, Park in Magnolia
Demographics
As of the
census
A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...
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
White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...
, 5.8%
Asian, 1.6%
African American
African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...
, 0.6%
Native American, 0.3%
Pacific Islander
Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...
, 1.0% from
other races, and 3.2% from two or more races.
Hispanic
The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...
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 recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...
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
Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year.
In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...
for the neighborhood was $37,754. About 2.3% of families and 5.1% of the population were below the
poverty line
The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...
, including 5.3% of those under age 18 and 5.3% of those age 65 or over.
See also
*
Commodore Park
*
Elliott Bay Marina
References
External links
Seattle City Clerk: MagnoliaMagnolia Chamber of CommerceMagnolia Community Club (Magnolia's Community Council)*Louis Fiset
Seattle Neighborhoods: Magnolia — Thumbnail History HistoryLink
HistoryLink is an online encyclopedia of Washington (state), Washington state history. The site has more than 8,100 entries and attracts 23,000 weekly visitors. It has 500 biographies and more than 14,000 images.
The non-profit historical organi ...
, June 30, 2001
*Dave Wilma
Magnolia Branch, The Seattle Public Library opens on July 1, 1964 HistoryLink
HistoryLink is an online encyclopedia of Washington (state), Washington state history. The site has more than 8,100 entries and attracts 23,000 weekly visitors. It has 500 biographies and more than 14,000 images.
The non-profit historical organi ...
, July 2, 2002.
{{Seattle neighborhoods