Northgate 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 north

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, Washington, named for and surrounding Northgate Mall, the first covered mall in the

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.
Wilma referenced Walt Crowley with Paul Dorpat (Photography Editor), ''National Trust Guide: Seattle'' (New York: John Wiley & Son, Inc., 1998), 209; HistoryLink.org Online Encyclopedia of Washington State History, "Northgate Beginnings" (by Jim Douglas), accessed August 2001

L. B. Fussell, "Section To Be Known As 'Northgate'", ''The Seattle Times'', February 22, 1948;
"Features Of Northgate Shopping Area Outlined", ''The Seattle Times'', February 1, 1950; "Polar Bear Cubs And $35,000 Car Vie At Northgate", ''The Seattle Times'', May 23, 1950;
"Plenty of Parking Space At Northgate", ''The Seattle Times'', May 7, 1950;
"Carter To Carve Totem Pole For Northgate", ''The Seattle Times'', February 26, 1952;
"Northgate Stores Fete Completion Of Area", ''The Seattle Times'', February 15, 1952;
"Car Show Planned On Northgate Mall", ''The Seattle Times'', April 30, 1953;
"25 New Stores Opening At Northgate", ''The Seattle Times'', August 17, 1965;
"Did You Know?" ''The Seattle Times'', March 18, 1965;
"Northgate's Vast Parking Areas Can Accommodate Up To 50,000 Cars A Day", ''The Seattle Times'', March 21, 1968;
"Eighteen Stores Pioneered Merchandising History At Northgate", ''The Seattle Times'', April 9, 1975;
"Northgate An Instant Success", ''The Seattle Times'', April 9, 1975;
"Northgate Center Will Celebrate 30th Anniversary Next Month", ''The Seattle Times'', March 13, 1980;simon.com
b
Steve Schoenherr (University of San Diego), "Evolution of the Shopping Center", Steve Schoenherr Home Page accessed on November 4, 2004
/ref> Its north-south principal arterials are Roosevelt Way NE and Aurora Avenue N ( SR 99), and its east-west principal arterials are NE Northgate Way and 130th Street. Minor arterials are College Way-Meridian Avenue N, 1st, 5th, and 15th avenues NE.

Interstate 5 Interstate 5 (I-5) is the main north–south Interstate Highway System, Interstate Highway on the West Coast of the United States, running largely parallel to the Pacific coast of the contiguous U.S. from Mexico to Canada. It travels thro ...

runs through the district. Besides the eponymous mall, the most characteristic distinctions of the area are North Seattle College (NSC) and the south fork of the Thornton Creek watershed and

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Iceplex center.

History

Prehistory

What is now Northgate has been inhabited since the end of the last glacial period (c. 8,000 BCE—10,000 years ago). The ''Dkh^w’Duw’Absh'', People of the Inside and ''Xacuabš'', People of the Large Lake, Lushootseed (Skagit-Nisqually) Coast Salish native people had used the ''Liq'tid'' Springs area as a spiritual health spa. They harvested cranberries from the ''Slo’q `qed'' (''SLOQ-qed'', bald head), an 85 acre (34 ha) marsh and bog at what is now the NSCC car park, Interstate 5 interchange, and Northgate Mall. Large open areas for game habitat and foraging (anthropogenic

grassland A grassland is an area where the vegetation is dominance (ecology), dominated by grasses (Poaceae). However, sedge (Cyperaceae) and rush (Juncaceae) can also be found along with variable proportions of legumes such as clover, and other Herbaceo ...

s) were maintained in what are now these neighborhoods by selective burning every few years. Today the Native American descendants are represented by the Duwamish tribe.

Development

The Northgate area has been subject to a large amount of residential and commercial development in the last few years, and many huge projects are underway. The height limits in the area have been increased to 85' to allow for further population growth. In 2009 the Northgate Mall was remodeled and added dozens more retail shops. In 2006, a new park, library, and community center opened in the Northgate neighborhood across 5th Ave NE from Northgate Mall. These are part of the city's plan to accelerate development in Northgate. While there is much commerce in the area, hotel development has been limited with only the Hotel Nexus, previously a Ramada Inn, being the only upscale hotel in the area. The many motels lining Aurora Avenue are further northwest than the Northgate neighborhood. Dense mixed-use development is expected to be constructed adjacent to Northgate station on

Link light rail Link light rail is a light rail system with some rapid transit characteristics that serves the Seattle metropolitan area in the U.S. state of Washington (state), Washington. It is managed by Sound Transit in partnership with local transit pro ...

, which opened in October 2021 as the terminus of the Northgate Link Extension. Northgate is also home to the headquarters and team practice facility of the

which began play in October 2021.

Neighborhoods

Northgate neighborhoods are (north to south): * Haller Lake * Pinehurst * Licton Springs or North College Park *

Maple Leaf The maple leaf is the characteristic leaf of the maple tree. It is most widely recognized as the national symbols of Canada, national symbol of Canada. History of use in Canada By the early 1700s, the maple leaf had been adopted as an emblem by ...

Places of Interest

The Idriss Mosque in Pinehurst has architecture unique to Seattle. An octagonal dome and a symbolic

minaret A minaret is a type of tower typically built into or adjacent to mosques. Minarets are generally used to project the Muslim call to prayer (''adhan'') from a muezzin, but they also served as landmarks and symbols of Islam's presence. They can h ...

, both sheathed in copper and capped with crescent moons, red brick walls banded with buff brick and tall glass-block windows topped with concrete lintels in the shape of Moorish arches distinguish the first

mosque A mosque ( ), also called a masjid ( ), is a place of worship for Muslims. The term usually refers to a covered building, but can be any place where Salah, Islamic prayers are performed; such as an outdoor courtyard. Originally, mosques were si ...

in Seattle (1981) and the first mosque west of the Mississippi River to be built in a Middle Eastern design.
Long referenced David Buerge and Junius Rochester, ''Roots and Branches'' (Seattle: Church Council of Greater Seattle, 1988), 221;
David Schraer, "Northgate's Mosque: A Monument on the Strip", ''Arcade (Seattle)'', Vol. 2, No. 2 (June–July 1981), p. 2;
John Wolcott, "Muslims in the Northwest", ''The Progress'', Vol. 89, No. 3 (January 16, 1986).

Mall

The Northgate Mall, opened in 1950, is the oldest, first regional historic shopping center called a mall, though there are 3 other shopping centers in the United States which predate it. At the time of its opening, it was located outside of the Seattle city limits, though this is no longer the case. It is located in the Maple Leaf neighborhood of Northgate.
Wilma referenced Mimi Sheridan and Carol Tobin, ''Licton Springs History'', (Seattle: Licton Springs Community Council, 2001), 8;
Don Sherwood, "Sacajawea P.F.", in "Interpretive Essays of the Histories of Seattle's Parks and Playfields", handwritten bound manuscript dated 1977, Seattle Room, Seattle Public Library. Surrounding Northgate Mall are many strip malls and the "Northgate North" shopping center which features a Best Buy and a two-story Target.

Notes and references

{{Seattle neighborhoods