View Ridge 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

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 ...

. As with all Seattle neighborhoods, its boundaries are not fixed, but can be thought of as NE 65th Street in the south, 40th and 45th Avenues NE in the west, the Sand Point Country Club in the north, and Sand Point Way NE in the east. Many homes offer views of

Lake Washington Lake Washington () is a large freshwater lake adjacent to the city of Seattle, Washington, United States. It is the largest lake in King County, Washington, King County and the second largest natural lake in the state of Washington (state), Was ...

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

Cascade Range The Cascade Range or Cascades is a major mountain range of western North America, extending from southern British Columbia through Washington (state), Washington and Oregon to Northern California. It includes both non-volcanic mountains, such as m ...

. View Ridge Elementary School is located within the neighborhood, and the neighborhood also offers a large park and playfield ( View Ridge Park) across the street from the elementary school. The View Ridge Swim and Tennis Club is located on the eastern edge of View Ridge, and the Sand Point Country Club is located on the northern edge.

Demographics

View Ridge is home to a considerable

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

community, with a

Hasidic Hasidism () or Hasidic Judaism is a religious movement within Judaism that arose in the 18th century as a spiritual revival movement in contemporary Western Ukraine before spreading rapidly throughout Eastern Europe. Today, most of those aff ...

synagogue A synagogue, also called a shul or a temple, is a place of worship for Jews and Samaritans. It is a place for prayer (the main sanctuary and sometimes smaller chapels) where Jews attend religious services or special ceremonies such as wed ...

, Congregation Shaarei Tefillah Lubavitch, located at the corner of NE 65th St. and 43rd Ave. NE. There are several churches, too: Lutheran, Methodist, Presbyterian, and Catholic. In addition to the public elementary and middle school, there are many private schools nearby.

Geography

View Ridge is roughly bounded by NE 65th Street in the south, beyond which is Hawthorne Hills; 40th and 45th Avenues NE in the west, beyond which is

Wedgwood Wedgwood is an English China (material), fine china, porcelain and luxury accessories manufacturer that was founded on 1 May 1759 by the potter and entrepreneur Josiah Wedgwood and was first incorporated in 1895 as Josiah Wedgwood and Sons L ...

; the Sand Point Country Club in the north, beyond which is Matthews Beach; and Sand Point Way NE in the east, beyond which is Sand Point. View Ridge is located on a hill overlooking Magnuson Park as well as the former Naval Air Station Seattle. The neighborhood encompasses an area of approximately . The neighborhood is a high point between the adjacent neighborhoods of Wedgwood and Hawthorne Hills.

History

View Ridge was first settled in 1936 by Ralph Jones and Al Balch; it is one of the newest neighborhoods in Seattle. Upon buying of forest land in what is now the neighborhood, Jones and Balch cleared trees to create views of Lake Washington and the Cascades. They then sold lots on their land for $450 to $950 and created publicity for their property sales. Their initial success in selling land in View Ridge enabled them to expand their efforts, and they bought more land to reach the current boundaries of View Ridge. The neighborhood was annexed into Seattle in 1942. View Ridge Elementary School was founded with

portable classroom A portable classroom (also known as a demountable or relocatable classroom), is a type of portable building installed at a school to temporarily and quickly provide additional classroom space where there is a shortage of capacity. They are des ...

s in 1944 and was built in 1948. In the late 1980s, View Ridge became the site of a series of

arson Arson is the act of willfully and deliberately setting fire to or charring property. Although the act of arson typically involves buildings, the term can also refer to the intentional burning of other things, such as motor vehicles, watercr ...

s. The first fires occurred in March 1987, when four houses were set on fire in one night, resulting in the death of an elderly couple. In 1989, several more cases of arson were committed in the neighborhood; the arsonists responsible ultimately set forty fires.

References

{{commons category, View Ridge, Seattle, Washington Jews and Judaism in Seattle