West Seattle is a conglomeration of neighborhoods in

Seattle Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest regio ...

, Washington, United States. It comprises two of the thirteen districts, Delridge and Southwest, and encompasses all of Seattle west of the Duwamish River. It was incorporated as an independent town in 1902 before being annexed by Seattle five years later. Among the area's attractions are its saltwater beach parks along

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 ...

and

Puget Sound Puget Sound ( ) is a sound of the Pacific Northwest, an inlet of the Pacific Ocean, and part of the Salish Sea. It is located along the northwestern coast of the U.S. state of Washington. It is a complex estuarine system of interconnected ma ...

, including

Alki Beach Park Alki Beach Park is a park located in the West Seattle neighborhood of Seattle, Washington that consists of the Elliott Bay beach between Alki Point and Duwamish Head. It has a of beachfront, and was the first public salt-water bathing beach on t ...

and Lincoln Park. The area is also known for its views of 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 is the highest at ; however, the easter ...

to the west 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 and Oregon to Northern California. It includes both non-volcanic mountains, such as the North Cascades, ...

to the east. One-third of Seattle's green space and

urban forest An urban forest is a forest, or a collection of trees, that grow within a city, town or a suburb. In a wider sense, it may include any kind of woody plant vegetation growing in and around human settlements. As opposed to a forest park, whose ec ...

is located in West Seattle, much of it in the West Duwamish Greenbelt.

Neighborhoods

High Point

High Point is a neighborhood in the Delridge district. It is so named because it contains the highest point in the city of Seattle: the intersection of 35th Avenue SW and SW Myrtle Street, which is above

sea level Mean sea level (MSL, often shortened to sea level) is an average surface level of one or more among Earth's coastal bodies of water from which heights such as elevation may be measured. The global MSL is a type of vertical datuma standardised g ...

. The neighborhood is located on the east side of 35th Ave SW, with approximate north and south boundaries at SW Juneau Street and SW Myrtle Street. The hill is dominated by two large

water tower A water tower is an elevated structure supporting a water tank constructed at a height sufficient to pressurize a distribution system for potable water, and to provide emergency storage for fire protection. Water towers often operate in conju ...

s; it is also the location of Our Lady of Guadalupe School and Parish, on the peak of the highest hill in West Seattle. It is also known for the High Point Projects which were torn down in 2005 to make way for new

mixed-income housing The definition of mixed-income housing is broad and encompasses many types of dwellings and neighborhoods. Following Brophy and Smith, the following will discuss “non-organic” examples of mixed-income housing, meaning “a deliberate effort to ...

. High Point is one of Seattle's most diverse neighborhoods, with a substantial immigrant population from

Southeast Asia Southeast Asia, also spelled South East Asia and South-East Asia, and also known as Southeastern Asia, South-eastern Asia or SEA, is the geographical United Nations geoscheme for Asia#South-eastern Asia, south-eastern region of Asia, consistin ...

and

East Africa East Africa, Eastern Africa, or East of Africa, is the eastern subregion of the African continent. In the United Nations Statistics Division scheme of geographic regions, 10-11-(16*) territories make up Eastern Africa: Due to the historical ...

Redevelopment

The neighborhood was originally developed during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

to provide government housing, and it remained a district of predominantly low-income housing through the 1990s. In 2003, the

Seattle Housing Authority Seattle Housing Authority is an independent public corporation in the city of Seattle, Washington, responsible for public housing for low-income, elderly, and disabled residents. SHA serves more than 25,500 people, just under a third of whom are c ...

began work on the first phase of a six-year project to redevelop High Point into a mixed-income community. The redevelopment removed all existing housing, roads, and utilities. In their place, new roads, underground infrastructure, about 1,600 new housing units, and community facilities were built. The redevelopment embraced many

sustainable development Sustainable development is an organizing principle for meeting human development goals while also sustaining the ability of natural systems to provide the natural resources and ecosystem services on which the economy and society depend. The des ...

principles. The site and rental housing are certified at the highest BuiltGreen levels; most housing is Energy Star rated. The site makes extensive use of

permeable paving Permeable paving surfaces are made of either a porous material that enables stormwater to flow through it or nonporous blocks spaced so that water can flow between the gaps. Permeable paving can also include a variety of surfacing techniques ...

, including porous sidewalks, parking areas, and the only porous pavement street in the state of Washington. Some houses were built to reduce symptoms for people with

asthma Asthma is a long-term inflammatory disease of the airways of the lungs. It is characterized by variable and recurring symptoms, reversible airflow obstruction, and easily triggered bronchospasms. Symptoms include episodes of wheezing, cou ...

. The neighborhood redevelopment plan has been recognized with some of the most prestigious land use and development awards, among them the 2007 ULI Global Award of Excellence, the 2007 EPA National Award for Smart Growth, and the 2007

Rudy Bruner Award for Urban Excellence The Rudy Bruner Award for Urban Excellence (RBA) was established in 1986 by Cambridge, Massachusetts architect Simeon Bruner. The award is named after Simeon Bruner's late father, Rudy Bruner, founder of the Bruner Foundation. According to the Bru ...

Alki

Alki Point Alki Point is a point jutting into Puget Sound, the westernmost landform in the West Seattle district of Seattle, Washington. Alki is the peninsular neighborhood on Alki Point. Alki was the original settlement in what was to become the city of S ...

is traditionally credited as the point where the

Denny Party The Denny Party is a group of American pioneers credited with founding Seattle, Washington. They settled at Alki Point on November 13, 1851. History A wagon party headed by Arthur A. Denny left Cherry Grove, Illinois on April 10, 1851. The par ...

founded Seattle prior to moving across Elliott Bay to what is now Downtown. A similar landing at Alki has been reenacted annually since 1950 as part of the week-long

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 S ...

celebration of Seattle's marine and boating heritage. Seafair coincides with West Seattle festivities including Hi-Yu and the West Seattle Summer Fest street festival held each July. Along with its historical significance Alki is also home to the most popular beach in the Seattle area. Fittingly named Alki Beach, it features a long strip of sandy beach full of driftwood, seashells, and fire pits. Low tides offer West Seattleites an opportunity to explore marine life in tidepools. Alki also hosts a flat bike and running trail from which visitors can view the Seattle skyline, Puget Sound, and the Olympic mountains.

The Junction

The Junction is the name used for the commercial district that centers on the intersection of California Avenue S.W. and S.W. Alaska Street. It is sometimes called "West Seattle Junction" or "Alaska Junction" by local residents. West Seattle also has two other intersections of note: the Admiral Junction in the northern part of the peninsula where California Avenue S.W. and S.W. Admiral Way meet, and the Morgan Street Junction at the southern end where Fauntleroy Way S.W., S.W. Morgan Street, and California Avenue S.W. intersect.

Other neighborhoods

The Westwood Village shopping center, between S.W. Trenton and S.W. Barton Streets in the south end of West Seattle, has undergone several makeovers and now provides a mall-like shopping experience, including a Target and a Marhsall's. However, it is unlikely that a movie theater will be allowed here because of restricted parking. Before the annexation of West Seattle, the neighborhood of White Center radiated north and south of Roxbury, but now with the city line going down the middle of the old neighborhood is it unclear whether the northern part of the area should still be referred to as part of the White Center neighborhood. West Seattle also includes suburban neighborhoods in the southwest end, including Gatewood, Fauntleroy, Arbor Heights and Arroyo Heights in the southernmost section of West Seattle.

Transportation

The high-level

West Seattle Bridge The West Seattle Bridge, officially the Jeanette Williams Memorial Bridge, is a cantilevered segmental bridge that serves as the primary connection between West Seattle and important highways such as State Route 99 (and the tunnel through downt ...

and the low-level

Spokane Street Bridge The Spokane Street Bridge, also known as the West Seattle Low-Level Bridge, is a concrete double-leaf swing bridge in Seattle, Washington. It carries Southwest Spokane Street over the Duwamish River, connecting Harbor Island to West Seattle. ...

connect northern West Seattle to Downtown Seattle and SODO. The high-level bridge was closed from 2020 to 2022 for extensive repairs. West Seattle is served by bus service from

King County Metro King County Metro, officially the King County Metro Transit Department and often shortened to Metro, is the public transit authority of King County, Washington, which includes the city of Seattle. It is the eighth-largest transit bus agency in t ...

, including the

RapidRide C Line The C Line is one of seven RapidRide lines (routes with some bus rapid transit features) operated by King County Metro in King County, Washington. The C Line began service on September 29, 2012, running between downtown Seattle, West Seattle, ...

. There is a

Washington State Ferries Washington State Ferries (WSF) is a government agency that operates automobile and passenger ferry service in the U.S. state of Washington as part of the Washington State Department of Transportation. It runs ten routes serving 20 terminals loc ...

dock in the Fauntleroy neighborhood, with service to

Vashon Island Vashon is a census-designated place (CDP) in King County, Washington, United States. It covers an island alternately called Vashon Island or Vashon–Maury Island, the largest island in Puget Sound south of Admiralty Inlet. The population was 10, ...

and to Southworth on the

Kitsap Peninsula The Kitsap Peninsula () lies west of Seattle across Puget Sound, in Washington state in the Pacific Northwest. Hood Canal separates the peninsula from the Olympic Peninsula on its west side. The peninsula, a.k.a. "Kitsap", encompasses all of Kit ...

. The passenger-only King County Water Taxi also runs between Duwamish Head and downtown Seattle.

History

Numerous sites exist with historical information on West Seattle, which is Seattle's oldest neighborhood and birthplace of Seattle proper. The Southwest Seattle Historical Society maintains the Log House Museum at

Notable residents

Among West Seattle's current and former notable residents are Pearl Jam lead singer

Eddie Vedder Eddie Jerome Vedder (born Edward Louis Severson III; December 23, 1964) is an American singer, musician, and songwriter best known as the lead vocalist and one of four guitarists of the rock band Pearl Jam. He also appeared as a guest vocalist i ...

; Pearl Jam member

Jeff Ament Jeffrey Allen Ament (born March 10, 1963) is an American musician and songwriter who is best known as the bassist of the American rock band Pearl Jam, which he co-founded alongside Stone Gossard, Mike McCready, and Eddie Vedder. Prior to his wo ...

; actress

Dyan Cannon Dyan Cannon (born Samille Diane Friesen; January 4, 1937) is an American actress, director, screenwriter, producer, and editor. Her accolades include a Saturn Award, a Golden Globe Award, three Academy Award nominations, and a star on the Ho ...

; actor

Steven Hill Stephen or Steven is a common English first name. It is particularly significant to Christians, as it belonged to Saint Stephen ( grc-gre, Στέφανος ), an early disciple and deacon who, according to the Book of Acts, was stoned to death; ...

; nature photographer

Art Wolfe Art Wolfe (born 1951) is an American photographer and conservationist, best known for color images of landscapes, wildlife, and native cultures. His photographs document scenes from every continent and hundreds of locations, and have been noted b ...

; writer and journalist

Amanda Knox Amanda Marie Knox (born July 9, 1987) is an American author, activist, and journalist. She spent almost four years in an Italian prison following her wrongful conviction for the 2007 murder of Meredith Kercher, a fellow exchange student with ...

; actress and burlesque performer Gypsy Rose Lee; restaurateur, folk singer, and former Seattle City Council member

Ivar Haglund Ivar Johan Haglund (March 21, 1905 – January 30, 1985) was a Seattle, Washington, Seattle folk music, folk singing, singer, restaurateur and the founder of Ivar's. Background Ivar Johan Haglund was born in Seattle, Washington, the son of pion ...

; fantasy author

Terry Brooks Terence Dean Brooks (born January 8, 1944) is an American writer of fantasy fiction. He writes mainly epic fantasy, and has also written two film novelizations. He has written 23 ''New York Times'' bestsellers during his writing career, and ha ...

; mountain climbers

Jim Whittaker James W. Whittaker (born February 10, 1929), also known as Jim Whittaker, is an American mountaineer and mountain guide. Born and raised in Seattle, Washington, on May 1, 1963 he became the first American to reach the summit of Mount Everest as a ...

and

Lou Whittaker Lou Whittaker (born February 10, 1929) is a mountaineer, mountain guide, and entrepreneur. He and his twin brother, Jim Whittaker, an equally renowned mountaineer and guide, were born and raised in Seattle. Besides his worldwide mountain climbi ...

; author

Tobias Wolff Tobias is the transliteration of the Greek which is a translation of the Hebrew biblical name he, טוֹבִיה, Toviyah, JahGod is good, label=none. With the biblical Book of Tobias being present in the Deuterocanon/Apocrypha of the Bible, To ...

; astronaut

Gregory C. Johnson Gregory Carl "Ray J" Johnson (born July 30, 1954), (Captain (naval), CAPT, United States Naval Reserve, USNR, Ret.), is a retired American United States Navy, naval officer and United States naval aviator, naval aviator, test pilot, aerospace e ...

;

Soundgarden Soundgarden was an American rock band formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1984 by singer and drummer Chris Cornell, lead guitarist Kim Thayil (both of whom are the only members to appear in every incarnation of the band), and bassist Hiro Yamamo ...

singer

Chris Cornell Christopher John Cornell (né Boyle; July 20, 1964 – May 18, 2017) was an American singer and musician best known as the lead vocalist, rhythm guitarist, and primary lyricist and songwriter for the rock bands Soundgarden and Audioslave ...

;

The Flying Karamazov Brothers The Flying Karamazov Brothers (FKB) are a juggling and comedy troupe that has been performing since 1973. They learned their trade busking as street artists starting in Santa Cruz, California, eventually going on to perform nationally and internat ...

member Sam Williams; author, journalist, and screenwriter

Jeff Jensen Jeff Jensen (born 1970) is an American writer and journalist. Early life Jensen is a native of Seattle, Washington, and a graduate of the School of Visual Arts in New York City. Career Jensen is a screenwriter, journalist and author based in ...

; former Seattle mayor

Greg Nickels Gregory J. Nickels (born August 7, 1955) is an American politician who served as the 51st mayor of Seattle, Washington. He took office on January 1, 2002 and was reelected to a second term in 2005. In August 2009, Nickels finished third in the p ...

; mountain climber and guide Scott Fischer; science fiction and fantasy author

Cat Rambo Cat Rambo (born November 14, 1963) is an American science fiction and fantasy writer and editor. Rambo uses they/them pronouns. Rambo was co-editor of ''Fantasy Magazine (2005), Fantasy Magazine'' from 2007 to 2011, which earned them a 2012 Wor ...

; actress Frances Farmer; actress

Meg Tilly Meg Tilly (born Margaret Elizabeth Chan on February 14, 1960) is an American-Canadian actress and writer. For her role in the 1985 film ''Agnes of God'', she won a Golden Globe Award and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting A ...

; musician

Bill Rieflin William Frederick Rieflin (September 30, 1960 – March 24, 2020) was an American musician. Rieflin came to prominence in the 1990s mainly for his work as a drummer with groups (particularly in the industrial rock and industrial metal scene ...

; artist Francesca Sundsten; former Pittsburgh Pirates player

Ed Bahr Edson Garfield Bahr (October 16, 1919 – April 6, 2007) was a Canadian-born professional baseball pitcher who appeared in Major League Baseball for the Pittsburgh Pirates in and . Bahr was born in Rouleau, Saskatchewan, but graduated from West ...

; NFL and Canadian Football League player

Byron Bailey Byron Ledare "By" Bailey (October 12, 1930 – January 18, 1998) born to Rollin Edward and Cora Helen (Bruner). Bailey, was a professional American and Canadian football player, primarily as a fullback and defensive back with the Canadian Fo ...

; author Nicholas Johnson; singer/songwriter Brandi Carlile; U.S. Representative Pramila Jayapal; TV & Radio talent/writer Cindi Rinehart.

Media

The community is served by the '' West Seattle Herald,'' now merged into the ''Westside Weekly'', which publishes weekly in print and offers continuous updates throughout the day on its website; and by the West Seattle Blog, which has been published online since 2005.

Education

West Seattle is home to

South Seattle College South Seattle College (SSC, formerly South Seattle Community College) is a public community college in West Seattle, Washington. Founded in 1970, it is one of three colleges which make up the Seattle Colleges District. The Seattle Community Colle ...

West Seattle High School West Seattle High School (known to students as "Westside") is a comprehensive public high school in Seattle's West Seattle neighborhood that serves grades nine through twelve as part of the Seattle Public Schools. History and facilities The s ...

Chief Sealth International High School Chief Sealth International High School (CSIHS) is a public high school in the Seattle Public Schools district of Seattle, Washington (U.S. state), Washington. Opened in 1957 in southern West Seattle, Seattle, West Seattle, Chief Sealth students c ...

, Seattle Lutheran High School, Gatewood Elementary School, Madison Middle School,

Denny International Middle School Denny International Middle School (DIMS) is a middle school in West Seattle, the southwest portion of Seattle, Washington. Operated by Seattle Public Schools. It is named for David T. Denny, one of Seattle’s early settlers and an early member o ...

, Roxhill Elementary School, K-5 STEM at Boren, Alki Elementary School, Lafayette Elementary School, Highland Park Elementary School, Sanislo Elementary School, Pathfinder K-8, Holy Family School Seattle, Holy Rosary West Seattle, Genesee Hill Elementary School, Our Lady of Guadalupe, Hope Lutheran School, Arbor Heights Elementary School, and Fairmount Park Elementary School.

Parks and recreation

West Seattle has many parks along the water front, including Lincoln Park and the Emma Schmitz Overlook to Jack Block park facing the port. The West Seattle Golf Course, West Seattle Stadium and Camp Long Outdoor Learning Center are found in the middle of the peninsula with unique opportunities to recreate outdoors including overnight camping in rustic cabins. In addition, Seattle Parks and Recreation maintains Community Centers (Alki, Delridge, and Hiawatha), Coleman Pool, SouthWest Pool and the SouthWest Teen Life Center. There is a historic bath house on Alki Beach as well as the Dakota Place Park with its restored light station.

List of neighborhoods

Admiral Admiral is one of the highest ranks in some navies. In the Commonwealth nations and the United States, a "full" admiral is equivalent to a "full" general in the army or the air force, and is above vice admiral and below admiral of the fleet, ...

, also known as North Admiral * Alki * Arbor Heights *

Belvedere Belvedere (from Italian, meaning "beautiful sight") may refer to: Places Australia *Belvedere, Queensland, a locality in the Cassowary Coast Region Africa * Belvedere (Casablanca), a neighborhood in Casablanca, Morocco *Belvedere, Harare, Zi ...

* Delridge * Fauntleroy * Fairmount Park * Gatewood *

Genesee Genesee, derived from the Seneca word for "pleasant valley", may refer to: Geographic features Canada *Genesee, Alberta, an unincorporated community United States *Genesee, California *Genesee, Colorado *Genesee County, Michigan *Genesee Co ...

* Harbor Ave * Highland Park * Lincoln Park *

Luna Park Luna Park is a name shared by dozens of currently operating and defunct amusement parks. They are named after, and partly based on, the first Luna Park, which opened in 1903 during the heyday of large Coney Island parks. Luna parks are small-s ...

* Morgan Junction * Pigeon Point * Puget Ridge * Riverview * Roxbury * Schmitz Park * Seaview * Sunrise Heights *

Sunset Sunset, also known as sundown, is the daily disappearance of the Sun below the horizon due to Earth's rotation. As viewed from everywhere on Earth (except the North and South poles), the equinox Sun sets due west at the moment of both the spring ...

* Westwood * West Seattle Junction

References

External links

Guide to the City of West Seattle Records 1902-1910
{{Coord, 47, 33, 40, N, 122, 23, 12, W, format=dms, display=title, type:city_region:US-WA Former municipalities in Washington (state)