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The ‘hood you call home

September 17, 2007 10:03 pm
|      32 COMMENTS
 |   WS miscellaneous

A few folks have e-mailed in recent weeks to inquire about the definitive West Seattle neighborhood map. You would expect the city to have the final say, but upon a closer look at their neighborhood map boundaries for West Seattle — which, annoyingly, the city seems to consider separate from greater Delridge — we’re not so sure. Take a look at what the maps linked below say is your neighborhood; comment here if you disagree. (Note some neighborhood names are missing altogether, such as Pigeon Point.)

Links:
-“West Seattle” (small; large)
-“Delridge” (small; large)

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32 Replies to "The 'hood you call home"

  • delridgian/deridgite September 17, 2007 (11:50 pm)

    While I have no problem saying I live in the Delridge area, for the city to map everything west of 35th S.W. as “West Seattle”and east as “Delridge” is revisionist and ludicrous. Take a look at the map of the central portion of city (http://clerk.ci.seattle.wa.us/public/nmaps/central.htm).It lists nine separate neighborhoods within the central portion.

    Yet the north and south ends are short-changed by comparison. According to that map, South Park and Georgetown have either vanished or belong variously to Beacon Hill or Delridge. My neighborhood (Westwood) doesn’t exist, according to the map. Tell that to everyone who comes down here to the library, to walk the trail or shop. However, the entire north end has it worse; it has only four neighborhoods, judging by the map.

    In popular usage, “West Seattle” refers to the community lying on the peninsula, including neighborhoods inside the city of Seattle boundaries west of the Duwamish. Otherwise, we need to rename a certain bridge the “West Seattle and Delridge Bridge” (or is that freeway)?

  • chas redmond September 18, 2007 (2:34 am)

    A more complete list of neighborhoods is at
    “http://clerk.ci.seattle.wa.us/public/nmaps/neiglist.htm”

    The 1999 neighborhood plan for Westwood/Highland Park is at
    “http://www.seattle.gov/neighborhoods/npi/plans/westwood/”

    Part of the issue here is there are historic names which have resurfaced – for instance, North Delridge is broken down these days into Pigeon Point (formerly Pigeon Hill) and Youngstown (formerly North Delridge). Gatewood, though defined by the city as a neighborhood for a long time now, splits its residents between Morgan Community Association and/or Fauntleroy Community Association. There was no Morgan Community Association before the late ’90s and the city’s neighborhood plans. There was, though, a Morgan Junction where two streetcar lines crossed – one on Fauntleroy and the other on California. It’s still called Morgan Junction, but what is it the junction of? Three streets? A Thriftway, two bars and two coffee shops? (I’m not forgetting Ladro, it’s just too far down the street to be considered at the “junction.”)

    Don’t take offense, this just shows the rapid evolution of the city. See today’s P-I on the use of the word trolley in regard to South Lake Union (Cascade? You can’t see the Cascades from there. I proposed calling that section of town Vulcan in honor of the God of Fire and Volcanoes and Paul Allen’s penchant to build things. Then, rather than the SLUT, one could take the Vulcan trolley. If another trolley should be developed in that area, they’d get a Vulcan Junction.

  • RobertSeattle September 18, 2007 (7:18 am)

    I never quite understand the “North” in “North Admiral”. I just tend to call the area Admiral district.

  • Luckie September 18, 2007 (7:34 am)

    People I know make a distinction between Admiral and North Admiral. Admiral is Genessee Street to Admiral Way, and North Admiral is everything north of that. I wonder why the city calls it all “NORTH Admiral” instead of just Admiral.

  • flipjack September 18, 2007 (9:39 am)

    Does that Map mean the West Seattle Golf course is not actually part of West Seattle but belongs to Delridge.
    This is something I’d like to get ironed out because I want to start a gang association and actually encourage each neighborhood to start its own gang, like in the movie The Warriors. (link below)
    Once we get our turf wars underway, I think it will eventually help define our neighborhoods better. Watch out for the Gatewood Guillotines!
    We’re ready for you North Admiral Nerds!
    http://warriorsmovie.co.uk/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=37

  • Soupytwist September 18, 2007 (9:45 am)

    It’s all about real estate valuation. People who paid (or want to sell for) a higher price really want that West Seattle address.

    You live in Delridge. You live in White Center. You live in BURIEN! Get over it. It’s been that way for 40+ years. Those places are really coming into their own and they have a history. Enjoy it. Gentrification will happen, you just have to be patient – more people will move here who didn’t know that Delridge was the “bad” part of town, and you won’t have to be defensive about it anymore.

  • John M September 18, 2007 (10:14 am)

    Because I live in “Delridge”, am I prohibted from reading and commneting in the WS Blog?

  • The Velvet Bulldog September 18, 2007 (10:25 am)

    According to the itty-bitty map I can see on the CrackBerry, they’re even rejecting the West Seattle Golf Course for neighborhood inclusion. Wha? Methinks this cries out for a do-over.

  • A.A. September 18, 2007 (10:34 am)

    As stated above, Westwood is missing.
    Technically, by other maps I’ve seen I live on the intersection of 4 neighborhoods: Delridge, Westwood, Highland Park and White Center.

    However, on this map I’m just in “Delridge” neighborhood.

    Truth be told, I don’t care much. I’d rather be included in Delridge or White Center simply because the connotation IS what it is. I enjoy the diversity of my neighborhood, and I value it. I intensely dislike the gentrification of my immediate area.

  • Mani September 18, 2007 (10:57 am)

    I have a question that someobody might be able to help out with.
    What/Where is UPPER ALKI?
    I’ve seen a few folks driving around WS with those silly circular black and white stickers that say simply “Upper Alki”.

    Thoughts?

  • DB September 18, 2007 (11:03 am)

    Hey flipjack – I agree that we need to quickly pick sides based on our gang territories, however, when I am walking down the street, how will I know who is a part of my hood and who isnt ?

    I recommend we come up with gang signs for each hood. Any suggestions…. ?

  • Jumbojim September 18, 2007 (11:18 am)

    I can see this whole issue becoming a tempest in a teapot. It doesn’t really matter what the city map says. Your house (or condo, etc.) still stands where it does, you still get to vote, your neighbor still makes noise too late at night, etc. The neighborhood name changes none of that.

    As for gentrification being an evil, if it means there are less houses looking like they’re gonna collapse any moment, I’m OK with it. If it just means more megahouses are built, more trees torn down, more poor displaced, then that’s not so cool.

    One thing is for sure, a lot of change is happening in West Seattle every day – both neighborhood names and housing.

  • Cheryl September 18, 2007 (12:55 pm)

    Mani – I must live in Upper Alki. Who knew? I live at the top of Genessee Hill but according to this map I live in Alki. :)

  • Joe September 18, 2007 (1:17 pm)

    Has anyone ever seen a boundry for Belvidere?

    Looks like part Genesee, and part North Admiral?

    Just curious – and thanks WSB for posting this obviously “hot” topic!

  • alki slumlord September 18, 2007 (1:37 pm)

    What/Where is UPPER ALKI?

    I’ve seen these stickers on cars that are parked up on any of the hills above where us flat-landers live. Technically, they are in the ‘Alki’ section of the map.

  • flipjack September 18, 2007 (2:50 pm)

    Yeah DB,
    You know you gotta go check out that link above for the The Warriors website. Each of the gangs has a very, very distinct style and weapon choice like Baseball Furies, The Orphans and The Lizzies for example.
    It’d be kind of a pain to carry signs around unless of course that was your gangs’ weapon of choice.
    The Gatewood Guillotines wear the traditional black robe with large hood with a razor sharp sickle so you can bet you’ll know what gang they are.
    I’ve seen a few of the North Admiral Nerds around and it’s as you might expect: summer garb is polo shirt tucked into store-bought denim shorts with white socks pulled up over the calf with loafers. They are armed with sharpened ball point pens and drive Toyota Prius’, so watch out.

  • Chet September 18, 2007 (3:00 pm)

    Amen soupytwist

    Jumbojim – I agree a lot is changing and I feel the same way you do about it.
    I poked around here a few months ago and someone kindly enlightened me to a neighborhood plan decided upon in 1996 that laid out zoning etc.. not sure why all the sudden there is this boom basically 10 years later. Seattle has been a hot property for more than 10 years. Interest rates maybe?

  • Jeff September 18, 2007 (3:23 pm)

    I’m fascinated by trivial topics such as these because I think the thing that makes Seattle great is its neighborhoods. When someone asks, I always tell them I’m from West Seattle. To those of us that live here, that’s not enough information.

    I was playing around on Google Maps one day and drew up some neighborhoods in West Seattle just for grins. For those interested, it’s at this link, just bear in mind that it’s far from complete. One thing that quickly became clear was that neighborhood boundaries became fuzzy the further away from home I got.

    I think what neighborhood you live in helps determine a lot of things, such as: where you like to eat, where your kid would go to school, what grocery store you shop at, how old the buildings around you are. For instance, in the thread about favorite dishes, you could get an idea of where someone lives in West Seattle by what they say are their favorite restaurants.
    I know there are some generalizations here, but for me it makes for a great way of exploring other parts of the city, and it makes for a great way of exploring other cities.

  • DB September 18, 2007 (3:24 pm)

    ()()()()Gatewood in da house ()()()() I be representin da Thriftway and the dirty Mceedeees ~ yeauuuhhh. Word up to all my homies in the CL and bus stop at da Morgan J ~

    I want to give a shout out to my homies On the Corner and da Beveridge Place – yeeeaahhuuu

  • Wes September 18, 2007 (3:43 pm)

    I got the North Admirla theme song!
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-xEzGIuY7kw

    They see mowin my front lawn, I know they are thinking that I am too…

  • Mani September 18, 2007 (4:07 pm)

    I’ve seen these stickers on cars that are parked up on any of the hills above where us flat-landers live. Technically, they are in the ‘Alki’ section of the map.

    Seemed a bit pretentious to me for some reason when I first saw one of those stupid stickers. To each his own!

  • Joy September 18, 2007 (5:42 pm)

    I’ve always wondered where exactly Roxhill was & lo and behold, I’m living in it. *laugh* In greater Delridge, apparently – although I’ve always called everything west of the Duwamish and north of the city boundary at Roxberry (i.e. the whole peninsula) “West Seattle.” Just to muddy the waters a little more.

    If you want to start a REAL argument, try getting people to define the boundaries between First Hill, Capitol Hill, and the Central District. Especially if they are involved in real estate. Heh.

  • Joy September 18, 2007 (5:50 pm)

    Oops, I meant to add as well that my main curiosity about different neighborhood names has come from the Metro Bus Route names. The first place I ever heard of Genesee, for example, was seeing the name on the side of the 57 bus.

  • flipjack September 18, 2007 (7:48 pm)

    Hehehe…awe yeah..Wes and DB we be ridin dirty awe yeah… !!

  • WSB September 18, 2007 (9:27 pm)

    Wes, thanks for the link. We were Weird Al fans way way way way back in the day and have lost track of him lately. This clip completely cracked us up. Particularly the power-strip gift opening. That is so the life at WSB HQ. Speaking of which, our 2 cents on the city map – we consider the border between Gatewood and (Upper) Fauntleroy to be at least several blocks south of where the city puts it, right about where the top of the hill levels out.

  • Tom September 18, 2007 (9:29 pm)

    “Upper Alki-ites! Come out and pla-ay”

    (see The Warriors comments above”

  • Tom September 18, 2007 (9:48 pm)

    OK, so a couple of months ago I asked where to get an “I (heart) West Seattle” bumper sticker. It turns out they were printed and sold by the owner of of Misto’s in what is now the Coffee to a Tea With Sugar spot. Someone suggested cafepress.com. Well I followed that advice and my car now proudly sports a new version of the aforementioned sticker. If anyone would like one of your own you can buy one at

    http://www.cafepress.com/iluvwestseattle

    Please note: I did not mark this up, I make NO MONEY from this. It is cheap too. $2.99 for the sticker plus shipping (I think $1.50).

    But now I find out that since I live on 35th on the EAST side I am not an official “Westie.” Keep you eyes peeled for “I (heart) High Point.” ;)

  • add September 18, 2007 (10:17 pm)

    That bumper sticker is just OK – can’t someone come up with somethin a bit more stylin’???

    Peace out from Gatewood Hill…
    (DB, I cracked up at your post)

  • Will September 19, 2007 (8:53 am)

    I like to think I live in the “Westwood Area”, not Roxhill. ROXHILL?!? They weren’t even trying when they came up with that one. “Well, Roxbury is about a mile away and it’s on a hill…”.

    /shrug

  • Chris King September 19, 2007 (1:06 pm)

    The West Seattle map is outdated. Mee-Kwa-Mooks extends further up Jacobsen Rd than the map indicates

  • RobertSeattle September 20, 2007 (8:28 am)

    Even stranger is the “My Neighborhood Map” site from seattle.gov – looks like it treats the 98126 zip code as entirely in the “Delridge Neighborhood.”

    http://web1.seattle.gov/seastats/doServices.aspx

  • Denise June 17, 2008 (8:54 am)

    Nine months late and a dollar short… “North Admiral” is North of Admiral Way, you know, where the rich people live. Until you go down the hill to the water, then you’re either in Alke or Seacrest or “you know, when you turn right off of the WS bridge”. “Admiral” is everything from Charlestown to Admiral, unless your on the East side, then you’re in Belvidere. On the west side of the penninsula you’re in “Schmitz Park” or “by Madison” until you get down to the beach then the beach rules apply. From Charlestown to Alaska you’re sort of in “North Junction” or “Genesse”. On the East side you’ve got “Avalon” or “West Seattle Stadium”. Going up 35th is “Highpoint,” so named because it is the highest altitude in the City. Going down California past the junction you’re “between the Junction and the Morgan Junction” I don’t know if there’s a real name for them. Then you hit Morgan. Going up California is “Gatewood” then “Gatewood Hill.” To the west is Lincoln Park. I am not in real estate, I’ve just lived here my whole life. And with that in mind, I still have no idea where “Mars Hill” is….

Sorry, comment time is over.