Ken
Let me see if I can apply a little perspective.
In general, the question of whether a city or community is “racist” is neither a rational question nor a valid one.
House is right (perhaps inadvertently :) in that the question and label apply to people rather than geographic areas.
Also prejudice is not exactly equivalent to racism. I grew up in the segregated south and will always fight the prejudices ingrained in the culture of my birth. But I do not pretend they do not exist.
The only TV station we could get when I was a kid was part owned by Jesse Helms. I heard some of the most vicious hate and race slanders in the editorials twice a day. I rejected those ideas about the same time I figured out the minister was lying about whether some races had souls and some religions ate babies.
But even after all these years a thought will pop up that I can trace back to those days and I will have to squash it with reason and experience.
As a city Seattle’s history is no different from many others in that respect. Segregation in its institutional form was perhaps stronger here than in some other parts of the country. In one respect growing up in the south only exposed me to hate aimed at one race. Seattle had a wider focus. In the south, asians, native americans and mexicans were so rare the usual prejudices and segregation were often forgotten.
Deeds in Seattle neighborhoods included detailed codicils that specified what races the property could be sold to. These were enforced until they were made illegal but could not be removed until a specific law was passed in 2006 to allow it.
http://depts.washington.edu/civilr/segregated.htm
The Fort Lawton riot:
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/223483_hamann10.html
And the internment of the Japanese during WWII
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/140396792X/orcinus-20/
By local blogger Dave Neiwert http://dneiwert.blogspot.com/
will give you some history of local events.
I currently live in a very diverse neighborhood and have a mixed race family.
I spend probably more time out of the house in the White Center/Roxbury area than I do in the Junction but I think it is just because it is easier to park and there is more variety of the kind of stuff I use. The only purchase I have made in the junction in the past year is several used books.
Individual people can be racist and many who are, at least are no longer comfortable expressing it.
As you can see from up-thread, I have a broad brush and am not afraid to use it. There are also social science experiments that back up my paint job.