Seattle

Neighborhoods

Seattle's main downtown retail area, situated atop a series of steep hills, runs roughly north-south from Pike Place Market to Pioneer Square and east-west from Seventh to First avenues. It combines historic buildings with steep skyscrapers and boasts a sophisticated array of retail establishments. At the southern edge of the downtown area is Pioneer Square, the historic heart of the city, where restored nineteenth-century buildings house a colorful array of shops, galleries, and restaurants. Immediately to the southeast, the International District is home to the majority of the city's substantial Asian population.

In addition to a market brimming with fresh local produce and fish, the Pike Place Market area northwest of the main business district is also home to a variety of arts and crafts stores and restaurants, and a favorite haunt of street performers. Further north is Belltown, a "gentrified" former warehouse neighborhood whose lively assortment of restaurants and clubs makes it one of the prime centers of nightlife in the city.

Still further from downtown, and just north of the Seattle Center, is the prestigious Queen Anne neighborhood. Yet further north, beyond the Lake Washington Ship Canal, lie Fremont, an interesting district known for its artists' studios, ethnic restaurants, and offbeat shops, and Ballard, a former Scandinavian enclave that today is a popular entertainment venue. East of Fremont, the University District surrounding the University of Washington (or the U District, as it is known to locals) has the typical features of a college neighborhood. Nearby is Wallingford, an increasingly fashionable area known for its shops and restaurants.

The Capitol Hill district northeast of downtown is a bastion of the area's youth culture and also the center of its gay community.

The upscale Madison Park neighborhood, located on the western shore of Lake Washington, is home to the University of Washington Arboretum.