West Seattle

West Seattle

West Seattle, a hilly district in Seattle, Washington, encompasses all of Seattle west of the Duwamish River. It was incorporated as an independent town in 1902 and was annexed by Seattle in 1907. Among the area's attractions are its saltwater beach parks along Elliott Bay and Puget Sound, including Alki Beach and Lincoln Park among others. The area is also prized for its magnificent views of the Olympic Mountains to the west and the Cascade Range to the east.

High Point

The highest point in Seattle is in the Gatewood neighborhood, adjacent to the aptly named High Point neighborhood of West Seattle; the intersection of 35th Avenue S.W. and S.W. Myrtle Street it is 520 feet above sea level. The hill is dominated by two huge water towers.

Alki

Alki Point is traditionally credited as the point where the Denny Party 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 colorful, week-long Seafair celebration of Seattle's marine and boating interests. Seafair coincides with the much older Hi-Yu festivities in West Seattle now called the Junction Street Festival.

The Junction

The heart of West Seattle is the intersection of California Avenue S.W. and S.W. Alaska Street, called "The Junction" or "Alaska Junction," the center of a lively business district. West Seattle also has two other major 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. The Westwood Village shopping center, between S.W. Trenton and S.W. Barton Streets in the south end of the district, has undergone several makeovers and now provides a mall-like shopping experience, including a box store and a large bookstore from a national chain.

Transportation

There is a Washington State Ferries dock in the Fauntleroy neighborhood, with service to Vashon Island and to Southworth on the Kitsap Peninsula. A passenger-only ferry also runs between Duwamish Head and downtown Seattle in the summer.

Newspaper

The community is served by a local newspaper, the West Seattle Herald, and numerous other local websites and blogs.

Education

West Seattle is home to West Seattle High School, Seattle Lutheran High School,Lafayette Elementary, and South Seattle Community College.

Alki Point, seen from Queen Anne

Neighborhoods

• Alki
• North Admiral
• Fairmount Park
• Genesee
• Seaview
• Arbor Heights
• Delridge
• and the adjacent South Park and Industrial District neighborhoods.

Trivia

The lead singer of the Seattle Grunge band Pearl Jam, Eddie Vedder, who resides privately in West Seattle, sometimes uses the pseudonym Wes C. Addle on some of his work. Wes C. Addle, when spoken sounds like West Seattle and this is the reason he uses it as a pseudonym.

External links

• West Seattle Community Website

• West Seattle entry at SeattleWiki

• See also West Seattle Water Taxi