Beacon Hill, Seattle facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Beacon Hill, Seattle
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Seattle neighborhood
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I-5 & Downtown Seattle from Beacon Hill
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Beacon Hill highlighted in pink
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| Country | United States |
| State | Washington |
| County | King |
| City | Seattle |
| City Council | District 2 |
| Time zone | UTC−8 (PST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−7 (PDT) |
| Zip Code |
98108, 98118, 98144
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| Area Code | 206 |
Beacon Hill is a cool neighborhood in southeast Seattle, Washington. It's built on a hill and offers amazing views!
This area is known for being very diverse, with many Asian Americans and African Americans living here. It used to be where the main office of Amazon was located. Today, it's home to a large health care system for veterans.
Contents
Exploring Beacon Hill's Location
Beacon Hill is a neighborhood in Seattle, Washington. It's located in the city's South End.
Where is Beacon Hill?
You can find Beacon Hill bordered by some major roads. To the west, it's next to Interstate 5. To the north, you'll find Interstate 90. On the east, it's bordered by Rainier Avenue South, Cheasty Boulevard South, and Martin Luther King Junior Way South. The southern border is the edge of Seattle city itself.
What Can You See from Beacon Hill?
From Beacon Hill, you get fantastic views! You can see downtown Seattle, the busy Industrial District, and Elliott Bay. On clear days, you might even spot Mount Rainier and the Olympic Mountains.
Different Parts of Beacon Hill
Even though most people just call it "Beacon Hill," the city government divides it into smaller sections. These include North Beacon Hill, Mid-Beacon Hill, Holly Park, and South Beacon Hill.
Many homes in North Beacon Hill were built a long time ago, in the early 1900s. You can see cool Craftsman bungalows and "Seattle box" houses there. These "Seattle box" houses are a local version of the Foursquare style.
Beacon Hill's Past and People
Long ago, the Duwamish people called this hill "Greenish-Yellow Spine." This name probably came from the color of the trees that grew there.
Early settlers named the hill Holgate and Hanford Hill. These names honored John Holgate and Edward Hanford, who settled in the area in the 1850s. You can still find streets named after them today. Later, a person named M. Harwood Young gave the hill its current name, "Beacon Hill," after a similar hill in his hometown of Boston, Massachusetts.
Beacon Hill's Changing Population
In the 1950s and 60s, Beacon Hill was sometimes called "Boeing Hill." This was because many people living there worked at the nearby Boeing airplane factory. Over time, many Boeing employees moved to the suburbs. Then, many immigrants from Asia moved into the neighborhood.
Today, most residents in Beacon Hill are of Asian descent. You can see this in the many Chinese, Vietnamese, and Filipino businesses along Beacon Avenue South. However, the area is still very diverse. For example, a census from 2000 showed that the population was about 51% Asian, 20% white, 13% black, 9% Hispanic/Latino, and 7% other groups. In 2000, about 22,300 people lived in Beacon Hill.
Cool Places and Landmarks in Beacon Hill
Beacon Hill has many interesting places to visit and important buildings.
- Pacific Medical Center (PacMed): This large building is at the very north end of Beacon Hill. It used to be a hospital for sailors. For ten years, it was even the main office for Amazon!
- Jefferson Park: This big park has lots of activities. You can play golf, try lawn bowling, or use the skate park. There are also tennis courts and open spaces to relax. Famous golfer Fred Couples grew up here and practiced at Jefferson Park.
- Beacon Food Forest: This is one of the largest "food forest" projects in the country! It's a place where people grow food like walnuts, chestnuts, berries, and vegetables for the community. It's located on the west side of Jefferson Park.
- Dr. Jose Rizal Park: From this park, you get amazing views of downtown Seattle, Elliott Bay, and the Olympic Mountains. It's also where a bike path starts that leads to the I-90 bridge and Lake Washington.
- El Centro de la Raza: This is a group that works for civil rights and helps the community. They are located in the old Beacon Hill School building, which was built in 1904.
- Beacon Hill First Baptist Church: This is a historic building with a special Tudor Revival style. It was built in 1910.
- Beacon Hill Station: This is a stop on the Sound Transit Light Rail system. It makes it easy to travel to and from Beacon Hill.
- Beacon Hill branch of the Seattle Public Library: The library here moved into a new building in 2005.
- Beacon Hill International Elementary School: This school for kids in kindergarten through 5th grade offers special programs, including bilingual classes.
- Daejeon Park
Awards and Recognition
In 2012, the American Planning Association recognized Beacon Hill as one of the 30 Great Places in America. This shows how special and well-planned the neighborhood is.
Beacon Hill's Culture and Community
Beacon Hill is known for its great food and restaurants. It also has a popular hair salon and a fun place for kids' activities. These were even voted some of the "Best of 2012" by Seattle Magazine!
The community is also working to make the neighborhood safer for walking and biking. The City of Seattle and a group called Beacon BIKES created a plan to improve bike paths and walking routes. This plan even won an award in 2012!
Beacon Hill also hosts a performance series called "Beacon Rocks!" This event features different types of performances and is held on the Roberto Maestas Festival Street. It's put on by a local arts group called "ROCKiT Community Arts."
The Famous Beacon Food Forest
The Beacon Food Forest has become quite famous! It's a new project that has created an urban farm in the neighborhood, west of Jefferson Park. This project has received attention from news outlets across the country.
In 2012, an article in Seattle Weekly said that Beacon Hill would soon have the "biggest public food forest in the country." This amazing space covers seven acres and includes a community park and an edible landscape. It's filled with plants like walnuts, chestnuts, berry bushes, and vegetables. The idea for the food forest started with a group of community members. They even got money from the Department of Neighborhoods to help make their dream a reality.
