Hillyard, Spokane facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Hillyard
Neighborhood of Spokane
Hillyard Historic Business District
Location within the city of Spokane
Country	United States
State	Washington
County	Spokane County
City	Spokane
Population  (2017)
• Total	6,678
ZIP codes	99208, 99217
Area code(s)	509

Hillyard is a neighborhood in Spokane, Washington. It used to be a separate town from 1892 to 1924. The town started because of the Great Northern Railway. It was named after James J. Hill, who was in charge of the railroad at that time.

Many of the homes in Hillyard were built between 1904 and 1912. These homes were for the railroad workers. They worked in the huge local train yard. Hillyard was also home to the Great Northern's famous shops. Here, locomotives (train engines) were built, fixed, and made new again. At one point, the Hillyard shop was the biggest in the whole country!

Today, Hillyard hosts a fun annual festival. It takes place in Harmon Park every August.

Hillyard's Past: A Railroad Town

In 1924, Hillyard officially became part of its neighbor, Spokane. Because it was a railroad town, Hillyard had a tough reputation for a long time.

One of the many murals that celebrate the legacy of the railyard in the neighborhood

Hillyard Heritage Museum's humorous "Hobo Weather Station"

The Great Northern Railway later joined with other companies. It became the Burlington Northern Railroad and then the BNSF Railway. The Hillyard train yard and shops closed in the early 1980s. The main train operations moved to a different area. Now, only the old, decaying shop buildings remain.

Hillyard faces some challenges, including economic hardship. Some residents affectionately call the area east of the railroad tracks "Dog Town."

Preserving Hillyard's History

People in Hillyard care a lot about keeping their historic buildings safe. Teresa Brum, Spokane's Historic Preservation Officer, said Hillyard is very special. She noted that "Most of it looks as it did 90 years ago." This means many buildings still look like they did a long time ago.

Hillyard is still a home for many people in Spokane. Murals and a small railroad museum help tell the town's story. Many residents are descendants of the original railroad workers. Recently, Hillyard has also become a popular home for immigrants. These new residents come from places like Russia, Ukraine, Micronesia and Southeast Asia.

The main business area of Hillyard is on Market Street. It was the first neighborhood in Spokane to be listed on the National Register of Historic Places. This is a list of important historic places in the United States.

The North Spokane Corridor is a new freeway project. It has caused some people to move from the south end of the neighborhood. People hope this new freeway will help make the area better.

Where is Hillyard?

Hillyard is in the northeastern part of Spokane. The city limits form its northern and eastern edges. Francis Avenue marks most of the northern border.

Hillyard is part of a larger area called Greater Hillyard. This area also includes the nearby Bemiss and Whitman neighborhoods.

Natural Landscape

Most of Hillyard is quite flat, about 2,000 to 2,040 feet above sea level. This is similar to other parts of Spokane. However, in the southeast, the land starts to rise. This is the beginning of Beacon Hill.

Just north of Hillyard is Morgan Acres. This area has sandy dunes and doesn't hold much rainwater.

Neighborhood Features

Hillyard has many different types of areas. There are homes, businesses, factories, open spaces, and parks. The northeast has areas for heavy and light industry. Single-family homes are common in the northwest and southeast.

Shopping and business areas are along Market Street. The Spokane Parks Department manages seven properties in Hillyard. These include six neighborhood parks and the Esmeralda Golf Course. Harmon Park in the north is the largest park.

A large empty area runs through the center of Hillyard. This was once the Great Northern rail yard. The yard is gone, but train tracks are still active. This land has some pollution from its past use. Another empty area is in the far southeast, on the slopes of Beacon Hill.

Who Lives in Hillyard?

In 2017, about 6,678 people lived in Hillyard. There were 2,515 households. About 28.6% of these households had children. Many homes (47.4%) were rented.

About 27.6% of the people were 19 years old or younger. This is more than the city average. The median household income was $35,256. This was lower than the city average.

Most residents (93.5%) were born in the United States. Of those born elsewhere, many came from Ukraine, the Marshall Islands, Vietnam, and Russia.

In 2017, the racial and ethnic makeup of Hillyard was mostly white (83%). Other groups included Hispanic or Latino (8.1%), two or more races (6.3%), American Indian or Alaska Native (3.1%), Asian, Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander (3%), and Black or African American (2.7%).

Learning in Hillyard

Hillyard is part of the Spokane Public Schools district. Arlington Elementary is in the far north of the neighborhood. Most of Hillyard is served by Regal Elementary. Cooper Elementary serves a small area in the south.

Arlington Elementary students go to Garry Middle School. Regal and Cooper Elementary students go to Shaw Middle School. All these elementary schools are part of the Rogers High School district.

St. Patrick's Catholic School was in Hillyard for 100 years. It closed in 2013 because fewer students were attending.

Getting Around Hillyard

Major Roads

- (Future) U.S. 395 will pass through Hillyard. This new freeway is called the North Spokane Corridor. It is expected to be finished by 2029. It will connect to Colville to the north and Spokane to the south.

Local Streets

Most of Hillyard's streets connect in a grid pattern. Francis and Wellesley Avenues are major roads. They stretch across the north side of Spokane. Market Street is also a main road. It connects Hillyard to Mead in the north.

For people who ride bikes, there are special bike lanes on Crestline and Francis. Other streets like Central and Regal are marked as shared bike routes. A new path for bikes and walkers is being built next to the North Spokane Corridor.

Public Transportation

The Spokane Transit Authority provides public bus service in Hillyard. There are two main bus routes.