Central District, Seattle, Washington

The Central District is a mostly residential district in Seattle located east of Cherry Hill, west of Madrona and Leschi, south of Capitol Hill, and north of Rainier Valley. Historically, it was predominantly an African-American neighborhood, although due to high levels of gentrification it has become slightly more diverse in recent years.

Demographics

Two demographic trends are changing the population of the Central District. First, the low-income segment of the African-American population is moving southward toward Rainier Valley. Second, upper-middle-class, mostly white residents, who might otherwise have purchased homes on Capitol Hill or First Hill or in Madrona, are moving into the Central District as real estate and rental property become more expensive in the former neighborhoods.

Due to this market pressure, housing in the Central District is mixed, with some homes on the verge of condemnation, and others having recently undergone extensive renovation. Many condemned houses are being replaced by multi-unit townhouses and condominiums. Easy access to Interstate 5 and Downtown, as well as ample street parking, also make the Central District attractive.

The African-American population of the Central District has also shifted toward the more affluent end of the spectrum in recent years as home values have increased. Some older residents are moving southward into more affordable, but less convenient or more rundown neighborhoods further southeast of the city center.

Despite gentrification, many locals still refer to the Central District as a predominantly African-American area. One possible reason for this is that despite the decline in the African-American population, blacks have a large presence in the neighborhood. The neighborhood has the highest concentration of black residents in the Pacific Northwest and is still home to a large amount of African-American culture, including several gospel churches. The neighborhood has also had a significant increase in Ethiopian population in recent years. Some residents jokingly refer to parts of the Central District as "Little Addis Ababa" (after the capital of Ethiopia) due to the preponderance of Ethiopian restaurants in the area.

During the early 1960s, the neighborhood was a hotbed for the Seattle civil rights movement. In 1963, civil rights protesters took to the streets and protested against racial discrimination. Later, they participated in a sit-in in downtown Seattle. At the same time, the Black Panthers used the neighborhood as a staging area for their movement.

The neighborhood's population is 9,558 and remains a majority black area despite gentrification. 50.8% of residents are Black or African American, 36.4% are White or Caucasian, 2.6% Asian, 0.7% Native American, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 3.6% of other races, and 5.8% mixed race. Hispanic or Latino of any race accounted for 7.4% of the population. 15.6% of families and 19.6% of the population are below poverty line. The northern part of the neighborhood is coextinsive with King County census tract 88 which is the only census tract in the entire Pacific Northwest with an African-American majority population. [http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/SAFFFacts?_event=&geo_id=14000US53033008800&_geoContext=01000US%7C04000US53%7C05000US53033%7C16000US5363000%7C86000US98122%7C14000US53033008800&_street=400+23rd+Avenue%2C+Seattle%2C+WA+98122%2C&_county=&_cityTown=seattle&_state=04000US53&_zip=&_lang=en&_sse=on&ActiveGeoDiv=search_by_address&_useEV=&pctxt=fph&pgsl=160&_submenuId=factsheet_1&ds_name=DEC_2000_SAFF&_ci_nbr=null&qr_name=null&reg=null%3Anull&_keyword=&_industry=]

Crime

The Central District has long been known to have a high crime rate. In the 1980s and 90s, the neighborhood struggled with gang violence in a similar way to Tacoma's Hilltop Neighborhood. This has declined significantly in recent years, but the Central District remains along with White Center, Rainier Valley and Lake City as one of the most crime-ridden residential neighborhoods in the Seattle area and has had a jump in the crime rates beginning in 2008. [http://web1.seattle.gov/seastats/doStatistics.aspx]

Notable Residents

Jimi Hendrix

Quincy Jones

Linda Emery

Bruce Lee

Sir Mix-a-Lot

Thoroughfares

The Central District's main thoroughfares are Martin Luther King Jr. Way (formerly Empire Way; the street was renamed by the city in late 1983 after a nearly three-year battle) and 23rd Avenue (north- and southbound) and E. Union, E. Cherry, and E. Jefferson Streets and E. Yesler Way (east- and westbound).

Landmarks and Institutions

*Ezell's Chicken

*Garfield High School

*Medgar Evers Community Center

*The Nova Project

Current Real Estate for Sale

Bleu Condos: 419 21st Ave - [http://www.bleucondos.com]