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About Central District
The Central District is a mostly residential neighborhood in Seattle located
east of First Hill, west of Madrona and Leschi, south of Capitol Hill, and north
of Rainier Valley. Historically, it has been a predominantly African American
neighborhood, though it has become more diverse in recent years.
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 those 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. Many long-time residents resent this gentrification process, which is
driving older residents southward into more affordable, but less convenient or
more rundown neighborhoods further southeast of the city center.
Despite the 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 still have a
large presence in the neighborhood. The neighborhood has the highest
concentration of blacks in the state of Washington and is still home to a
variety of African-American culture including several gospel churches. The
neighborhood has also had a significant Ethiopian population in recent years.
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 Central District has long been known to have a high crime rate. In the 1980s
and 90s, the neighborhood struggled with gang violence, most noticeably with the
West Coast Crips and Bloods in a similar way to Tacoma's Hilltop neighborhood.
This has declined significantly in recent years. However, the neighborhood
remains dangerous and violent crime rates are among the highest in the Seattle
area. The Central District has perhaps the highest crime rate of any
neighborhood in the state of Washington. Much of this crime however, occurs at
night and is related to drugs and gangs. The neighborhood is relatively safe at
daytime.
Famous residents of the neighborhood have included Jimi Hendrix and Quincy
Jones. Both attended Garfield High School, possibly Seattle's most well known
school.
The Central District's main thoroughfares are Martin Luther King Jr. Way
(formerly Empire Way; the street was renamed 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).
The neighborhoods population is 22,200. 42.6% of residents are white or
caucasian, 36.4% are black or African American, 7.8% Asian, 1.2% Native
American, 0.5% Pacific Islander, 6.9% Hispanic, and 5.3% mixed race. 15.6% of
families and 19.6% of the population are below poverty line.
Landmarks and Institutions
* Ezell's Chicken
* Garfield Community Center
* Garfield High School
* Swedish Medical Center, Providence Campus