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About Downtown
Downtown is the central business district of Seattle, Washington. It is
fairly compact compared to other city centers on the West Coast because of its
geographical situation: hemmed in on the north and east by hills, on the west by
Elliott Bay, and on the south by reclaimed land that was once tidal flats.
Seattle was flooded out of it's original spot of Alki Point. In the 1850's it
moved to it's current location of Pioneer Square. This was when the city renamed
itself after the Native American Cheif Sealth. It is bounded on the north by
Denny Way, beyond which are Uptown, Seattle Center, and South Lake Union; on the
east by Interstate 5, beyond which are Capitol Hill and First Hill; on the south
by Yesler Way, beyond which is the International District and part of Pioneer
Square; and on the west by Elliott Bay. Belltown, the Denny Regrade, and the
rest of Pioneer Square are sub-neighborhoods of Downtown. Seattle's main
financial district, waterfront, and shopping area (surrounding Westlake Mall and
connected to Seattle Center by way of a monorail) make up the bulk of Downtown.
It is also home to the landmark Pike Place Market.
Downtown Seattle's Columbia Center is the tallest building west of the
Mississippi River by number of stories, at seventy-six, though there are taller
buildings in Texas and California by height. Other notable buildings are the
Washington Mutual Tower, Two Union Square, Nordstrom's flagship store, Benaroya
Hall, the new Seattle Central Library designed by Rem Koolhaas, and an expanded
art museum, the main facade of which was designed by Robert Venturi. The city
now has a restored old center, an acclaimed arts scene with amazing movie and
music industries. There are many excellent food and coffee houses, as well as a
great selection of seafood resturants.
Downtown parks include Westlake Park, Freeway Park, and Victor Steinbrueck Park.
The Olympic Sculpture Park is expected to be completed on the Belltown
waterfront in Autumn, 2006.
Because Downtown is the actual name of a neighborhood (with sub-neighborhoods),
not merely a toponym for a city's central business district or southernmost
section (as it is in other places), and because of Downtown's growing
residential population, it is grammatically correct for Seattlites to describe a
location as "in Downtown." (For example, "I work in Downtown," instead of "I
work downtown.")