The Pigeon Point Neighborhood
Pigeon Point is a great place to live. There are so many reasons to love this neighborhood, but its history-rich community sets it apart from the rest. From Native American tribes to loggers and gold miners, Pigeon Point has seen more than one hundred years of history come and go. This blog post will take you on tour through Pigeon Point’s past while exploring some of the most exciting events that have shaped this great neighborhood!
About the Pigeon Point Neighborhood
Seattle is a city full of history and community. A great example of this can be seen in the Pigeon Point neighborhood, Seattle’s oldest residential district. The name “Pigeon Point” was derived from two pioneer-era homesteaders who raised pigeons for meat on their land, which sits near what is now the intersection at N 50th St & Burke Ave N . It has been reported that children were allowed to keep any baby pigeons they found as pets! That certainly would not fly today with animal control officials around here or anywhere else. Even so, it makes you wonder if there are still pigeon coops somewhere up in these hills even though no one lives there anymore?
Pigeon Point was founded in 1888 after the Burke family bought up a large plot of land and divided it into lots. They were hoping to build a residential community complete with homes, stores, schools, churches, just about everything needed for daily life. A few years later, in 1892, another pioneer-era homesteader named Charles Meehan built his home at 50th & Fremont Ave N . That is where he opened Seattle’s first schoolhouse, which still stands today as part of the Pigeon Point Museum!
By 1905 Pigeon Point had grown into a bustling neighborhood full of beautiful homes and an abundance of community amenities for its residents to enjoy. Just like every other neighborhood, Pigeon Point has seen it all – from the Great Depression and World War II up through today’s modern times. The Burke family sold their farm in 1909, which was subdivided and developed into a residential district with houses roughly clustered around N 50th St & Fremont Ave N . By 1916, there were dozens of homes here and two churches, one Catholic and one Protestant! In 1929 another larger schoolhouse opened up at 51st & Latona Ave NE, just down the road from Charles Meehan’s first schoolhouse. There is still a small park next door that commemorates this historical site even though you would never suspect anything significant happened here just by looking at it today.
There were plenty of other significant changes happening in Seattle in the early 1900s. In 1907 a city plan was developed to build an underground rail line near Pigeon Point which would have been just one stop along its way from downtown Seattle out into Ballard! It eventually fell through due to lack of funding, but that is something I wish they had gone ahead and built today with all this traffic going in and out of here every day.
In 1910 another paved road finally arrived in Pigeon Point (after numerous unpaved roads). The Burke-Gilman Trail goes right past the neighborhood. This opened up even more opportunities for people living here because it meant less time spent on horseback or walking long distances when shopping or going to an appointment in Seattle.
The city of Seattle annexed the Pigeon Point neighborhood in 1954, which allowed transportation and utility infrastructure like water, sewer, power, and even schools to be shared with everyone else in town! That is one crucial reason why it has been such a nice place to live for over 100 years now – close enough to everything but still able to enjoy nature along its edges too.
Many areas near here have never had any development or building on them at all. The Burke family sold off more of their land back when this happened, so today, you can find some fantastic old-growth forests tucked away behind the private property where people sometimes hike through during the fall months around Halloween time. It’s also common for people to wander out here in the warmer months to enjoy the beautiful trees and flowers that grow wild everywhere. Even a local farmer stops by around this time of year with fresh produce for people living nearby.
It’s not surprising that Pigeon Point has continued to be one of Seattle’s most popular residential neighborhoods because it does have something unique for everyone, including young families, retired couples, or anyone else looking for their slice of heaven on earth. The neighborhood seems different every time you see it, even though everything is just exactly how it was when you left. That’s the great thing about being in Pigeon Point because no matter what your age or stage of life, there are always new things to discover around every corner!
Facts about the Pigeon Point Neighborhood
Pigeon Point Neighborhood’s history is rich with events and people who influenced the area. The neighborhood was established during the early 1950s; however, some of its original buildings were built in 1890. Pigeon Point was home to many Indian tribes that made their living through fishing along Puget Sound before European settlers displaced them. One of these tribes included the Duwamish tribe, which inhabited this region until 1857. Most of them moved away from here due to a treaty between the federal government and local Native Americans, which resulted in the relocation of the native population into reservations across reservations Washington State or Canada.
By 1900, the railroad connected Lake Union with downtown Portland via Wallingford Junction. The railroads made Pigeon Point an ideal place for the industry. Many lumber mills, metal plants, and shipyards sprung up along the shores of Lake Union in this area during the early 20th century making it one of the heavily industrialized neighborhoods at that time. At its peak, there were about 300 businesses employing thousands of people working here, including Boeing, which had an airplane manufacturing plant located not far from where Amazon Offices now stand near South Lake Union Park. After WWII, many families moved into these newly built homes to take advantage of affordable housing options compared with what was available elsewhere in Seattle at that time when demand for housing skyrocketed because lots of veterans returned home after the war ended, establishing households with their wives or partners and young children.
Originally, Pigeon Point was mostly industry with several lumber mills and metal plants making their home here alongside shipyards during the early 20th century when this area saw dramatic population growth due to affordable housing opportunities compared with what else was available at that time in nearby areas like Queen Anne or Capitol Hill. The neighborhood is bounded by South Lake Union, Cascade District, I-90, Eastlake Avenue North & Denny Triangle neighborhoods. Today there are only a few industrial buildings left standing, while most original homes built for middle-class families who found job opportunities thanks to the local industry have been replaced by new developments serving a diverse range of residents, including Amazon employees looking for an alternative living option outside company’s campus located just next to Pigeon Point.
Activities in Pigeon Point Neighborhood
Pigeon Point Neighborhood is a great place to get active. Several sports fields and courts throughout the community, such as tennis, basketball, racquetball, and more at ballparks like Chinook Park or sidewalks on streets near sidewalks for running and walking activities.
A few of the most popular places in the Pigeon Point Neighborhood are restaurants. Some favorite spots include Zen Yai Thai Restaurant, Pho Tan Vinh, and The Spicy House on Holman Road NW. There is also a great variety of Asian food choices within walking distance from some homes like Lucky’s Teriyaki or Green Leaf Vietnamese Restaurant.
If you love shopping, there are many stores to visit where you can find some exciting things that you may not be able to get anywhere else in Seattle, such as clothing options at Kaya Boutique & Gift Shop or more traditional items Artisan Jewelry Store (AJS). For art lovers, stop by Northwest African American Museum (NAAM) for work by local artists.
There are plenty of fun activities for kids at parks like Rose Hill Park or Lakeside School Playfield near Pigeon Point Neighborhood homes. You can also take your furry friend along with you on a walk when you visit Jefferson Park, where there is even a dog off-leash area! If it’s too cold outside, head over to MOHAI (Museum of History and Industry) in South Lake Union which has many interesting exhibits about Seattle history that will keep you entertained all day long.
Check out the many historic sites in the Pigeon Point Neighborhood, like Denny Cabin (the first cabin built on Lake Union by Arthur and Edith Denny) or The Museum of History and Industry (MOHAI). You can also visit one of the great museums, such as MOHAI, Swede Hill Schoolhouse Museum (SHSM), Washington Hall Historical Center & Cultural Center. There are even a few hours you can take around some significant historic homes, including John Stanford House Tour or Homestead Tours at WSU Farm Park! And if you’re interested in viewing contemporary artwork from local artists, be sure to stop by Cascade People Gallery for unique pieces.
In addition to all the places you can visit, many fun things around Pigeon Point Neighborhood. Every year at Celebration Park in Ballard, thousands of people attend a German beer festival and enjoy traditional Bavarian food with live music! And after your trip to Westlake Center or MOHAI for shopping or exploring history, respectively, come back home to relax by Lakeside School’s outdoor pool during their annual summer swim club season from May through August every year. There is something new happening throughout the neighborhood that will make it hard not to stay inside!
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