Beacon Hill
By Mary Park
The train's a-comin' to Beacon Hill. One of the city's oldest and most diverse residential districts, this southeast neighborhood looms over downtown, yet remains set apart by its geography, by the I-5 corridor, and by a lack of destinations for those who live outside the neighborhood. With a light rail scheduled to begin operations in 2009, however, change is on the horizon. A proposed station 150 feet under Lander Street will shorten the average downtown commute to about 12 minutes, car-free. Given its convenient proximity to I-5 and Interstate 90, a relatively affordable housing market, and its sweeping mountain and Puget Sound views, Beacon Hill surely won't stay sleepy for long.
The area has a long history of cultural and ethnic diversity. Settled more than 100 years ago by Italian immigrants who farmed and sold produce to the urban dwellers below, Beacon Hill later became home to large numbers of Asian immigrants. More than half of Beacon Hill remains Asian today, with substantial African American and Hispanic minorities, as well as many young families.
Light rail construction has already started kicking up dust, placing stress on a business district that's already small and sometimes struggling. Though the main drag along Beacon Avenue lacks anything resembling trendy cafes or shops, the small, family-operated ethnic restaurants and Asian video stores have a slow-paced charm that's all their own. Recent arrivals include Java Love Espresso/Baja Bistro, a coffeehouse that's morphed into a Mexican bistro; Yoga on Beacon with its resident Pomeranian; and hipster music venue the Beacon Pub-harbingers, perhaps, of what's to come.
On Beacon Hill's northern rim, the historic Pacific Medical Center looms over the city, its Art Deco towers dramatically set against the skyline. A movie villain's castle? A hospital for suffering veterans? Well, once. These days, it's the world headquarters of Amazon.com, whose young professionals have already begun to transform the surrounding neighborhood and its stock of restored and fixer-upper Craftsman bungalows and Seattle box-style homes. Nearby, Dr. Jose Rizal Park offers striking views of downtown and Elliot Bay with an off-leash area for four-footed residents.
Expansive vistas also greet golfers at lovely Jefferson Park, home to one of Seattle's few public courses, as well as a community center and lawn bowling. Further south, the NewHolly redevelopment has transformed run-down public housing into a gleaming mixed-use community, centered around green space, handsome Craftsman-influenced homes, a community center and a showcase public library. Here, too, a light rail station will only make the area more appealing to urbanites seeking new construction at affordable prices.
In fact, Beacon Hill's emerging real estate market ranks as one of the best values in the city, with the median price for a two-bedroom two-bath home hovering near $363,000 and two-bedroom condominiums selling for $167,000. (The stock of these, however, is limited; the area is mostly made up of single-family residences, duplexes and townhomes.) Rents remain reasonable, averaging just $650 for a one-bedroom apartment.
The neighborhood still faces challenges. Crime can be a problem, though great strides have been made to retreat from the high crime rates of years past. Cleveland High School once ranked among the city's most troubled, but both its test scores and morale are showing signs of a turnaround. Growing pains aside, the neighborhood's trajectory is clear. Friendly and civic- minded, marked by strong community and family ties, Beacon Hill is poised to take its place on the Seattle stage.
