Central





Thoughts from people who participated in this project

My roommate and I reflect the residents who once lived or continue to live in this neighborhood, but we are still part of the CD’s gentrification. Families that called this place home long before us can no longer afford to live here, but as a young, urban professionals, I can. I moved to Seattle for a better life, and the CD is one of the few places where I can afford to pay rent in this city. The truth is, I don’t know what to do about it.
text text text
I had lived in the north end but never really felt like I was part of the city. In the CD I could see skyscrapers downtown from my front porch. It was the first neighborhood that I could walk to accomplish all of my regular errands. Getting my haircut at Frank’s I got to know a lot of older residents who were really welcoming. Also, I may not have been as interested in the rich musical history of the city had I not lived in the CD. Imagining Billie Holiday performing at Washington Hall or Big Jay McNelly playing at Birdland on Madison really started to give me a sense of the deep history of the neighborhood and its contributions to Seattle.Thoughts on how the CD is changing now: My own experience with the CD is one of sadness, though I know for many the changes have effected them on a much deeper level. Seattle can seem so homogenous from one neighborhood to the next and the CD was always one of a kind.

Favorite memories of living in the Central Area: • Knowing everyone’s name • Multi-generational connections • Physical beauty — green and Lake Washington On how the CD has changed: • Preserve what you want – stake your claim and don’t complain
text text text