Intro:

Lined with route 36 bus stops and local shops is Beacon Avenue, the diverse neighborhood houses 22,300 residents with many opportunities to eat at good restaurants, go on a walk, or find an activity to do within a stroll away. The Duwamish people that lived on Beacon Hill before colonization called it qWátSéécH (QWAH-tseech) -meaning greenish-yellow spine-named after the colorful trees that line the avenue. Afterwards, the name went from Maple Hill, to Holgate Hill, then Hanford Hill, till now, Beacon Hill (BH) since 1889, named after the other Beacon Hill neighborhood in Boston, Massachusetts because a developer from MA decided to change it. Then, in the 1950s-60s, BH gained the nickname, “Boeing Hill” since a lot of Boeing workers lived there.  Now, the demographics have changed: seventy percent of the residents identify as people of color. Beacon Hill is a great neighborhood to explore, live, and eat well at.

History, culture, diversity:

Beacon Hill’s history has led to the cultural diversity we see in the neighborhood today. Originally belonging to the Duwamish people, Beacon Hill (BH) was colonized by settlers and then joined the city of Seattle. During the 1920-40s Seattle racially redlined many parts of the city but BH was a place where people of color could purchase and own property. This led to the immense attraction of immigrants to the hill. This can still be seen today as BH is very culturally diverse, with the population being 45% Asian, 24% White, and 12% African American. Compared to the 33% people of color (POC) in Seattle, a staggering 72.5% of Beacon Hill’s population is POC. Many of the businesses are owned by people of color. There are tons of ethnic restaurants that reflect the variety of culture in the community. Some examples are The Station and Baja Bistro.

Beacon Hill International Elementary School: Beacon Hill International Elementary School is located on 14th and Hill street. BHIS offers the standard English pathway but also has a Mandarin Chinese and Spanish immersion. Students learn reading and writing for one half of the day and for the other half they are in their chosen language pathway and learn math and science in said language. Students stay with the same language cohort they joined in kindergarten for the entirety of elementary school. Kids get to spend everyday with the same classmates for all of elementary school and later feeding into Asa Mercer International Middle School.

Food:

One big part of BH’s culture is the wide selection of food from all different cultures:

Delite Bakery: This Filipino bakery has been in the area since 1988. Walking in the door, we were greeted by the sensational scent of baking pastries. A worker told us a favorite item among customers is the ube donut. The donut was fluffy and covered in sugar (that got all over the car), and the strudel was flaky with gooey guava filling. The bakery also offers everything from cakes to Filipino delicacies to loaves of fresh bread. Yummy! Overall 7/10. 

Shell gas station: The north BH Shell location has shelves filled with the biggest candy variety, and is known to be the junk food kingdom, who knew it’s also where the meals are at? We tried the fried catfish and jo jo’s; surprisingly, this suspicious fish sitting on the heat rack at the gas station was an 8/10 (buss down!!!!!). Best gas station in Seattle! 

Stevie’s Famous: Inside Clock Out lounge, the Seattle location of Stevie’s Famous is inside. Having a small but mighty menu, it includes the Normie Macdonald pizza: a tomato base on a new-york style crust with Capocollo meat, burrata, grana cheeses, all drizzled over with hot honey. Stevie’s recently won the Seattle Times best pizza in Seattle bracket. We experimented with the security of the institution by purposefully leaving a phone in the restaurant for ten minutes and it was still exactly where we left it after ten minutes! 9/10; yummy. 

MacPherson’s: The unique three-walled building across the street from Asa Mercer International Middle School has been around since 1984. Unfortunately, the beloved neighborhood grocery store was forced to close for six months at the end of 2023 due to increasing prices, in addition to the retirement of their owner. It reopened in March, after the owner, Greg MacPherson, sold the business to one of his employees. They offer a wide variety of produce at a better price than most grocery stores, as well as having a case full of Mexican baked goods. If there is one place for readers to buy from in this article, it should be MacPherson’s. 

Milk Drunk: Four large, juicy, double fried chicken strips on a bed of hot crispy curly fries. Milk Drunk also serves multitudes of sandwich options, from ham and hot honey to the Chester–which has Cheeto dust in the breading. We also ordered neighborhood-favorite soft-serve ice cream, malt chocolate and vanilla swirl, with hard peanut butter coating. It was delicious. Green aioli is highly recommended. Eight out of ten but keep in mind to not park in the Washington Federal Bank nearby, as you may receive a surprise fine.

Walks, runs, wheels, play

Jefferson Park and Bill Wright Golf Course: Great place to hit some golf balls with the gang, have a hangout, go skateboarding, take a stroll, or play tennis. There’s a playground with various structures perfect for young ones to play. On October 19 of 2024, the Jefferson golf course was renamed to honor the first African American to win a United States Golf Association (USGA) event and overcome racism, Bill Wright, who was also a graduate from Franklin High School. The public golf course has a driving range and a nine-hole golf course.  

Chief Sealth Trail: This trail is great for biking, walking, or running. Built on land that is used for power lines, the trail winds its way south under the accompanying poles. At the end, if the traveler hungers for further adventure, Kubota Garden is just a couple blocks away. It is very populated with locals on evening strolls.

I-90 Trail: From BH, this trail connects all the way to Bellevue. Accessible from 18th, the street is closed to traffic, protecting bikers from speeding cars. Many folks are seen on the trail as it is accompanied by great views of Seattle. 

Community: 

Being a diverse and inclusive area, there are many areas for community gatherings and spaces for people to feel included: 

Beacon Food Forest: Down the hill from Jefferson Park, a community P-Patch is maintained by volunteers. The area is open to anyone to participate in or harvest crops from. The Beacon Food /forest is a type of Urban farming that is taking steps in the direction of decreasing food waste, fighting against climate change, bringing more green into Seattle, and building stronger relationships in BH .

Seattle Public Library (SPL): The BH branch of the SPL provides great resources. As a place for all ages, anyone can study and check out new books or movies. Meeting rooms and event spaces are available with reservations and there are frequent drop-in events happening. And there are some volunteering and job opportunities that are open.

Van Asselt Community Center and Playfield: provides different programs for all ages including a playground, work out area, kiddy pool, and basketball courts. There is a big field with a baseball diamond and green area for sports such as soccer and ultimate frisbee.

Public Transit: The Sound Transit light rail system, Line 1, running from Angle Lake to Lynnwood has a stop at BH. From the BH station, it connects to other bus routes such as one of the most popular King County routes, the 36. Running from Othello station all the way Downtown, the 36 passes by frequently; transporting workers, students, seniors, and all the above to their destination. By making public transportation more accessible and reliable, traffic flow improves in BH with the less usage of individual vehicles benefits residents with cleaner air and safer streets. 

El Centro Del La Raza: El Centro de la Raza – (the Center for People of All Races) – began in 1972 as peaceful protesters occupied the abandoned building of the Beacon Hill School. Their goal was to establish an authentic grassroots community center on the site. It was focused as a meeting place for the dispersed Latino community of Seattle. The civil rights organization is dedicated to confronting racism and other forms of inequality. 

Today, El Centro is home to events like Dia de los Muertos, Cinco de Mayo & other celebrations, an indoor skating rink, and multiple early education and summer programs for children. They also run a food bank three days a week, providing nutritious, emergency, and supplemental food to low-income people in the area. There are navigators on-site and available to help people secure food stamps as well as other food resources. The organization also oversees the surrounding Roberto Maestas Festival Street. 

Issues: 

Like the rest of Seattle, homelessness is a growing and prominent issue in BH. Tents, encampments, are seen and though they are removed, the city comes up with temporary solutions like displacement, rather than investing in research-based solutions to combat the intense amount of homelessness. Noise pollution is another complaint: because of the nearby airports such as Boeing, airplanes are passing above frequently. The streets are often bustling with cars, buses, bikes, and foot traffic. 

End if we need one: Beacon Hill is a huge part of Seattle and the diversity of our city. With more than a handful of places to visit, this is a wonderful neighborhood to visit, whether one lives within or as an outsider. Surely, everyone will be welcomed.