Central District

The Central District is one of our favorite neighborhoods. It is vibrant and one of the most culturally diverse areas in the city. However, the Central District has been one of the most marginalized areas in Seattle for many years. Redlining and home lending discrimination had a huge impact on the traditionally Black residents of the area. Until ten years ago, the changes were more slow and subtle. For instance, the LGBTQ community started to buy houses in parts of the CD as property closer to Capitol Hill became more expensive. But in the last decade, before the big recession hit in 2008 and started the displacement of many of our BIPOC neighbors. Later on modern Green Built developers started to buy up cheaper plots of land and built many of the first generation townhouses in the city..

On the main thoroughfares running north and south (23rd Avenue and Martin Luther King Jr Way), one sees the biggest changes. You’ll find large multi-use buildings interspersed among older single-family homes. Meanwhile, Cherry St between these thoroughfares speaks to the established community. Discover the popular Garfield Community Center, the alternative high school NOVA, a family-run Thai bistro, the Twilight Exit dive bar, several Ethiopian restaurants, and more. Without a doubt, the Central District is one of the most interesting and diverse neighborhoods in the city!

This incredible community has experienced a great deal of change, especially recently. The city’s population and housing boom has led to some rapid transformations in the neighborhood. Unfortunately, it has displaced many of our BIPOC elders as gentrification has become more rampant in the area.