Yesler Terrace

Considered the Yesler Terrace area the lower income area of Seattle, harsh to say but this area is not a neighborhood drenched in high quality housing and safe spaces. Originally an area build in 1939 as a subsidized housing development so people of all economic levels could afford housing the area has had no growth and is more known for its 911 calls than its community spirit. However, don’t count this neighborhood out it has a great community center where people can gather for community events as well as classes.

Other than the community center the area doesn’t have a lot to do it, but the transit system that runs through the area is great and can get you anywhere in Seattle. The restaurants are few and far between but they do have some great eateries that mostly have an Asian flare. Seattle University is adjacent to the Yesler Terrace area but most of the students from Seattle U don’t live in the Yesler Terrace area. Harbor View Medical center calls this area home as well.

The Yesler Terrace area is staging itself for a comeback with a neighborhood council that is proposing to redo the area and bring the subsidized housing up in the ranks of valued properties. It’s not the place to live now, but if the council succeeds it one day will be.

At just 22 acres, Yesler Terrace is not one of the largest neighborhoods in Seattle. It occupies an area between Interstate 5 and Seattle University, found between James Street and Jackson Street. Deemed a public housing development, which is apparent, containing a vast array of ethnicities. Asians and Blacks win the prize for greatest numbers in the Terrace.

One claim to fame, Harborview Medical Center, has one of the best emergency services in Western Washington. There is not a day that goes by where Harborview is not mentioned in the news. Yesler butts up against Seattle University, the largest independent university in the Northwest.

A wide range of cuisine can be found along 12th Avenue, especially near Jackson. There is not a large presence of small businesses, but some creative companies, like Deuce Custom Bicycles near Yesler and 10th, are here.

Housing is not anything to brag about, obviously. On the bright side, the projects allow many residents to have their own yard. A high concentration of people live near the hospital. Close proximity to Capitol Hill and downtown are a plus, as well as quick access to the interstate.

Many find this neighborhood unattractive, but what must be realized are the rich heritages of its residents. Many, especially the Asians, fuel the restaurants and businesses that comprise the International District.

Yesler Terrace, Seattle's first public housing community, was built in 1939 in the First Hill neighborhood of Seattle. Before Yesler Terrace was built, the area was known as Profanity Hill or Yesler Hill. Occupying 28 acres, there are currently about 1,200 people living there, in housing owned by the Seattle Housing Authority. Most housing in Yesler Hill consists of two-story row houses. There are large populations of both Asian American and African American residents.

Yesler Terrace has long been known as Seattle's slum or ghetto due to its low-income population and historically high crime rate. While the area is rich in cultural diversity, this subsidized housing neighborhood is one of the most impoverished in the city.

Because of safety concerns and because the buildings are growing older, the entire community is being redeveloped. The plan for Yesler Terrace is to turn the area into mixed-income housing with a diverse group of residents and a range of amenities within easy access of Yesler Way. The new plan for Yesler Terrace includes market-rate and subsidized housing and at least eight acres of parks and green spaces. While there is not currently any opportunity for shopping, dining, or working within Yesler Terrace, redevelopment plans call for offices and retail space within the community.

It is believed that through redevelopment, Yesler Terrace will become safer, greener, and more sustainable. However, it will take about 15 years to redevelop the community. This project is still in the planning stages, so it remains to be seen whether the environment of Yesler Terrace can be improved.

With so much public housing in the area, Yesler Terrace, this very well could be Seattle's ghetto. Since there really is not a proclaimed ghetto in Seattle, no projects, no hood, etc. Yesler Terrace could be it. State and government operated housing, Section 8 apartments, and low income developments do not make the area appealing to investors or suburbanites looking for their McMansions. Most steer clear of Yesler. There is a lot of cultural diversity in the area though. Nearly half of the population is Asian or Asian American and the other half is African or African American. You would think that due to the population demographic a lot of ethnic restaurants and shops would pop up but due to the substantial low income economic background of the people, entrepreneurial spirits are squashed.