Category Archives: streets
Along the Road: From Pontiac to Sand Point Way NE
There was not yet a road called Sand Point Way NE when the first commercial activities began at about NE 70th Street on Lake Washington. In the 1880s Edward F. Lee had a boat-building shop there, and Osborn M. Merritt … Continue reading
Writing the Ways of Seattle Streets
The Seattle street system provides endless opportunities for puzzling over the “whys” of street names, as it can be difficult to find out who a street is named for. One north Seattle street is clear in its tribute to Roosevelt … Continue reading
Sorting Out Seattle Street Names
In Seattle’s early years, 1851 to 1889, owners of property could lay out a plan for streets and give them any names they chose. But as the city grew, segments of a street would often have several different names as … Continue reading
Along the Road: the Evolution of 35th Ave NE
From early years Wedgwood in northeast Seattle was a car-centric neighborhood because of the lack of other transportation options. Streetcar lines never reached Wedgwood, and there was no city bus service because the neighborhood was outside of the Seattle City … Continue reading
Seattle Street Names North of Lake Union
Seattle historian Rob Ketcherside has previously cataloged the street names which were reorganized in a major City ordinance in the year 1895. That was when the decision was made to have Seattle’s streets keep one name along their entire length, … Continue reading
The Copestick Building in Wedgwood
During World War Two from 1941 to 1945, Americans put their personal plans on hold so that they could serve in the military, work in war production industries or in support services. After the end of World War Two the … Continue reading
Searching for the Origins of Seattle Street Names
There is no resource list of the meanings of Seattle’s street names or how the street names were derived. Even the granddaughters of Seattle city founder Arthur Denny were left to speculate on his choices of the names for twelve … Continue reading
Fremont in Seattle: Street Names and Neighborhood Boundaries
Fremont in Seattle began as a planned community after investors purchased the land and filed a plat map in May 1888. A “plat” is any defined area of land for which a plan of lots and streets is laid out. … Continue reading
Seattle’s Old Street Signs
The Seattle Department of Transportation is using a new digital method to print all kinds of traffic signs, and they are making old street signs available for purchase.
Seattle Street Names
The vision of a city in the place where Seattle now stands was born in the heart of Arthur Denny, a 29-year-old surveyor in Knox County, Illinois in 1851. As a surveyor Denny knew that in unexplored regions, early-arriving settlers … Continue reading
Wedgwood in Seattle History 