Names of Beacon Hill - Geography and History

Beacon Hill is located on a ridge 350 feet above sea level in the southeast Seattle boundary. It’s part of the South End in Seattle. In the north, there's the International District and the King County International Airport is toward the south. It takes about 15 minutes by car to get downtown.

Beacon Hill has had many different names. The Duwamish called it Greenish-Yellow Spine because of the thickly grown trees there. Jacob Maple and Samuel Maple were 2 brothers claiming the north of Beacon Hill. So, for a while, it was named "Maple Hill". Then, for a decade, with many residents working for the nearby Boeing airplane factory, it developed the nickname of "Boeing Hill". Eventually, Harwood Young, who grew up in Boston, named it Beacon Hill after one of the hills in his hometown.

What Are the Residents Like in Beacon Hill?

War workers' departure to suburbs paved the way for Asian immigrants to settle in the once secluded hill. Job vacancies, modest housing, and restrictions from being allowed to settle in other parts of the city made living in Beacon Hill, Seattle attractive for immigrants in the 1950s. This made the area the most racially diverse neighborhood in Seattle with many Asian American residents. Nowadays, the majority of the residents are still Chinese, Vietnamese, and Filipino. For the myriad cultures that exist there, they also have a civil rights organization with the name “The Center for People of All Races”.

Beacon Hill, Seattle Apartments Rentals

What are Beacon Hill apartments in Seattle like? To answer this question, we should get acquainted with Beacon Hill’s different sections or neighborhoods. The municipality of Seattle subdivided Beacon Hill into 4 main sections namely, North Beacon Hill, Mid-Beacon Hill, Holly Park(New Holly), and South Beacon Hill.

You can experience different vibes in each section. The busiest is North Beacon Hill where it meets the Rainier Valley on the east. The homes have a Foursquare architectural style. Built in the 1900s, Craftsman bungalows and vernacular Seattle box houses are predominant there. You can access good schools and have great views. North Beacon Hill, Seattle is a commercial node with many ethnic restaurants and stores providing goods for people of different diversities. Since it’s near downtown and known as the business district, Beacon Hill rentals in this section are more expensive.

South Beacon Hill, on the other hand, is more affordable. It has quieter residential streets with many bike paths as long as 2.8 miles. It’s between Colombia City and Georgetown to its east and west.

Holly Park was home to Seattle’s second-largest housing project built by temporary workers during World War II. It consisted of 900 units but there was a housing shortage for war workers. Therefore, they transformed and re-graded Holly Park to a mix of commercial and residential uses connecting it to its surrounding community. This resulted in New Holly.

10 Golden Years of Development in Beacon Hill

About a decade ago, Beacon Hill was among the 30 great places in America mentioned by the American Planning Association. Also, in Seattle Magazine this neighborhood was voted as having the finest foods, best music venues, hair salons, and more importantly, a good place for young families and children's activities. Also, for ten years, the former headquarters of Amazon were at PacMed. It’s easily recognizable as it’s located at the northern tip of Beacon Hill which is now the Pacific Tower. You won’t want to miss that.

Visit Jefferson Park that had its centennial celebrations a decade ago. This charming park has lawn bowling, a skate park, tennis courts, and a golf course. The professional golf player Fred Couples grew up playing in this park as a teen. At this very park, Seattle’s first airport was made so that the US Army warplanes could land. This runway was the Boeing field which eventually led to the Hill being nicknamed the “Boeing Hill”. By travelling to the west side of the park you can visit Beacon Food Forest. This is one of the largest projects to expand urban farming and is nationally recognized. In seven lush acres, they grow walnuts, chestnuts, berry shrubs, and other vegetables. So, it’s no wonder that in Seattle Weekly they predicted this land to be boasting the biggest public food forest in the country within 10 years.

The 10 year Beacon Hill Family Bicycle Plan was created in partnership with the city of Seattle. The purpose of this awarded plan was to create pedestrian bicycle greenways. Take your bike or rent one to enjoy this long bike path.

Being at the Dr. Jose Rizal Park gives you the chance to overlook downtown, the Industrial District, Elliott Bay, and Rainier Valley. Even when the weather is clean, the unparalleled views of Mount Rainier, Lake Washington, and the Olympic Mountains are easily spotted. These were just a few things to do in Beacon Hill, Seattle. Residents value the quality of life as those 10 years revolutionized this remarkable hill.

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Published: October 04, 2021