Seattle’s Central District has been a hub for Black business and culture since the 1960s. The neighborhood spans four square miles, bound to the north by East Madison Street, to the West by 12th Avenue, to the south by South Jackson Street, and to the east by Martin Luther King Jr. Way. Home to the oldest residential area in the city, many single-family homes in the Central District were built prior to 1900. The ethnic and racial makeup of the Central District has always been in flux. A predominantly Jewish and Italian neighborhood prior to World War I gave way to Japanese immigrants and Japanese Americans by the 1930s. World War II brought significant numbers of Black Americans to the Pacific Northwest. The practice of “redlining” that developed after the war forced Black Americans to make their homes in this neighborhood, alongside Asian Americans and Latinx Americans. While the city’s development and population growth have disproportionately impacted residents and business in the Central District, 23rd Avenue persists as a center of community pride, art, spirit, and joy.
To take this walking tour, visit HistoryLink.Tours.
