August 16, 2007
Seattlest Asks: Which Hood Is Seattle's Shadiest Hood?
We want to know where's the scariest place to live or hang out within Seattle city limits. (Sorry, Skyway and White Center. Check again after annexation.)
Recent news stories have pushed several neighborhoods into contention:
Rainier Beach: The Safeway parking lot is "plagued by thugs", disgruntled patrons firebomb a video store, and gangs patronize the library.
Broadway: From Slog today: "Broadway has turned into a 1st Class GHETTO. Why is nothing being done about it? I can’t wait for my least to be up next April. When I move from here this time, it will be the LAST time. In case I don’t see you next April, Bub-bye Seattle. It’s been real."
The Ave: Business owners have been wringing their hands about Ave rats and vacancy rates for over a decade.
Downtown (Third & Pine): The Bon's backyard has ruffians, not mere thugs, and has such a criminal hot spot that it's spurred an effort to retake the corner.
Is anywhere else in Seattle scarier than these hoods? Are there hyperbolic images of urban apocalypse we've overlooked? Weigh in, and give us a hint about where property values may be almost vaguely affordable in this city.
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The only one I'd add to the list is Pioneer Square.
how about the CD? 23rd & cherry is deep in the streets...
Broadway isn't all that scary: trashy, stinky, panhandley, drunky, druggy, shouty, yes. But it's nuisance-level, mainly.
I vote for the downtown area, evenings, as the place where I end up crossing the street or giving serious thought to which bus stop I'll wait at.
@ Guest #2: What exactly do you find scary about 23rd and Cherry? I pass that way to or from home almost daily and have never seen anything remotely scary happen there. Houses in the area (including along 23rd) have been getting restored and Garfield is under full renovation. Only marginally sketchy place might be the Arco/AM-PM, which I admit I do not frequent (for product quality reasons).
The bus stop at Third and James, right next to "Crack Park", is one of the shadiest ones downtown, especially after 6 pm. And working in Pioneer Square, I routinely see drug deals during the day and run across people wigged out (either crazy or high) on a daily basis. Once, a dude walking past me looked at me and muttered "I'll stick my d**k up your fat ass" and sadly, my first thought was "hey, my ass isn't that fat!"
23rd and Cherry is bad at night.
Walk down there at 1:30 AM and see.
My vote is for 28th and Jackson (then, I dare you to venture down 28th about 4 blocks south of Jackson @ 1 AM)
You may want to be packin
29th and Jackson isn't anywhere near as dangerous as Rainier Beach. That's a freaking war zone! Actually, the area immediately to the east and north of 28th and Jackson is very safe and nice. Go two blocks in either direction and you're on streets with really nice houses and no stumbling crack addicts.
The current problem at 28th and Jackson is basically twofold-- the so-called "markets" on the two corners really only serve as a refuge for dealers, while the empty and poorly cared for "storefront churches" create a sense of abandonment and despair, not hope. Fortunately though, it's only a matter of time before economic forces change the face of the corridor for the better. The combined spectre of steadily increasing rents/property taxes, plus a disappearing customer base will always do that. Before too long, they'll be forced to do one of two things-- redefine themselves to meet the rapidly evolving needs of the neighborhood, or make way for businesses that will.
A freaking WAR ZONE? Are you serious? There isn't a neighborhood in Seattle that is even CLOSE to being considered a war zone. I Have to leave a comment because it rubs me the wrong way to hear people give the south side even more bad publicity. I've lived in the RB for a year, bought a house because I wanted to be a property owner and have had zero problems. Sure, the Safeway is a little weird with its parking lot parties, loitering youth, and strange characters selling stuff outside the liquor store. I've never had a problem and I've walked to that particular Safeway at dusk, in the morning, during rush hour and have yet to encounter a single threat. I walk two miles a day for exercise in my lower RB neighborhood and other then the occasional hostile stares I feel largely unthreatened. If anything, I feel lonely in Rainier Beach because people living there are so trained at leaving each other alone. Rarely do my neighbors acknowledge my husband and I, be it language barriers or disdain for us 'taking over the hood.' By making the decision to move to the south end I had to assure myself that I would not be afraid. Labeling certain neighborhoods as the Shadiest Hoods only propagates an already struggling area, keeps us immobilized, and reminds me that I will never be able to afford a home in Queen Anne.
--Mara