Magnolia is the second largest neighborhood in Seattle, Washington, by area. It occupies a hilly peninsula northwest of downtown. Magnolia has been a part of the city since 1891. Discovery Park, formerly the U.S. Army’s Fort Lawton, takes up a good portion of the peninsula. Magnolia is isolated from the rest of Seattle, connected by road to the rest of the city by only three bridges over the tracks of the BNSF Railway: W. Emerson Place in the north, W. Dravus Street in the center, and W. Garfield Street (the Magnolia Bridge) in the south — the Salmon Bay Bridge to Ballard is rail-only, no motorized traffic is permitted to cross the Hiram M. Chittenden Locks, and the W. Fort Street bridge over the railroad tracks only afford access to the W. Commodore Way industrial area (traffic to the rest of the city from that area still needs to take the W. Emerson Place bridge).
Boundaries
Magnolia is bounded on the north by Salmon Bay and Shilshole Bay of the Lake Washington Ship Canal, across which is Ballard; on the west by Puget Sound and Elliott Bay; on the south by Elliott Bay and Smith Cove; and on the east by the BNSF Railway and the Port of Seattle‘s Terminal 91, beyond which is Interbay.
Although magnolia trees do line W. McGraw Street in the neighborhood’s commercial district, Magnolia’s naming was a misnomer. It was named by Captain George Davidson of the U.S. Coast Survey in 1856, who reportedly mistook the plentiful madrona trees for magnolias. Groups are actively working to save the remaining madronas on the bluff.
Magnolia’s south end is Magnolia Park, overlooking Puget Sound, Mount Rainier, and the city skyline. It features a picnic area and tennis courts across the street. Also in Magnolia are Smith Cove and its marina. Discovery Park, in the northwest, encompasses 534 acres (2.16 km2) and is Seattle’s largest park. Seven miles of trails provide visitors with views of Puget Sound and the Olympic Mountains. Parts of Fort Lawton, such as the officers’ homes and other historic buildings, remain in the park. Discovery Park has extensive beaches wrapping around West Point, the westernmost point in Seattle, WA and West Point hosts a lighthouse that guides ships into Seattle’s harbor, Elliott Bay.
Highlights
Another highlight is the local branch of the Seattle Public Library, designed in 1964 by architects Paul Hayden Kirk and Richard Haag, who won top awards for design from the American Library Association. In the children’s section is a statue of a young girl titled “Girl Holding Doves,” designed by Ebba Rapp McLauchlan. Outside hangs a bronze wall sculpture titled “Activity of Thought,” an abstract piece of art created especially for the library by Glenn Alps. The library is furnished with solid walnut tables and chairs designed by George Nakashima. Bed Bug Exterminator Seattle
Magnolia’s business district, called “The Village” by locals, is home to many specialty stores, professional services, restaurants, and industrial and marine services. In the summer, a farmer’s market is held on Saturdays in the Magnolia Village. There are three Seattle Public Schools in Magnolia: Lawton Elementary, Magnolia Elementary, and Catherine Blaine K-8.
Check out different neighborhoods like Pioneer Square
