Neighborhood guide
Ballard
Seattle neighborhood
A northwest Seattle neighborhood shaped by its working waterfront, maritime history, and long-established commercial streets.
Editorial illustration of Ballard’s maritime setting.
At a glance
Maritime history, working waterfront, and established commercial streets in northwest Seattle.
Outdoors
At the water’s edge
Salmon Bay and Shilshole Bay form Ballard’s southern and western edges. The neighborhood’s relationship with the water remains visible around its marinas, working boats, and the Hiram M. Chittenden Locks.
The locks opened in 1917 as part of the Lake Washington Ship Canal, connecting Puget Sound with Lake Union and Lake Washington.
History
A city before it was a neighborhood
Long before Ballard became a city, a Duwamish community known as the Xacho-absh, or ‘Lake People,’ lived along Salmon Bay and Shilshole Bay. Ballard incorporated in 1890 and became part of Seattle in 1907.
The mills and fisheries drew immigrants from Scandinavia, whose influence became an enduring part of Ballard’s history and identity.
Architecture
Ballard Avenue and Market Street
Historic Ballard Avenue reflects the neighborhood’s earlier commercial center. Market Street’s business district developed largely between 1913 and the 1930s, creating another recognizable layer of Ballard’s street life.
Together, the waterfront, locks, and commercial streets tell the story of a neighborhood that grew through maritime work and became part of Seattle without losing its distinct history.
Dining
Where I got my start
I lived in Ballard when I was newly married, in the years before my first daughter was born. I worked at the original Seafirst Bank on Market Street, back when downtown Ballard still felt like a small town tucked inside a big city. I still go back for the Sunday farmers market on Ballard Avenue, where the mini donuts are the best I have found.
Larsen’s Original Bakery on 24th Avenue NW has been turning out Scandinavian pastries since 1974, and I never skip the kringle when I am in the neighborhood. Salmon Bay Cafe on Shilshole Avenue makes a tuna melt I still think about; it is the kind of small, unfussy spot that Ballard does better than almost anywhere else.
Recreation
Golden Gardens and a night out
Golden Gardens Park is one of my favorite places to watch the sun go down over Puget Sound and the Olympic Mountains; the beach, the fire pits, and the trails along the bluff make it easy to lose an evening there.
On a different kind of night, I like ducking into one of the neighborhood’s record shops to dig through old band t-shirts and vinyl, then catching a show at Tractor Tavern on Ballard Avenue, which has been booking live music in the neighborhood for years.
Considering Ballard?
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