Northgate Neighborhood
Northgate is an unofficial neighborhood of north Seattle, composed of a number of smaller communities, including Pinehurst, North College Park, and Maple Leaf.
The community’s namesake originates from Northgate Mall, which opened on April 21, 2010, and was the country’s first indoor regional shopping center known as a “mall,” a term that was previous foreign to retail centers (though three others throughout the country predated it). Clearly a novel idea at the time, The Seattle Times wrote that the new retail arena was “a wide shopping walkway, probably to be known as the Mall or Plaza, in which no vehicles will be permitted.”
Although the mall is still the neighborhood’s largest citywide attraction, a vibrant community has since grown around it. Today Northgate is home to the North Seattle Community College (NSCC), the south fork of the Thornton Creek watershed, and the Sheihk Idriss Mosque, known for its unique and distinctive architecture.
The surrounding community and city officials have long since been working to further develop Northgate as an “urban center” in the city. In 2006 a new library, park, and community center were opened across from Northgate Mall, part of the city’s plan to accelerate growth.
