University District Neighborhood
Map | University District News | Events | Restaurants (coming soon) | History
Located by Lake Washington, the Ship Canal, I-5, and Ravenna, Seattle’s University District (“the U District”) is one of North Seattle’s oldest neighborhoods, founded as “Brooklyn” in the 1860s and annexed to Seattle in 1891. Today, it is a meld of campus living, shopping centers, and quiet residential streets.
As its name implies, the University District is home to the Seattle campus of the University of Washington (UW). This school is widely recognized as one of the most prominent universities on the west coast, and one of the leading research universities in the world. The school’s 90,000 students, staff, and faculty play a large role in the district’s daily life and culture.
Just west of the UW campus, University Way (a.k.a. “the Ave”) is the district’s primary commercial center. The Ave features dozens of unique retail establishments, including movie theaters, restaurants, bars, book stores, and grocers. The U District Street Fair takes the Ave by storm every May and is the oldest festival of its kind in the nation. At the north end of the Ave, beside what is sometimes termed “the University Heights” neighborhood, the University District Farmers’ Market―Seattle’s first―offers local produce every Saturday of the year.
Northeast and downhill from the UW campus is the University Village, a bustling outdoor mall featuring several popular chains. The southern end of the U District connects to the city’s water sports culture on both Portage Bay and Lake Washington.
To learn more about the University District, visit the neighborhood’s blog, UDistrictDaily.com
