When you talk about a neighborhood, you define it by name, and most people know what it means – what areas it covers. Not so with North Delridge. The name is recent, like 15 years young, and encompasses smaller pockets known as Youngstown and Cottage Grove. It has even included Pigeon Point and Puget Ridge. Today, the borders are being debated once again among the North Delridge Neighborhood Council members.

This gets really confusing. And, for those folks I’ve met working on a volunteer project, it’s difficult to understand why it matters. I think it matters between the folks that want to work together. Let me try to explain:

When working with the city of Seattle for grants to make improvements like sidewalks, neighborhoods are divided into districts. There are 13 districts or “neighborhoods” in Seattle. Within each district there are several individual neighborhoods. If each neighborhood has a project to apply for such the sidewalk, each district must narrow down the project to the top 3, then submit them to the city. The city will then award what projects will fit in the budget (or so we hope, some debate this). The hierarchy helps the city wade through what the needs are for all the neighborhoods.

So, I’m going to show you the borders of North Delridge, starting with Avalon, a long hill. This is also a border for the Delridge District. I think that as Poor Seattle Shines moves forward, I’m going to highlight the poorest districts.

Despite the dramatic mixture of homes and businesses, Avalon holds beauty in juxtaposition with nature.:

Avalon is home to small businesses, apartments, condos, duplexes and the rare single home as well as Nucor Steel. The steel plant has been an iconic fixture in North Delridge since it’s beginning in 1905! It has changed names and ownerships, but still remains an active landmark in the community.

For more history on the steel mill, check out this 2 minute oral history from Nucor’s environmental engineer.