Ballard: The Town Nobody Wanted

In 1887 Ballard came to be as the result of a coin toss… Captain William Rankin Ballard lost and, as a penalty, had to take the land bordering and adjacent to Salmon Bay. It was the place no one else wanted. It was also the end of the line for the railroad because there was no trestle across Salmon Bay and the railroad chose not to build one. People on their way to Seattle had to walk across the wagon bridge and continue the journey to Seattle. And because of that, Ballard’s first lumber mill was built in 1889, followed by a shingle mill that same year and The Great Seattle Fire of 1889. All of which brought a slew of people to work and live in Ballard. By 1900 the population of Ballard had blossomed to 4568 and in 1907, with a population of 17,000 residents, the second largest city in King County, the place nobody wanted, Ballard was annexed and became a part of Seattle.

Ballard is located in the northwestern part of Seattle. To the north it is bounded by Crown Hill, ( N.W. 85th Street); to the east by Phinney Ridge and Fremont (along 8th Avenue N.W.); To the south by the Lake Washington Ship Canal; and to the west by Puget Sound’s Shilshole Bay. Ballard is the traditional center of Seattle's Scandinavian seafaring community, who are to this day very proud of their Nordic Heritage -- Ya sure you betcha! This interesting and unique neighborhood offers many venues for live music, including bars, coffee shops and a variety of restaurants.