“Free Ballard!” Or so you still might hear wandering through
Seattle’s Scandinavian neighborhood. Once a separate city, Ballard was
annexed by Seattle in 1907 and a light-hearted independence movement
was born. In reality, Ballard has marched increasingly in step with the
rest of the city, becoming an integral (and integrated) neighborhood.
Once the domain of Norwegian and Swedish fisherman, Ballard is
an increasingly desirable place to live, shop, and experience the music
scene and nightlife. A 10-minute drive—depending on the
traffic—from
downtown, Ballard
has become a popular weekend and evening destination
for 30-somethings and the middle aged. The music venues (
Tractor Tavern
leading the pack) tend to be more traditional rock and country
oriented. The neighborhood is also much more accessible by car than
public transportation (thanks to the cancellation of plans to link it
to downtown via a monorail). The café culture (
Ray’s Café,
Cafe Besalu and
Cupcake Royale are highlights) and specialty shopping (
Ballard Camera and
Archie McPhee) have blossomed as well in recent years.
This is not to say Ballard has lost its identity. Seattle still
has a fishing fleet (located across Salmon Bay at Fisherman’s Terminal)
and plenty of Norwegian speaking codgers hanging around coffee shops
eager to tell you about the good old days. More formally, the
Locks are a popular day destination, as is the
Nordic Heritage Museum. Ballard is changing, but it has a pretty big reservoir of character.
