Getting your bearings
Two streets do most of the work here. Greenwood Avenue North runs north and south through the middle, and N 85th Street crosses it east to west. Begin at that intersection and you are standing in the commercial heart, with the library, a park and a community garden all a short stroll away.
Around 85th Street: Food, Coffee and a Stage
Spend some time in the blocks around the main intersection, where the neighborhood eats, drinks and gathers. Independent restaurants, cafes and small specialty stores set the tone here rather than big chains. Menus, hours and storefronts change over time, so check individual businesses before you set out.
Taproot Theatre Company
Theater is part of what makes Greenwood feel like Greenwood, and the Taproot Theatre Company works out of a historic building on N 85th Street. It is one of the reasons an evening here can stretch well beyond dinner. Look up the company directly for its current season and showtimes.
A landmark street clock
Watch for the street clock associated with Greenwood Jewelers, which city records list as a landmark. It sits within easy walking distance of the park, library and gardens, so add it to your loop as a natural stop along the way.
Parks, Pocket Spaces and Community Gardens
Greenwood is mostly residential, and its green spaces stay small and local rather than sprawling. The City of Seattle maintains several recreation areas here, including Greenwood Park, Sandel Park (also known as Sandel Playground) and Alice Ball Park, and city records also note a pocket park along 6th Avenue NW.
Greenwood Park
Make Greenwood Park on N 87th Street your base for a walk. This neighborhood park at 602 N 87th St keeps a community garden, the branch library and the landmark clock all close at hand.
Greenwood P-Patch
Neighbors have tended the Greenwood P-Patch community garden since 1997. Tucked at 3rd Ave NW and NW 88th St, this compact city garden holds 32 plots and shows off the small, hands-on spaces that dot Seattle neighborhoods.
Evanston P-Patch
Head farther north and east to the Evanston P-Patch near Evanston Ave N and N 102nd St, which dates back to 1974. Covering about 11,600 square feet with 42 plots, it is both larger and older than its sibling near the park.
The Greenwood Branch Library
Stop by the branch that has served the neighborhood as part of The Seattle Public Library since 1928. The current building at 8016 Greenwood Ave N opened in 2005 and was renovated in spring 2017. Our guide to the Greenwood Branch Library covers the essentials, and the library system posts current hours and programs.
Summer Events That Fill the Streets
Plan a summer visit around two annual events that turn the neighborhood into a destination, each drawing tens of thousands of visitors.
- Greenwood Car Show: held since 1993, traditionally on the last Saturday in June.
- Greenwood Seafair Parade: traditionally held on the fourth Wednesday in July.
Dates and details can shift from year to year, so confirm with the organizers before you build your plans around either one. On both days, expect crowds, street closures and busy sidewalks.
History Shaped by Streetcars and a Bog
The area began life as Woodland and took the Greenwood name in 1907. Through the first half of the twentieth century, Greenwood Avenue carried city streetcars along with passenger trains on the Seattle-Everett interurban line, which helps explain why the main street still feels like a classic neighborhood spine as you walk it today.
Annexation and the sidewalk question
The part of Greenwood north of 85th Street did not join Seattle until 1954. People who voted for annexation expected the city to add sidewalks, yet many residential streets up there still go without. Once you leave the main roads, plan on walking along shoulders and shared streets.
Built on peat
The center of the neighborhood rests on a peat bog, formed after the last glacier left a bowl that filled with decaying plant matter. When groundwater drops, the peat compresses and buildings settle for good. In 2008 the city added peat bogs to its list of Environmentally Critical Areas to encourage building methods that keep the ground stable.
Uneven settling has damaged streets and sidewalks too. In 2012 the city rebuilt North 85th Street and repaved much of Greenwood Avenue North, along with many sidewalks, though you can still spot older cracks and dips as you stroll.
Setbacks at the center
The commercial core has come through hard moments. A string of arson fires in 2009 destroyed several businesses on N 85th Street and damaged the Taproot building, and a 2016 natural gas explosion leveled three small buildings on Greenwood Avenue just south of 85th. Through both, the neighborhood center has kept going.
Schools and Everyday Life
Greenwood falls within the North Cluster of Seattle Public Schools, with Greenwood Elementary and St. John Catholic School both in the neighborhood. The cluster has no high school, but Nathan Hale, Roosevelt, Ballard and Ingraham are all nearby.
