to West Seattle
West Seattle, a hilly district in Seattle, Washington, encompasses all of Seattle west  of the Duwamish River. It was incorporated as an independent town in 1902 and was annexed by Seattle in 1907. Among the area's attractions are its saltwater beach parks along Elliott Bay and Puget Sound: Alki Beach and Lincoln Park, among others. The area is also prized for its magnificent views of the Olympic Mountains to the west and the Cascades to the east.
The highest point in Seattle is in the Gatewood neighborhood, at 35th Avenue S.W. and S.W. Myrtle Street it is 520 feet above sea level. The hill is dominated by two huge water towers.
The heart of West Seattle is the intersection of California and Alaska Streets, called "The Junction" and is the center of a lively business district. West Seattle also has two other major intersections of note, the Admiral Junction in the northern part of the peninsula where California Avenue and Admiral Way meet and the Morgan Street Junction at the southern end where Fauntleroy Way, Morgan Street, and California Avenue intersect.
Alki Point is traditionally credited as the point where the Denny Party founded Seattle prior to moving across Elliott Bay. The Denny Party landed at Alki Point November 13, 1851, and platted a settlement of six blocks of eight lots. The original name of the settlement was "New York Alki," ... "Alki" being a word in Chinook Jargon meaning "eventually" or "bye and bye." However, the next April, Arthur A. Denny abandoned the site at Alki for a better-situated site on the east shore of Elliott Bay, just north of the plat of David Swinson "Doc" Maynard. This site is now known as Pioneer Square. A similar landing at Alki has been reenacted annually since 1950 as part of the colorful, week-long Seafair celebration of Seattle's marine and boating interests. Seafair coincides with the much older Hi-Yu festivities in West Seattle now c alled the Junction Street Festival. Alki Beach plays host to the Seattle Music Fest every August. It is a three-day music festival that plays host to emerging Northwest artists and selected national and international headliners.
 The Alki Point Lighthouse dates from 1913, replacing the U.S. Lighthouse Service's post light from 1887 and Hanson's lantern-on-a-post from the mid 1870s. The oldest remaining building in Alki is the 1904 Bernard family home, later a hotel, and now the Alki Homestead restaurant.
There is a Washington State Ferries dock in the Fauntleroy neighborhood, with service to Vashon Island and to Southworth on the Kitsap Peninsula. A shuttle ferry also runs between Duwamish Head and downtown Seattle.
Information courtesy of wikipedia.org |