View Ridge, Seattle, Washington
Encyclopedia
View Ridge is a neighborhood in north Seattle, Washington
. As with all Seattle neighborhoods, its boundaries are not fixed, but can be thought of as NE 65th Street in the south, 40th and 45th Avenues NE in the west, the Sand Point Country Club in the north, and Sand Point Way NE in the east. Many homes offer views of Lake Washington
, Mount Rainier
, and the Cascade Range
. View Ridge Elementary School is located within the neighborhood, and the neighborhood also offers a large park and playfield (View Ridge Park) across the street from the elementary school. The View Ridge Swim and Tennis Club is located on the eastern edge of View Ridge, and the Sand Point Country Club is located on the northern edge.
View Ridge is home to a considerable Jewish community, with a Hasidic synagogue
, Congregation Shaarei Tefillah Lubavitch, located at the corner of NE 65th St. and 43rd Ave. NE. There are several churches, too: Lutheran, Methodist, Presbyterian, and Catholic. In addition to the public elementary and middle school there are many private schools nearby.
; 40th and 45th Avenues NE in the west, beyond which is Wedgwood
; the Sand Point Country Club in the north, beyond which is Matthews Beach
; and Sand Point Way NE in the east, beyond which is Sand Point
. View Ridge is located on a hill overlooking Magnuson Park
, which was formerly the Naval Air Station Seattle. The neighborhood encompasses an area of approximately 1 mi2. The neighborhood is a high point between the adjacent neighborhoods of Wedgwood and Hawthorne Hills.
s in 1944 and was built in 1948. In the late 1980s, View Ridge became the site of a series of arson
s. The first fires occurred in March 1987, when four houses were set on fire in one night, resulting in the death of an elderly couple. In 1989, several more cases of arson were committed in the neighborhood; the arsonists responsible ultimately set forty fires.
Seattle, Washington
Seattle is the county seat of King County, Washington. With 608,660 residents as of the 2010 Census, Seattle is the largest city in the Northwestern United States. The Seattle metropolitan area of about 3.4 million inhabitants is the 15th largest metropolitan area in the country...
. As with all Seattle neighborhoods, its boundaries are not fixed, but can be thought of as NE 65th Street in the south, 40th and 45th Avenues NE in the west, the Sand Point Country Club in the north, and Sand Point Way NE in the east. Many homes offer views of Lake Washington
Lake Washington
Lake Washington is a large freshwater lake adjacent to the city of Seattle. It is the largest lake in King County and the second largest in the state of Washington, after Lake Chelan. It is bordered by the cities of Seattle on the west, Bellevue and Kirkland on the east, Renton on the south and...
, Mount Rainier
Mount Rainier
Mount Rainier is a massive stratovolcano located southeast of Seattle in the state of Washington, United States. It is the most topographically prominent mountain in the contiguous United States and the Cascade Volcanic Arc, with a summit elevation of . Mt. Rainier is considered one of the most...
, and the Cascade Range
Cascade Range
The Cascade Range is a major mountain range of western North America, extending from southern British Columbia through Washington and Oregon to Northern California. It includes both non-volcanic mountains, such as the North Cascades, and the notable volcanoes known as the High Cascades...
. View Ridge Elementary School is located within the neighborhood, and the neighborhood also offers a large park and playfield (View Ridge Park) across the street from the elementary school. The View Ridge Swim and Tennis Club is located on the eastern edge of View Ridge, and the Sand Point Country Club is located on the northern edge.
View Ridge is home to a considerable Jewish community, with a Hasidic synagogue
Synagogue
A synagogue is a Jewish house of prayer. This use of the Greek term synagogue originates in the Septuagint where it sometimes translates the Hebrew word for assembly, kahal...
, Congregation Shaarei Tefillah Lubavitch, located at the corner of NE 65th St. and 43rd Ave. NE. There are several churches, too: Lutheran, Methodist, Presbyterian, and Catholic. In addition to the public elementary and middle school there are many private schools nearby.
Geography
View Ridge is roughly bounded by NE 65th Street in the south, beyond which is Hawthorne HillsHawthorne Hills, Seattle, Washington
Hawthorne Hills is an upscale neighborhood in Seattle, Washington bounded on the north by NE 65th Street, on the south and east by the Burke-Gilman Trail, and on the west by 45th Avenue NE. The majority of homes were built in the 1940s to 1950s with some of the original homes dating to the 1920s...
; 40th and 45th Avenues NE in the west, beyond which is Wedgwood
Wedgwood, Seattle, Washington
Wedgwood is a middle class residential neighborhood of northeast Seattle, Washington, with a modest commercial strip. Wedgwood is located about two miles north, and slightly east, of the University of Washington; it is about six miles northeast of Downtown...
; the Sand Point Country Club in the north, beyond which is Matthews Beach
Matthews Beach, Seattle, Washington
Matthews Beach is a neighborhood in Seattle, Washington; it and Meadowbrook are the southern neighborhoods of the annexed township of Lake City...
; and Sand Point Way NE in the east, beyond which is Sand Point
Sand Point, Seattle, Washington
Sand Point is a neighborhood in Seattle, Washington, United States, named after and consisting mostly of the Sand Point peninsula that juts into Lake Washington, which is itself largely given over to Magnuson Park. Its southern boundary can be said to be N.E. 65th Street, beyond which are...
. View Ridge is located on a hill overlooking Magnuson Park
Magnuson Park (Seattle)
Magnuson Park is a 350 acre park on Sand Point at Pontiac Bay, Lake Washington, in the Sand Point neighborhood of Seattle, Washington. The park is the second largest in Seattle, after 534 acre Discovery Park in Magnolia. It is located on the spot of the former Naval Station Puget Sound...
, which was formerly the Naval Air Station Seattle. The neighborhood encompasses an area of approximately 1 mi2. The neighborhood is a high point between the adjacent neighborhoods of Wedgwood and Hawthorne Hills.
History
View Ridge was first settled in 1936 by Ralph Jones and Al Balch; it is one of the newest neighborhoods in Seattle. Upon buying 10 acres (40,468.6 m²) of forest land in what is now the neighborhood, Jones and Balch cleared trees to create views of Lake Washington and the Cascades. They then sold lots on their land for $450 to $950 and created publicity for their property sales. Their initial success in selling land in View Ridge enabled them to expand their efforts, and they bought more land to reach the current boundaries of View Ridge. The neighborhood was annexed into Seattle in 1942. View Ridge Elementary School was founded with portable classroomPortable classroom
A portable classroom A portable classroom A portable classroom (in Australian English a demountable and often referred to as a demountable, a "Terrapin" or a "Portakabin" (after the two companies) in the UK and called a prefab in Ireland (not to be confused with a prefabricated building) is a...
s in 1944 and was built in 1948. In the late 1980s, View Ridge became the site of a series of arson
Arson
Arson is the crime of intentionally or maliciously setting fire to structures or wildland areas. It may be distinguished from other causes such as spontaneous combustion and natural wildfires...
s. The first fires occurred in March 1987, when four houses were set on fire in one night, resulting in the death of an elderly couple. In 1989, several more cases of arson were committed in the neighborhood; the arsonists responsible ultimately set forty fires.