Little Castro on Beacon Hill? That’s what The Stranger called the neighborhood earlier this week: “Beacon Hill is the charming Seattle neighborhood that’s secretly home to the city’s tiniest gay district.” They cited Baja Bistro as “gloriously gay (and super-nice to everyone, regardless of their lap habits),” and also mentioned Inay’s, where there is a dinnertime drag show on Fridays.
Apparently North Beacon Hill’s burgeoning gayness hasn’t gone unnoticed by other publications, either. Seattlepi.com mentioned North Beacon Hill earlier this week as a particularly affordable gay community for those wanting to go cheaper than Capitol Hill, with a median housing price of $221 per square foot in comparison to Broadway’s median of $325 per square foot. (The P-I points out that North Beacon tends to have a lot of same-sex male couples, while same-sex female couples are more often found in Columbia City.)
This being Pride weekend, a lot of folks will be headed off the Hill for the weekend’s festivities. Some, though, will wave the rainbow flag right here in “Little Castro on Beacon Hill.”
well there goes the affordability now that the stranger know about it. heavy gentrication will take place in 3.. 2… 1…
first the food at that place isnt very good , secondly I would apperciate it if you faggots (and not the gay kind) stayed off beacon hill prices here are all ready sky rocketing and i particullary like the diversty we dont need you white “cluture seeking” ass holes ruining our neighborhood the way you have captial hill and the CD. Im sorry you grew up in the suburbs and were oppressed there but displacing people of color while voting for Obama is still racsit
signed
A white guy born and raised on Beacon
Thanks Wendi for the interesting article.
We were at ENAYS during the afternoon after the festival. During which the chanteuse Louisa was performing, much to the delight of the many diners.
Beacon Hill is a very diverse neighborhood. and all are welcome, as they should be.
On the other hand as far as gay bars on Capitol Hill are concerned, 3 or 4 have moved to their own Denny/Olive Way “triangle” so I am told.
Beacon Hill has a lot of room to grow, we will soon see the opening of two new bar/restaurants on the Hill., that’s progress. I doubt, as Monster says, that there will be an exodus to Beacon Hill. Where we have seen buildings and rents go up that are located close to the light rail corridor.
The article from the Stranger is no stranger to our or the gay community. Dan Savage is the basic owner-manager and writing contributor, being the writer/guru of his sex advice column.
In the 80’s I had the good sense to move to lower Beacon Hill, from lower Capitol Hill. Wherein during the eighties I worked with the gay community and others during the AIDS crisis, and for which I received the prestigious Jefferson Humanitarian Award.
All of us should try to become involved in our community, possibly volunteering in certain areas to improve it. That’s progress too. L L
To “Let me be frank….” who is afraid to use his real name:
Bigotry is not welcome on Beacon Hill or on this blog.
Additionally, this goes for Monster, too — since according to the logs you are the same person. It is not cool to change your posting name. Keep the same one for all of your posts from now on.
In response to the bigoted note, I won’t stoop that low as to acknowledge
it with the same. Those responses are pitiful as well as hateful,and do nothing
to foster good will and progress here or wherever and whenever it is used.
We are all in the same world “boat” together, and we have seen what hate and
bigotry can do. In fact it sets us back all over this world.
Again, I feel sorry for him and hope he can find it in his heart to say something
in apology. Either way, I wish him well .
All of us need to remember the other 3 “R’s”– Respect for self, Respect for others, and
Responsibility for all your actions.
Hate is not a family value !
******* *******
@ Wendii if it pisses you off then why did you approve the comment….
@ the rest spare us your outrage when Beacon Hill becomes unfordable.
also Wendi ive lived here way before Beacon Hill and south seattle became a hip place to live for all the “suburban refugees” and have been very active in the community so im more then welcome and my opinions are more then relevant.
@Lenny I wish you too well and hope you are not forced out of your home as rents rise as my parents were but i have every damn right to be mad and as i said its not the homo gays that are problem
I didn’t exactly “approve” the comment, I just don’t pre-censor. I release all posts that are not spam. (Posts are held automatically by the software sometimes — and sometimes automatically released as well.) My belief is that it is best to have these things out in the open where they can be argued with.
Having said that, I do expect you to be civil, and so posts that say things like “faggots” and “homos” are not ever going to be welcome here. Stop that.
Your opinions are relevant but I expect you to be neighborly and civil in how you express them.
The blog will probably be switching to a different commenting system soon that will make accounts less anonymous. In the meantime, I would appreciate it if you would dial the outrage back a bit and perhaps use a more identifiable name.
(I should also add that the posting policy is likely to change somewhat in the near future. Stay tuned.)
@monster, longevity does not give you any special permission to be a bigot. There are so many times that I am proud of our neighborhood and our diversity and then someone like you comes along and reminds me that bigots are everywhere, not just the suppressive suburbs where I suspect you would feel more at home. If you would like I would be happy to start a fundraiser to help with your moving expenses. If you think that ‘the stranger know about it’ is something new then I suspect you have either been living under a rock or some other part of the hill where reading is not permitted.
” I would appreciate it if you would dial the outrage back a bit and perhaps use a more identifiable name.”
will do but try to hold back on saying things like “you are not welcome on beacon hill” that’s a quick way to start a war.
that being said im not opposed to gays moving here im worried about groups like staranger taking notice of this area because they have a pretty much a no accountability pro development agenda
From the perspective of someone just reading the comments, it seems there’s a world of difference between what was actually written (“Bigotry is not welcome on Beacon Hill…”) and what Monster read (“you are not welcome on beacon hillâ€). They are not the same things at all. There are some things worth starting wars over. This isn’t one of them.
I share Monster’s (or what ever name he uses) rant if his parents were forced to move because
higher rents, by greedy landlords or builders such as have occurred all along the light rail corridors.
It will continue along all the new routes as well. there will be many more like his parents in other
areas as well.
I did virtually the same thing 27 years ago, when I had the opportunity to move to Beacon Hill,to
escape my huge rent increase (in those days).
We have all heard the bad rhetoric before, but it should be used to do some good for other
causes, We all know about race,or gay inequality. We need to work for causes like furthering women’s rights and help for the homeless in any way we can.
I won’t go into why all of the above went to hell in a hand basket in the 2001 elections and why
we are now the 98% disenfranchised versus the other $$$ 1% .
This is my last writing and opinion,right or wrong, on this thread ! L L
“Bigotry is not welcome on Beacon Hill or on this blog.” Thank you Wendi, for handling this heated discussion so well.
Of the many things swirling about in my head right now that I would like to say, many of which I will not as they wouldn’t be constructive, I will say this: I find it interesting that in response to your fear of gentrification and rising housing prices, “Monster,” you want to isolate Beacon Hill from the rest of the city and tell others, or specifically those “white “‘culture-seeking”‘ types that they are not welcome here.
The fear of change and disdain for change that is not in our image of what is ideal for us and ours seems to be at the wheel all too often, and is the very same that promotes bigotry and racism all over the world—the very same that makes a culturally diverse neighborhood, such as Beacon Hill, an anomaly rather than the norm.
Your sense of diversity seems to only note racial diversity, and your anger at the rising prices of homes in the area—which in your view seems to be due specifically to white people infiltrating an otherwise “diverse†neighborhood—appears to be coloring your opinion on the topic of neighborhood diversity.
Somehow, a blog post about Beacon Hill being, or becoming over time, diverse in our sexual orientation, becomes a place to rant about white people driving up housing prices in the area?
I think that’s a different discussion. And I advise you to work on your communication skills if you want people to listen to you when you have a “more than relevant†point to make, which you don’t appear to in this case. But that’s just my two cents.
As far as “Little Castro†goes, I say, bring it on! If it gets too “gay†for anyone around here, they are welcome to leave. None of us are entitled to this land, even if we “own†the land our houses were built on. Let’s talk to the Native Americans about entitlement, shall we?
OK, I lied, everyone knows I am an avid blogger .
Well, at the start, “monster” or “let’s be Frank” may be the same person. He also may not have the best spelling or communication skills. At some point he says “homos” are not to blame for the supposed now or future imagined “gentrification” of Beacon Hill.
Nevertheless his choice of words sounds like bigot talk, maybe he is ,or maybe he’s not.
At any rate his conversations bring discord to what is happening on Beacon Hill. There never has been or will be a rush of anyone moving to Beacon Hill. People have the choice to move where they feel they will benefit the most, so if they choose Beacon Hill ,as I did years ago, so much the better. There is plenty of room for everyone to let the Hill grow, regardless of what gender, same gender partners ,race or other “gentrification” there is.
As now deceased Rodney King once said after the horrible L.A nightmare– “can’t we all just get along ?–” . Let’s move on ! L L
Whooo— coming in late but just wanna say:
We have lived on BH for 20 years (yikes!) and love it.
I have been meaning to go to Inay’s for the Friday show for ever. Thanks for reminding me to put this on my calendar.
@joel-your comment about happy to start the fundraiser for moving expenses made me laugh out loud-good one!
I am new to the neighborhood only here 3 years. I bought in north beacon due to location in relation to my job. The diversity of the neighborhood is a plus in my book. As all my closest friends have a skin color other than white it was good for this white girl. I am not sure I agree that there are not as many female couples as I know 3 on my street. I either landed in a cluster or there are more than thought.
To anyone interested: If you already live on beacon hill, have invested there by owning, then “gentrification” will only improve your life. If you just rent, despite living there your entire life, you have played your hand, unwilling to commit, and only interested in the neighborhood’s “cheapness factor”.
Gentrification comes from locals investing their time, energy, and appreciation into a neighborhood. Thank god, gays and lesbians create high-appreciation for their homes. Cheap neighborhoods abound where people are too disinterested in their environments and their impact on the greater world to invest in their own part. If you want cheap rent, go buy somewhere and invest in your interest! Dont complain when other people step ahead of you and you need to move along when you feel like you have been “priced out”. Good Luck All!
Mike, You are so correct on the issue. That was right to the point!