South

Understand

The area is comprised of numerous neighborhoods, including:

• Beacon Hill — A mostly residential neighborhood with a variety of parks, restaurants and bars, as well as commanding views of the mountains and Downtown.
• Columbia City — Once a forgotten part of the city left to decay, this revitalized gem offers great restaurants, bars, live entertainment, movie theaters, art galleries, and shops. Also, be sure to explore the Columbia City Library, an updated Carnegie library.
• Mount Baker — Classic tree-lined streets with stately bungalows mark this mostly residential neighborhood on the shore of Lake Washington.
• Othello — A bustling multi-cultural neighborhood sprouted from this light rail station, offing a wide variety of shops and restaurants.
• Rainier Valley — Home to more immigrants than any other neighborhood in Seattle. Small shops and restaurants abound, particularly African and East Asian.
• Seward Park — A grand park is the centerpiece for this neighborhood along Lake Washington south of Mount Baker.
• South Seattle — In addition to the area, "South Seattle" can also refer to a small residential neighborhood west of Mt. Baker.

Get in

By car

Interstate 5 (I-5) runs along the western boundary of this district and offers several exits into various neighborhoods of South Seattle.

Interstate 90 (I-90) runs along the northern boundary of this district. Exit 3 leads to Rainier Ave S.

Rainier Ave S and Martin Luther King Jr. Way are the two main thoroughfares that run north and south through the district.

By light rail

The Link light rail 1 Line has several stops in the district, from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport and Federal Way to the south, and from Downtown, U District, North Seattle, Shoreline, Mountlake Terrace and Lynnwood to the north. A train runs every 8-15 minutes from 5:00 to midnight. $3

The Link light rail 2 Line stops on the northern edge of the district, from Downtown Redmond, Bellevue and Mercer Island to the east, and from Lynnwood with the same stops as the 1 Line.

By bus

King County Metro bus routes #7 and #42 travel along Rainier and MLK, respectively, with frequent service seven days a week; the 7 is also one of the few routes to operate between 1 and 5AM. The #36 travels the length of Beacon Hill with connections at the Beacon Hill light rail station. East-west bus service is limited to local routes.

By bike

Like most of Seattle, there is a fair amount of built in bike lanes but some of the hills can be intimidating to unaccustomed cyclists. The city maintains bike maps with all cycling infrastructure.

• Lake Washington Boulevard is a scenic 8 mi route that hugs Lake Washington. There are views of the lake, small sections of forest, meadows, and the Cascade Mountains. From the north end at Coleman Park (just south of Interstate 90) the trail runs all the way to Seward Park in the south.
• The I-90 Trail is a dedicated multi-use path running from Jose Rizal Park in Beacon Hill, crossing Rainier Ave to Mount Baker, Mercer Island and Bellevue.

By boat

• Seward Park creates a small protected harbor on the north shore that is popular for overnight moorage, especially in the summers.

Stay safe

Rainier Beach has long held a reputation as the roughest neighborhood in Seattle. While this has been slowly but steadily changing as the light rail brings gentrification to the area, it's still considered to be a place to avoid at night.