History
A Union Army veteran by the name of M. Harwood Young moved into the Beacon Hill area with hopes of real estate development.  Young is credited for the naming of Seattle’s Beacon Hill after the historic Beacon Hill in Boston.  Young built a home at the north end of the hill overlooking Elliott Bay and named Massachusetts Street after his home state.

Coinciding with Young’s business ventures, the construction of a streetcar line that ran from the hill to South Snoqualmie Street made Beacon Hill’s real estate industry boom.  Many Italian immigrants inhibited this area to harvest and sell produce to Seattle markets.

Near Hardwood Young’s original estate, the U.S. Health Service opened a U.S. Marine hospital on the north end of the hill.  It opened in 1933 and was responsible for the public health of everyone from servicemen to seamen.  Post World War I, the hospital was used to care for injured or disabled veterans.  Today, the 16-story building still rests on Beacon Hill, but is now known as the Pacific Medical Center. 

In the years prior to World War II, the Japanese Language School used Jefferson Park’s grounds for an annual picnic, attracting thousands of Japanese community members each year.  During the war the picnic grounds were deemed off-limits and were instead used for a military recreation camp, and sadly, by the time the war was over, the picnic grounds and an important part of Asian-American tradition in Seattle were both gone.

Description
Beacon Hill sits high above the city, bordered by First Hill and Rainier Valley.  Amazon.com’s headquarters are located up on the hill, and the dot com boom caused the area to flourish.  Once a prime tech corridor, the area is now less of a hot spot.  The Pacific Medical Center building is perched at the top of Beacon Hill overlooking downtown Seattle and Puget Sound, which now holds medical clinics and the offices of Amazon.com.

Residents
The Beacon Hill neighborhood boasts a diverse culture with strong community ties. There are lots of single family homes with very few apartments.  Many young professionals live in this area due to its proximity to Amazon, and young professional families often start here.  The area also houses New Holly, a mixed-income community development created by the Seattle Housing Authority, which was recently renovated.

Rental Housing
Typically rents in the area range between $0.80/sq ft and $1.50/sq ft.  There is a mix of rental houses and small apartment complexes, with duplexes and multiplexes making up the majority of apartment buildings.

Fun Stuff
One of the highlights of Beacon Hill is Jefferson Park.  Its golf club is one of Seattle’s few public golf courses, and the beautiful park has been a part of Seattle’s history since the early 1900s.  Gorgeous views of the Olympic Mountains and Puget Sound abide in the park.  The Parks Levy in 2000 provided $8 million for reconstruction of the area.