SoDo, Seattle, Washington

SoDo is a neighborhood in Seattle, Washington, that makes up part of the city's Industrial District. It is bounded on the north by S. King Street, beyond which is Pioneer Square; on the south by S. Spokane Street, beyond which is more of the Industrial District; on the west by the Duwamish Waterway, across which is West Seattle; and on the east by 4th Avenue S. and the Metro Busway, which follows the alignment of 5th Avenue S., beyond which is the International District and the rest of the Industrial District.

SoDo was originally named for being located South of the (King)Dome, but since the stadium's demolition in 2000, the name has usually been explained as meaning South of Downtown, and extends a bit further north to include the stadium's former footprint. The name also deliberately echoes SoHo in New York City, where, during the 1970s, cheap spaces vacated by departing factories were converted by artists into lofts and studios; SoDo has undergone a similar process but has not experienced much of the gentrification experienced by its putative model.

SoDo is home to Safeco Field, where the Seattle Mariners play American League baseball, and to Qwest Field, built where the Kingdome once stood, where the Seattle Seahawks play NFL football.

Some of SoDo's warehouse buildings remain in their original use; others have been carved up for artists' lofts, art galleries, and an assortment of other businesses. One building directly across from Safeco Field houses Pyramid Breweries, Inc. downstairs and a variety of small offices upstairs. As one goes further south along First Avenue, these conversions peter out, and the landscape is dominated by light manufacturing, warehouses, and warehouse-style retail stores, although Starbucks world headquarters--housed in a converted Sears building--sits at its south end.

SoDo's main thoroughfares are 1st and 4th Avenues S. and Alaskan Way S. (north- and southbound) and S. Lander and S. Holgate Streets and S. Royal Brougham Way (east- and westbound).

According to the 2000 U.S. Census, SoDo has a population of 2,602, with a median age of 41.2; 458 residences are owner-occupied and 536 are rented. (This probably slightly understates the population, because there are a certain number of artists living illegally in studio spaces that are not zoned residential, plus a small resident homeless population.) The average annual household income is given as $42,208; the racial breakdown is 41% White, 28% Asian, 14% Black, 9% Hispanic/Latino, 3% American Indian/Alaska Native, and 5% other. [1]

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Categories: Seattle neighborhoods