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Columbia City Walking Tour

The Columbia City Walking Tour is an interactive map that takes visitors on a captivating journey through the rich history and vibrant culture of Columbia City, Seattle. With its 26 points of interest, this map immerses users in the stories and landmarks that have shaped this neighborhood.   Rainier Valley grew up around electric rail at the turn of the 20th century. In 1890, real estate developer J. K. Edmiston built a streetcar line from Seattle to the newly-platted town of Columbia, hoping to attract buyers for his lots. The strategy worked: in 1893 Columbia City incorporated as a town of its own, with a mayor, a school, two churches, a handful of businesses, and a few dozen families. By the time Columbia City was annexed to Seattle in 1907, small communities had developed along the streetcar line stations. Later, a road was added alongside the rails, heralding the rise of the automobile as a rival mode of transportation. By the 1930s, many citizens considered the unpaved streetcar tracks on Rainier Avenue to be at best a nuisance, and at worst a “thoroughfare of death.” In 1937 the streetcar line, always financially precarious, went under and the last streetcar pulled into the car barns. The community celebrated the removal of the rails with a three-day festival. Some neighborhoods around the former stations retained their distinct identities, Columbia City being a prime example. In 2009, after 60 years, Columbia City welcomed the return of electric rail to Rainier Valley with Sound Transit Link Light Rail.

Made by KT's WorkspaceUpdated May 2024

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