I’m a big fan of neighborhood blogs. I was lucky enough to work on a project to help develop sites in every neighborhood in the country. That project ended but the buzz is still there — this is an exciting time for local, community-driven journalism and activism. The most amazing elements are independent and homegrown. For the most part, they are unaffiliated with large, corporate entities. Some are businesses. Some are run by nonprofit organizations. Some are simple but productive hobbies.
Below, I’ve listed the Seattle place blogs that best represent this latest generation of community journalism. As a rule, I’ve tried to only include independent efforts — so, the Seattle PI’s blogs aren’t in the list despite a few ongoing, quality efforts. For the most part, I’ve also included only sites with a multi-month track record of consistent posting. I’ve focused on sites that are updated regularly and are, for all intents and purposes, logs of the neighborhood’s days.
These, basically, are blogs. But a few shows signs of stretching that definition — make sure to check out what they’re up to over in Magnolia. It’s a blog. It’s a community. It’s a center to bring neighbors together. Etc. You’ll also note that there are lots of areas in Seattle without this kind of resource. Some of the traditional Seattle neighborhoods might be better served under an umbrella of a strong site focused on a nearby area. But hopefully, for the rest, it’s just a matter of time.
Seattle’s Neighborhood Blogs
- Ballard
- Mid Beacon Hill
- Belltowner
- Blue Ridge
- Broadview
- Burien
- Central District News
- Columbia City
- Crown Hill
- Eastlake
- Fremont
- Georgetown
- Green Lake
- Greenwood
- International District food
- Kenmore
- Lake City
- Laurelhurst
- Madrona
- Madison Park
- Magnolia
- Miller Park
- Mount Baker
- Northgate
- Phinney Ridge
- Pioneer Square
- Queen Anne
- Rainier Beach
- Rainier Valley Post
- Ravenna
- Sand Point
- Seward Park
- Shoreline
- South Lake Union
- South Park
- University District
- Wallingford
- Wedgwood Blog
- West Seattle Blog
- White Center
- Windermere
Eastside
- Bellevue
- Kirkland
- Mercer Island
- Redmond
- Woodinville
Scott
http://ColumbiaCitizens.net
forgotten again.
I was shocked that he left it off the list.
Thank you for this story and research! I forwarded it to a City of Redmond planner because I think blogs are useful for branding a city if written by citizens positive on the city. Istarted off my Redmond Blog http://redmond.gov for the same reason Woodinville started their blog — out of community activism. I am a hobbiest who has the time but soon I must go back to work — after 2 years of reporting. However, I’m trying to figure out how to place “block ads” like the Kirkland Blog does to keep this think going. Ideas? I use Blogger. I have found my blog to be very influencial and give citizens a “voice” they’ve never enjoyed. Thanks again for your research. Bob Yoder, [email protected]
Thanks for this list. I think I’ll get started on a Fremont blog, but my problem is that I’m terribly time-limited. If you know of or hear of someone that would be interested in contributing to a Fremont blog, send them my way. When I get the url registered (once I gin up a couple of interesting urls to go look for), I’ll email it at you.
man, i need therapy. added.
but i’m not updating the headline!