History of Georgetown, Seattle

Today’s journey into Seattle neighborhoods brings us to another one of Seattle’s oldest neighborhoods, and quite frankly in my opinion, one of the most overlooked neighborhoods.  The neighborhood I’m talking about is Georgetown. 

Founded in 1851, the Georgetown neighborhood had their first settlers in Luther Collins, Henry Van Asselt, and the Maple family.  They moved for the purpose of farming near the Duwamish River.  Farming in the Duwamish flourished, and supplied much of the lumber needed in Seattle.  Twenty years later, the area moved towards railways as did the economy.  Georgetown became home to a rail yard for the new busy freight traffic.  When Seattle suffered a tragic fire in 1889, Georgetown came to the rescue with building supplies.  This also helped bolster the growth of Georgetown.

Georgetown is also given credit as the birthplace of King County.  Its original settlers filed claim over hundreds of acres near the Duwamish and beyond.  The Denny family later moved to an area, now called Pioneer Square, and founded Seattle which is about three miles north of Georgetown. 

The soil and climate in the valleys of the area made for growing hops fruitful.  The famed Rainier Brewing Company started in Georgetown, although it wasn’t always named as so.  Originally built in 1854, it was called Washington Brewery.  Over the years, the brewery changed hands and names.  It wasn’t until John Kopp and Andrew Hemrich who purchased the brewery and renamed it Seattle Brewing and Malting in 1883 that Rainier beer had really hit its mark on the area.  However, prohibition ended the production although the company stayed alive by making non-alcoholic beverages.  After the repeal of prohibition, the brewery was sold again and renamed to Sick’s Rainier Brewing Company.  The popularity of the beer remained, and the iconic building still stands.  The building was restored in 2013 and now houses commercial and office spaces and an event space.

Georgetown was named after the son of Julius Horton, who was a developer who purchased part of the land.  In 1904, Georgetown incorporated as its own city after being annexed by Seattle.  However, by 1910, an election was held, and Georgetown became part of the city.

Georgetown has always been an industrial neighborhood and has grown since.  Its brewery roots hold strong and is filled with local breweries, restaurants, and local stores.  The railway can be seen and heard when trains pass by via the BNSF railway system. 

Georgetown is bounded by the BNSF main line to the north, the Duwamish River on the west, Boeing Field to the south, and Interstate 5 on the east.