Musings On Redmond And Ballard Suburbia

Retired, and with time our hands, Pam and I drove out to Ballard to look at its development and see Ballard Community Hospital, one of the hospitals I called on in 80's as a medical salesman. We were shocked and dumbfounded by the neighborhood's growth!

This cute little Scandinavian neighborhood had morphed into a suburban urban center, just like Redmond. According to Wikipedia, starting in early 2007, twenty, (flat-topped, cubed) major apartment and retail projects were constructed, many within a 5-block radius of the downtown. The hospital, now owned by Swedish, takes up a whole city block. We visited the Nordic Museum (a must see.) A Ballard native volunteering at the desk loathed Ballard's growth and noted light rail was planned. Difficult to cipher, the population of greater Ballard is 43,935 and not as diverse as Redmond. It's supposedly 83% white.

Needing some mojo, we found this Starbucks, without a logo. Is it truly a Starbucks? Located in a high crime district, we saw four homeless people, several oddballs, a few sophisticates chatting, and some with computers in the store. The Starbucks motto here was "to create a culture of warmth and belonging for all those who enter our door." Surprisingly, the clean transgender bathroom with entrance code had a sharps container! The barista said this Starbucks "respectfully required" no drugs, no sleeping, or other improper uses of their restrooms. They were looking out for their customers and the addicts.

The Ballard community appears more innovative than Redmond. In 2004: 1) future growth was evaluated by the community with a "Blueprint for every town in town in the USA." 2) Gore recognized Ballard for their work towards being the first carbon neutral community in the nation. 3) The community organized a "Sustainable Ballard" group.

In many ways Ballard and Redmond have parallel histories. Both have energetic historical societies. The Salish (Ballard) and Snoqualmie (Redmond) indigenous Indians lived off of salmon. Logging and milling were early industries. Gambling rollicked. Redmond had shipyards; Ballard shipbuilding. Railroads played a vital role.Our visit to this urban center was totally amazing!

--Bob Yoder, Redmond Neighborhood Blog