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The SLU Story
As one of Seattle's oldest neighborhoods, South Lake Union has a rich and interesting history.
The neighborhood's beginnings date back to the 1860s, when pioneers claimed the land descending to the shores of what the native Duwamish tribe called "Little Lake"—what we now know as Lake Union. With the arrival of those pioneers came industry, commerce and residents. South Lake Union quickly established itself as a place where people could work and make their home.
Located at the geographic center of the city and situated on an efficient waterway, South Lake Union became Seattle's first industrial hub at the turn of the 20th century. Sawmill operators, boat and furniture manufacturers, paper processors and others created a bustling atmosphere of productivity.
The neighborhood also has a tradition of fostering progress. In 1913, Ford Motor Company began local assembly of the Model T near the lake; and in 1916, The Boeing Company built its first hangar at South Lake Union to manufacture seaplanes. In fact, William E. Boeing flew the first plane he built over Lake Union.
Today, South Lake Union is home to new pioneers. Visionary leaders such as the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Cornish College of the Arts, Merck/Rosetta, NBBJ, Group Health Cooperative, Tommy Bahama, Seattle Biomedical Research Institute and the University of Washington School of Medicine have chosen South Lake Union as their home.
The future that lies before South Lake Union is just as momentous as its past, with a new model for sustainable urban living that will help revive and drive Seattle's economic engine for the next century.
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