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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1858 | 3 |
| 1859 | 1 |
| 1860 | 1 |
| 1861 | 5 |
| 1862 | 2 |
| 1863 | 2 |
| 1864 | 7 |
| 1865 | 1 |
| 1871 | 1 |
| 1872 | 19 |
| 1876 | 191 |
| 1877 | 130 |
| 1878 | 71 |
| 1879 | 7 |
| 1880 | 23 |
| 1882 | 32 |
| 1883 | 170 |
| 1884 | 92 |
| 1885 | 162 |
| 1886 | 84 |
| 1887 | 113 |
| 1888 | 131 |
| 1889 | 386 |
| 1890 | 46 |
| 1891 | 253 |
| 1892 | 683 |
| 1893 | 620 |
| 1894 | 491 |
| 1895 | 445 |
| 1897 | 2 |
| 1898 | 19 |
| 1899 | 137 |
| 1900 | 6 |
| 1902 | 2 |
| 1903 | 241 |
| 1904 | 283 |
| 1905 | 15 |
| 1907 | 7 |
| 1908 | 36 |
| 1909 | 254 |
| 1910 | 16 |
| 1911 | 14 |
| 1912 | 6 |
| 1914 | 32 |
| 1915 | 18 |
| 1916 | 30 |
| 1917 | 22 |
| 1923 | 2 |
| 1924 | 3 |
| 1925 | 2 |
| 1929 | 2 |
5,321 stories matching street
- One Street, Eight Names: The Tide-Land Map That Broke Seattle's Addresses
When the tide-land appraisers published their new plat, they named the filled waterfront after the states and the big cities — ignoring every street already on the ground. City Engineer Thomson's renaming scheme collapsed on the spot.
- The Day Seattle Decided Its Own Elevation
A forgotten 1877 municipal ordinance reveals the precise moment the city set its literal foundation, anchoring the downtown grid to a granite step on Commercial Street.
- The Transit Dream of 1889
A Seattle streetcar consolidation promised a single nickel fare from the bay to Salmon Bay, linking the city's future through private transit deals.
- Pike Street Runs Into a Lake: The Man Hired to Untangle Seattle's Eight-Named Streets
In 1895 the city handed City Engineer Thomson the worst street-naming mess on the Pacific Coast — five Cedar streets, three Adams, four Elliotts — and one road with eight different names. Then the ladies of Queen Anne Hill went to war over who got to be Highland Avenue.
- The Ghost Map of 1889: Seattle's Lost Electoral Boundaries
When the city commissioners abruptly sliced Seattle into eight voting precincts, they left thousands of residents in the dark about where—or if—they could vote.
- Walla Walla Residents Demand Relief From Muddy Streets
An editorial calls for a city street-cleaning department and paved or graveled roads to address months of muddy, impassable streets.
- The Pavement Fight: Seattle’s Battle for a Wider Second Street
A century ago, city leaders warned that Seattle’s narrow streets were choking its growth, sparking a massive petition to widen the thoroughfare before the 'brick building' boom made the change impossible.
- The Great Seattle Scrub-Down
Facing a growing crisis of 'filth, dirt and garbage,' the City of Seattle threatens strict enforcement of sanitation ordinances to clean up the heart of downtown.
- Before the Railroads Cut Through Seattle, One Man Proposed a Saner Street Grid
A letter to the editor calls for wider avenues, a logical naming and numbering system, and railroad tracks that follow the platted streets—not slice across them at will.
- The Perils of Seattle's Cherry Street
In 1877, a local editor called out the city for the dangerous sidewalks and 'savory' sewage runoff plaguing one of Seattle’s most elegant residential streets.
- The Chaos of Seattle’s Streets
A concerned citizen proposes a rationalized naming system for Seattle’s streets ahead of an expected influx of summer tourists.
- Washington Street Set for Graveling
Property owners on Washington Street demand better roads, pressing the City Council to include them in the latest infrastructure push.
- The Sea of Mud on Main Street
Walla Walla's main thoroughfare has been rendered nearly impassable, prompting calls for a permanent street cleaning department.
- The Great Regrade of Commercial Street
A proposal to drop Commercial Street by ten feet to improve drainage and access.
- The Disgraceful State of Our Streets
Walla Walla's main thoroughfares have devolved into 'pig sties' of mud, and the city must fix drainage and maintenance before wasting money on new pavement.
- The Neighborhood Fight for X Street
Ninety property owners push back against a city council street-paving plan, winning a temporary victory against the municipal machine.
- The Front Street Bottleneck
A classic tale of early Seattle infrastructure, where a proposed bridge at Seneca Street was deemed 'a fifth wheel to a wagon' by a fed-up local editor.
- Walla Walla Commits to Major Infrastructure Overhaul
City Council moves to shore up Mill Creek and repair crumbling streets in a session of ambitious public works.
- Third Street’s Sidewalk Standoff—and the Railings That Made It Worse
A street cut left storefronts stranded above grade. When the city tried to fix the sidewalks, property owners sued; when it put up railings, the block looked worse.
- The City Council Sets Rules for Seattle’s Streetcars
A new ordinance dictates how street railways will operate, mandating street paving, track maintenance, and fare standards to protect the public interest.
- The Madison Street Blockade
A critical city thoroughfare is left in ruins after competing companies battle over franchise rights, leaving the public to pay the price.
- The Struggle to Find Your Way in Early Seattle
Before the city had a standardized grid, navigating its muddy, stump-filled streets was a chaotic task—until one resident proposed a system that still echoes today.
- The Great Seattle Hillside Regrade
While city engineers work to tame the steep streets with plows and rollers, the rapid expansion of Seattle's geography remains a constant, labor-intensive battle against the elements.
- Is a Public Street Being Sold as Gravel?
Neighbors watched with growing concern as contractors allegedly dug away the public street to sell the dirt for profit.
- The Twelfth Street Improvement Battle
A local improvement club pushes to pave Twelfth Street and demands the streetcar company upgrade their tracks or move them.
Also about this, in other words
- The Hypocrites of Commercial Street
A biting piece of social commentary from 1878 Seattle poetry attacks the town's pious moneylenders who exploit their neighbors while maintaining a veneer of religious devotion.