Ballard has been called a city within a city. In fact, it was a city for just 16 short years until Seattle annexed it back in 1907. (Which explains, by the way, the Free Ballard bumper stickers you see from time to time.)
“Ballard was old Scandinavians,” explains Almost Live comedian John Keister, who cracked jokes about Ballard’s slow, elderly drivers back in the 90s. “Today, it’s a bunch of wealthy people who work in the information industry.”
Well, not everyone is wealthy, but Ballard certainly has transformed into a popular destination for 20- and 30-somethings. New condos, apartments and restaurants are sprouting up to accommodate the neighborhood’s rapid growth. Yet much of Ballard’s Scandinavian culture remains.
That’s one of the reasons why we believe we’re uniquely suited to blog about Ballard. We’re a Scandinavian couple, and we work in the information industry. But we’re not wealthy, and we won’t touch lutefisk (sorry, Grandma.)
We started My Ballard in December of 2007, and it quickly became the neighborhood’s most popular community news source. In July of 2008, we expanded to Phinney Ridge and Greenwood with PhinneyWood.com.
The biggest surprise has been the enormous role that all of our readers play in helping us cover the neighborhood. At least half of My Ballard’s stories originate from tips or comments, and we’ve been very proud to host ongoing debates about the issues that are important to our neighborhood.
So if you see something interesting in the neighborhood, please let us know. New store? Road construction? Land use issue? Accident? Lost pet? Help us out and drop us a tip at tips@myballard.com.
And if you’re new to Ballard, explore the neighborhood here.
- Cory & Kate, “Geeky Swedes”
