A Neighborhood of Homes and Parks
Expect homes, schools and parks here rather than busy shopping streets. There are no commercial strips, though you will spot a few small restaurants and businesses scattered around. Local families are served by public schools including John Rogers Elementary, Jane Addams Middle School and Nathan Hale High School.
The Pool and Community Center Campus
Open fields at the center of the neighborhood link the pool, the community center and the high school campus into one easy gathering place. Come for a swim, cheer on team sports or join one of the neighborhood programs. Since schedules and offerings change, look up the official Seattle Parks and Recreation pages for the latest details.
Playfields and Green Space
Stretch out on Meadowbrook Playfield and Nathan Hale Playfield, both listed in city records, with plenty of room for games and practices. The high school itself stands on ground that was once the Meadowbrook Golf Course. For more open space around town, head to our roundup of Seattle parks.
Thornton Creek and Meadowbrook Pond
Thornton Creek flows right through Meadowbrook, and much of it has been restored and brought back above ground. Look for the stretch where the creek's north and south forks meet, close to the Meadowbrook fields. Near the school, students use the restored habitat for their science classwork.
Step out of the community center and you are almost directly across 35th Avenue NE from the entrance to Meadowbrook Pond and its wetland, which lie in Matthews Beach. City records also list the LaVilla Meadows Natural Area on Thornton Creek, another patch of creekside green space worth adding to your map.
The Story Behind the Fields
As you walk the creek, remember that people have lived along Thornton Creek near Lake Washington since the end of the last glacial period, roughly 10,000 years ago. The creek's Lake People, part of the Duwamish and the wider Coast Salish world, lost their rights to the land in 1854.
Logging, Rail and Little Germany
Loggers worked the Lake City area from 1850 into the early 1900s, reaching it first by rough wagon road and by the lake. Around 1886 the Seattle, Lake Shore and Eastern Railway arrived and sped things up along the route the Burke-Gilman Trail follows today. Back in the 1870s, immigrant farmers formed a small Little Germany settlement around the spot where Nathan Hale High School now stands.
The LaVilla Dairy
Stroll over to the 10300 block of Fischer Place NE, where the Blindheim family ran the LaVilla Dairy, sometimes written La Villa. It operated from 1913 to 1929, with orchards climbing the hill to the east, and the property stayed occupied until 1990. Both the dairy building and the family house still stand.
The family later sold land to the city, and that land became the park at the center of Meadowbrook along with other green space. Keep an eye out nearby for traces of the original Bothell-Everett highway. History fans can track down more sites in our Seattle landmarks guide.
Planning Your Visit
Spend a relaxed afternoon in Meadowbrook built around a swim, a game on the fields or a creekside walk. Round it out with a stop at Meadowbrook Pond across 35th Avenue NE. For more ideas across the city, explore our list of things to do in Seattle.
