What district is Olympic Hills in?

Olympic Hills is part of Seattle's Lake City district, which also includes Cedar Park, Matthews Beach, Meadowbrook and Victory Heights.

Where is the Will Rogers monument in Olympic Hills?

The monument originally stood at the old polo field where Will Rogers played his last game in 1935. It was later moved to Albert Davis Park, behind the Lake City Library.

Is the Lake City Library a landmark?

Yes. The library at 12501 28th Ave NE was designated an official City of Seattle landmark in 2003.

Is there a place to walk near Olympic Hills?

The public Jackson Golf Course, just west of the neighborhood, has a perimeter trail open to walkers. Albert Davis Park and Little Brook Park are also in the area.

Olympic Hills, Seattle: Parks, Polo History and a Library

Thornton Creek winds through this corner of north Seattle on its way east to Lake Washington, passing streets where older homes sit beside brand new ones. Olympic Hills, Seattle, is a residential neighborhood in the Lake City district with a surprising past as polo country. Plan your visit around the landmark Lake City Library, the Will Rogers monument in Albert Davis Park right behind it, and the walking trail that circles the public Jackson Golf Course.

Finding Olympic Hills on the Map

You will find the neighborhood in north Seattle, one piece of the larger Lake City district alongside Cedar Park, Matthews Beach, Meadowbrook and Victory Heights. Follow Thornton Creek as it threads through Olympic Hills and heads east toward Lake Washington.

Stroll the residential streets and you will notice a real mix of houses. Some were moved here when Interstate 5 was built, and they now stand next to much newer construction, a patchwork that gives your walk far more character than a typical subdivision.

Read the full Olympic Hills guide

From Polo Field to Neighborhood

Picture open country before any houses arrived. The Olympic Riding Club ran stables and a polo field roughly between NE 135th and NE 137th Streets, stretching from 15th Ave NE to 20th Ave NE, with tall poplars lining the field and the green hills that gave the area its name rolling beyond.

Will Rogers' Last Polo Match

The humorist Will Rogers played his final polo game on that field in 1935. A monument honoring him was later installed at the site and eventually moved to Albert Davis Park, where you can still go and see it today.

The Olympic Village Auction

As suburbs spread north in the late 1930s, the hillside to the east was carved into lots and marketed as Olympic Village. A batch of those lots went up for auction on May 7, 1939, and the riding club itself was later sold and divided into single family home sites.

Parks and Green Space

Albert Davis Park

Spend a few minutes at this park, a gift to the City of Seattle in 1964. It honors Albert Davis, a Buffalo, New York native who became Lake City's unofficial goodwill "ambassador-mayor" and died in 1971. He started the area's annual salmon barbecue, led the Lake City Pioneer Days celebration, and stayed active with the local Youth Center.

Pair it easily with a library visit, since the park sits directly behind the branch.

Little Brook Park and the Golf Course Trail

Add Little Brook Park to your list of neighborhood green spaces worth knowing. Then head just west of Olympic Hills to the public Jackson Golf Course, open since 1930, where a trail circles its edge for a stretch of nature without leaving the city. Golf fans may enjoy knowing that Homer Kelly, author of the well known instruction book The Golfing Machine, once gave lessons here.

The Lake City Library, a City Landmark

Make the Lake City Library landmark at 12501 28th Ave NE your starting point. It earned official City of Seattle landmark status in 2003, and it anchors a compact cluster of parks, a farmers market and another landmark school, all within a short walk.

As a working branch of The Seattle Public Library, it also serves as the neighborhood's community hub. Since schedules can change, browse the Lake City Branch library guide for current hours and programs before you go.

Planning a Short Visit

Keep it simple with an easy loop. Start at the library, step out back to Albert Davis Park to find the Will Rogers monument, then head west for a walk on the trail around Jackson Golf Course. If you hope to catch the farmers market, check the official market or city listings for days and times before you set out.