- Seattle Neighborhoods: Ballard — Thumbnail History (historylink.org)
The Seattle neighborhood of Ballard is a “city within a city” with a decidedly Scandinavian accent. Located in the northwest part of the city, it is a maritime center. Salmon and Shilshole bays on Puget Sound form its southern and western boundaries, and Phinney Ridge rises to the east. Ballard incorporated as a city in 1890, and its citizens voted to annex to Seattle in November 1906. Today sightseers visit the Hiram Chittenden Locks on the Ship Canal to watch salmon begin their spawning journey or they tour historic Ballard Avenue. Ballard’s increasingly diverse residents enjoy the district’s small town pace and easy access to downtown.