YOURE NOW LESS LIKELY TO SEE THIS in Seattles gay neighborhood.
  • Kelly O
  • OVER THE PAST TWELVE YEARS there's been a significant drop in gays living in Seattle's "gay neighborhood."

The FYI Guy at the Seattle Times quantifies what a lot of people have been sensing:

Census data show the number of same-sex couple households increased in nearly every neighborhood in Seattle between 2000 and 2012.* Citywide, the number jumped 52 percent, bringing the total to about 7,500 households.

The big exception: Capitol Hill. Seattle’s “gayborhood” experienced a 23 percent drop in same-sex couple households in this period.

Here's an interactive map that shows where the number of gay couples is increasing. According to the Times, the biggest increases have been in "West Seattle, Maple Leaf/Wedgwood, First Hill, Belltown, Wallingford and Mt. Baker."

But, hey, Capitol Hill must still have the highest concentrations of gay couples even if some other neighborhoods have been getting more gay, right? Nope. Twelve years ago, that would have been true. But the Times says that today, of the five Seattle census tracts with the highest overall concentrations of gay couples, none are on Capitol Hill.