Rainier Valley

Rainier Valley is a neighborhood in Seattle located east of Beacon Hill; west of Mount Baker, Seward Park, and Leschi; south of the Central District and First Hill; and north of Rainier Beach.

The valley is centered on Rainier Avenue S., its main (northwest- and southeast-bound) thoroughfare. Both avenue and valley are named after Mount Rainier, towards which they are both oriented.

The valley has recently been home to a large population of African- and Asian-Americans. Until the white flight of the 1960s, it was commonly known as "Garlic Gulch" for its substantial number of Italian-Americans.

The neighborhood has seen a fairly high crime rate in recent years. Though it is mostly safe at daytime, several gang-related shootings have occured at night.