The Curbed Cup, Curbed Seattle annual Neighborhood of the Year tournament, is down to its final two 'hoods (get caught up on how we got here). The final two neighborhoods, Columbia City and South Lake Union, will go head-to-head for your votes. Polls are open through December 31 at 11:59 p.m. We'll announce the 2015 Curbed Cup champion in the New Year.
Image: Rob Ketcherside
It was another impressive run for the defending champ, Columbia City. They obliterated Alki in the first round and did much the same to Mount Baker in the second. 3-seed Belltown put up a fight in the Final Four but CC's strong fanbase was too much. But can they turn the South Seattle neighborhood into the first repeat champ in Seattle Curbed Cup history?
Seattle is known for its mix of cultures, but few places in the nation are as diverse as Columbia City. It's also one of the greenest communities in the country. For some reason, everyone wants to build their eco-friendly home here. Despite that, there's also still bargains to be found. That's an impressive accomplishment all things considered. It also doesn't hurt to have Columbia City Theater, Geraldine's and a convenient light rail station at your disposal as well.
Image: Adbar
South Lake Union came into this year's Curbed Cup as a lower seed but the ever-growing Ama-Zone certainly performed like a high-seed and a giant killer. The edged out former champ Greenwood by one measly vote in the first round. They had a much easier time with former champ Fremont in the 2nd round and made a furious comeback to defeat last year's runner up Georgetown in the Final Four.
Another year older, SLU is also another year bigger and fuller of thriving tech companies and the people who work for them. You may consider it The Neighborhood that Paul Allen and Amazon Built but you gotta admit they've done a helluva job with the place. It's home to some of the city's newest and most intriguing buildings and there's lots more on the way. Restaurants and retail have moved in as well making sure people stick around once the workday is over. If you need a break from all the development, stroll on over to MOHAI and the lake for a quick escape. Ten years from now, will anyone believe that SLU used to be the place where we kept our warehouses?
· All Columbia City coverage [CS]
· All South Lake Union coverage [CS]
· All Curbed Cup 2015 coverage [CS]