BROOKLYN ON THE SOUND: Downtown Burien On The Rise
Ayoung city (incorporated 1993), Burien nevertheless boasts a rich history. Continuously inhabited by Nisqually, Duwamish, Puyallup and other Coast Salish peoples for 6000 years before the coming of White settlers in the 1850s, the Highline area (which includes White Center, Burien, Normandy Park, SeaTac and parts of Des Moines) nurtured a prosperous and advanced non-agricultural civilization for hundreds of generations. The land’s first inhabitants fished, hunted, gathered cranberries from the plentiful bogs, built cedar canoes and longhouses, and created sophisticated artifacts. The first settlers were loggers; reminders of their work can still be seen in the massive stumps of first-generation cedars and Douglas firs in Seahurst Park. Later residents farmed the land or journeyed from Seattle for the weekend, at a time when transportation was mostly maritime. Over time, with the advent of the automobile, the construction of highways, the rise of aeronautical giant Boeing, and national and local demographic changes, Highline saw an influx of new denizens from all walks of life. They continue to come – to work at SeaTac Airport or Boeing, or to escape Seattle’s inflated real estate, gridlocked roads and faster pace of life.
The Highline Heritage Museum preserves and celebrates this history, in the picturesque mid-century setting of downtown Burien, surrounded by independent businesses and innovative eateries. These include Bakery Nouveau, consistently ranked among the best French bakeries on the West Coast, which established its flagship branch in Burien in 2018, complete with an enormous chocolate-maker reminiscent of Willy Wonka. Smarty Pants Garage, another spinoff of a Seattle original, serves giant hoagies and “creative” Bloody Marys. Catch an indie movie while you sip a cocktail at the beloved subterranean Tin Theatre; shop for local pottery at Sitka Living and collectible Matchbox cars at the Electric Train Shop; order the salmon tacos with mango salsa at the classic Burien Fish House; join the Jane Austen book club at the remarkably successful Page 2 Books. Quirky and laid-back, Burien’s thriving business district caters to every taste. A slew of excellent Mexican restaurants has recently put Burien on the map as a destination for regional Mexican cooking. For home cooks, the recently completed southernmost branch of the Puget Sound chain PCC Natural Markets provides fresh, local, organic ingredients ready for any culinary adventure.
