City Planning & Urban Affairs

As in other western states, the system of severe racial discrimination in Seattle targeted not just African Americans but also Native Americans, Asian Americans, Pacific Islanders, people of Mexican ancestry, and also, at times, Jews.
This special section presents research that will surprise many Pacific Northwesterners. Included are maps, photos, documents, and newspaper articles that follow the history of segregation in Seattle from 1900 until today.

We have examined only about one quarter of the deeds that were filed during the years between 1927 and 1948 when most racial restrictive covenants were written into deeds.