The Central District — or, depending on whom you’re talking to, the Central Area — has seen so much change over the years. It’s hard to get a grasp on its origins, but reader Beth Anderson wanted to try.

“What was it before it was the CD — who were (the) early inhabitants? Who settled there? Why was that the spot African Americans got redlined into?”

You voted for us to answer Beth’s question, so let’s dive in. But first, let’s quickly rewind to give a basic answer to the first part of her query.

Before there was a Central District, or even a Seattle, all the land making up the Seattle area belonged to the Duwamish people. After white settlers arrived in the 1850s, the land was signed over to them (though the settlers never fulfilled the promises they made to the tribe).

Not long after that, the first black Seattleites arrived.

Who were those early black residents?

Manuel Lopes, who arrived around 1852, and William Grose, who arrived with his wife, Sarah, and two kids around 1860. Both men set up their own restaurants and barbershops.

William bought about 12 acres — about five blocks — of land from Henry Yesler, one of Seattle’s first settlers, and made a home near Madison Valley. He would later let other black folks build homes on his property as racist housing practices took hold and kept minority settlers from living in many other areas. More on that in a minute.

William’s land, which couldn’t be restricted because it was his private property, became a spot where Seattle’s growing African-American community could flourish, says University of Washington professor James Gregory, who directed the school’s Seattle Civil Rights and Labor History Project.

By 1920, nearly 2,900 black people lived in Seattle. They’d settled across the city by then, but a majority lived in the Central District and among the well-established Chinese and Japanese communities in Chinatown-International District. Before the decade was over, blacks and other minority communities would flourish in these areas.

» Want to learn more about the Central District’s origins, including the other big minority communities that called the neighborhood home? Check out our full dive into the CD’s history here. Want to learn more about the neighborhood and what makes it awesome? Don’t miss our guide to the CD.

‘I hope the viaduct’s concrete spirit burns in highway hell.’ It gave us great views and took us a bunch of places over the last 65 years. But the city geeks at The Urbanist saw so need to throw another loving eulogy at the Alaskan Way Viaduct, which closed for good on Friday and is coming down soon. “We won’t miss the roaring noise, the air pollution, the carbon footprint, the eyesore, and the physical obstacle this triple-decker monstrosity imposed on Seattle,” they tweeted. (The Urbanist)

Seattle’s hot new hashtag. It’s #Viadoom, and it’s not going out of style ‘til the downtown tunnel replaces the viaduct in February. Three highlights: Monday’s commute saw 164 percent more bikes on the Spokane Street Bridge than last year, Curbed Seattle’s got the skinny on exactly when and how the viaduct will be demolished, and the self-proclaimed “badass” Twitter account for Mt. Rainier told a joke about how it was hoping for “more fiery exploding chaos” after the viaduct closed. You can probably see where that one’s going. 🌋 (Twitter)

‘The nation deserves an explanation.’ Speaking of traffic… For 13 years, thousands of Seattleites laughed off their nasty commutes with KIRO radio hosts Ron Upshaw and Don O’Neill. Then last Thursday, KIRO announced that “The Ron and Don Show” was off the air forever. No one’s sure what happened, or why Ron and Don didn’t say goodbye. But the anger — and the thank-yous — are pouring in on their Facebook page. “Thank you so very much for getting me through all those commutes,” wrote one listener. “With you, I was able to laugh and come home happy, instead of using my car as a battering ram and getting arrested.” (Facebook, The Seattle Times)

Take that, sign stealers. Managing the highway signs scattered around our state may seem straightforward. But what do you do when people who think it’s so hilarious keep stealing signs with the numbers 69 (a sex position) and 420 (a cannabis thing)? Our state department of transportation has one answer: decimals. They’ve replaced milepost marker “69” with “68.9” in some spots. And that could make a real difference. Replacing a sign can cost us taxpayers as much as $1,000. (The Seattle Times)

IT’S NECK AND NECK…

We’re taking your votes on which of your questions we should answer around Seattle housing, and it’s real close, folks.

On last check, “Why can’t the City of Seattle just take land that is available or land they already own and just build affordable housing?” was tied with “Is it wrong to live in a house? I support density, but was lucky enough to buy a house I love recently. Am I a hypocrite?”

You could be the deciding vote! So don’t forget to cast it, by noon today, here.

Have a good one.  — The Evergrey