Of course not. But the role of the city news daily is diminishing. Seattleites are now just as likely to turn to the New York Times or Wall Street Journal for in-depth national news, and hyper-local neighborhood blogs for their local concerns.
Seattle’s neighborhood blogs are some of the best and most comprehensive out there. While none have completely made a paid staff of journalists obsolete, these blog are more than just fun pictures and anecdotes. More than a few engage in serious reporting and can respond nimbly to breaking neighborhood events.
Take a look at some of the best.
Capitol Hill Seattle
This blog rocketed to prominence with its live coverage of the raucous and spontaneous 2008 election night street celebration on Capitol Hill. It has continued to develop into one of the best written and most thorough blogs in town. From debates over the First Hill/Capitol Hill streetcar route to inside information on new restaurants coming to the hill, CHS is a must-visit site for Party Mountain dwellers.
Seattle Crime
With beat reporting at a premium, Seattle Crime fills a critical need. Helicopter flying over your neighborhood last night? Thought you heard gunshots? Want to know how likely you are to get mugged at 3am at your local grocery store? This is the place. With a “You Report” feature and an iPhone app expect Seattle Crime to play an increasing role in city crime reporting.
Central District News
As the face of gentrification, the CD has a gained lot of new residents in the last few years. Residents of some old neighborhoods might scoff at the need for a dedicated neighborhood blog, but new CD-dwellers surely appreciate the source of information on everything from new businesses and changing bus routes to crime news and cultural events.
Seattle Transit Blog
An invaluable source of local and regional traffic info. While this blog is decidedly geared towards public transit and makes no effort to appear objective on transit-related political issues, with a network of buses, ferries, streetcars, light rail, and commuter rail that can make your head spin, a little expert advice is certainly appreciated.
Magnolia Voice
In a city full of edgy, quirky neighborhoods, its most tame might actually stand out as its most unique. Magnolia, not long ago full of dairy farms and home to one of the Roosevelts, is a village in the middle of a big city. The community is fairly tight-knit and this blog knows its audience well, featuring “pets of the week,” driver-focused traffic info, and updates on the neighborhoods precarious real estate situation.
Publicola
Publicola isn’t exactly a neighborhood blog, but a homegrown political news blog this thorough deserves mention. A couple former Stranger writers founded Publicola in early 2009, and the site has become an invaluable part of Northwest political journalism. In a few years, these newsprint exiles might be the ones hiring the laid off journalists.
Exit 133 (Tacoma)
Seattle’s southern neighbor has some understandable self-esteem issues, so it is great to see this blog proudly represent the “Tacoma by choice” crowd. Exit 133 admirably covers the rich and diverse cultural and political life of this city of 200,000 (sorry Ballard, that’s just a few more than you). Give it a read—Tacoma might surprise you.
Seattle Bubble
With a recession driven primarily by a collapsed real estate market, there’s almost nothing more valuable to homeowners (and brave potential homebuyers) than accurate, unhyped, unbiased real estate information. Seattle Bubble provides that, dispensing detailed information and analysis, whether the news is great or grim. And, well, it’s sort of grim right now.