A community outgrows its wilder days

By MARK HIGGINS
SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER REPORTER

Every night, the mouth-watering aroma of sizzling carne asada wafts fromthe kitchen of Taqueria Guaymas and swirls around the entrance of Jim andStephanie Salveson's walk-up apartment on Southwest Roxbury Street.

Having left Capitol Hill for White Center, the Salvesons say they have fallenin love with the sights, sounds and smells of their not-so-trendy neighborhood.

Despite its less-than-savory reputation, White Center is a safe, comfortableplace, the couple says. Their second-floor apartment rents for $310 a month --not a penny more than when they moved in seven years ago.

"It's a nice little community," Jim Salveson says. "It has changed a lot fromthe image it once had."

After decades of ups and downs, White Center is on the upswing, though itsrevival remains a work in progress.

The community has worked hard to bury an image as a run-down,crime-ridden hangout for seedy characters and drug-dealing gangsters.Colorful banners touted White Center. New signs marked the boundaries ofWhite Center. The chamber even signed up merchants to maintain decorativetrash cans.

Continued:

• White Center is undergoing a cultural revolution of its own
• Many came here looking for a second chance
• Reputation of wild and woolly past still lingers
• Looking for a few good community leaders
• Low home prices make area a good place to start out