The Ave

University Way NE

"The Ave"
University Way southbound from its intersection with NE 45th Street
Former name(s)	Columbus Avenue, 14th Avenue NE (1891–1919)
Maintained by	Seattle Department of Transportation
Length	1.2 mi (1.9 km)
Location	Seattle, Washington
Coordinates	47°39′40″N 122°18′47″W / 47.661°N 122.313°W / 47.661; -122.313Coordinates: 47°39′40″N 122°18′47″W / 47.661°N 122.313°W / 47.661; -122.313
South end	NE Pacific Street
North end	NE Ravenna Boulevard

University Way Northeast, colloquially The Ave (no period; pronounced /æv/), is a major street and commercial district in the University District of Seattle, Washington, located near the University of Washington (UW) campus. Once "a department store eight blocks long," The Ave has gradually turned into what now resembles an eight-block-long global food court. The story of The Ave reflects the dynamics of many urban neighborhoods and the social and economic problems of countless American cities, though it is also a crossroads of diverse subcultures. It is patronized by many of the nearly 96,900 students, faculty, and staff of the UW and by a population of homeless or transient individuals, most of whom are youth.

University Way NE is a collector (tertiary) arterial, running 1.2 miles (1.9 km) from just below NE Pacific Street in the south to NE Ravenna Boulevard and Cowen Park in the north, where it turns into Cowen Place NE. Originally platted as Columbus Avenue, the street was renamed 14th Avenue after the neighborhood was annexed by the city in 1891. Locals came to feel that a numbered street name was inappropriate because of the thoroughfare's importance, so in 1919 the University Commercial Club held a contest that decided the new name of the street: "University Way." The street had been known as "The Ave" for a time before this, however, and while it was no longer officially an avenue, the nickname stuck.

Late in the 20th century the Ave declined significantly, due in significant part to the more competitive planning, capital investment, and popularity of University Village and Northgate Mall. From 2002 to 2004, the city and the neighborhood made some steps countering this trend by repaving the Ave and adding benches, bus bulbs, and period lighting. The Ave remains at the heart of campus life for university students, and is filled with busy restaurants (mostly inexpensive), new and used book and record stores, clothing stores, and movie theatres, most densely between NE 41st and NE 50th Streets. Among these are the Varsity Theatre (1940) and the University Book Store (1924).

The Ave is so full of salon-style establishments that it has become its own sort of macro Third Place. This is exemplified by the coffeehouse culture of the middle and lower Ave - with at least six cafes on the Ave or its alleys - by the remaining used bookstores with late hours, and by the annual Street Fair and weekly Saturday Farmers Market. The Ave is also home to one of Seattle's Neighborhood Service Centers, outposts of the city government originally known as "little city halls." Still, The Ave is also plagued with the problems of urban neighborhoods, the social and economic problems of disparities and of American cities; in particular, it is home to the "Ave Rats," the young alcohol and drug users that have been attracted to the street.