How The Name "Suicide Hill" On NE 41st Street Came About

Bottom of dangerous hill looking east on NE 41st Street

We received several emails about the name "Suicide Hill” which we referred to in the post about the dangerous hill on NE 41st Street between 42nd Avenue NE and 43rd Avenue NE, which the City is now trying to make safer with some immediate upcoming changes.

Two neighbors asked us to remove the name from the post and we complied. However, it is not a name we made up, but a name that has been used for quite some time and has a different meaning than what people may think.

Jeannie Hale, Laurelhurst Community Club President, gave us this information:

The name comes from the fact that sporting teams at the UW used to jog up the hill as part of their training. Their route would take them up the big hill. 

Because it’s such a steep hill and hard to run up, the students called it “Suicide Hill.” 

The students would meet on the Battelle/Talaris property very early in the mornings on weekends—making quite a bit of noise as young people sometimes do. LCC worked with the University and the students now meet at CUH and I’m not sure of the current route.

The name caught on—even with the City of Seattle, who use that name as well to refer to the very steep hill.