It's a fully integrated community. Neighbors share house keys and everyone tends to look out after one another, Filicetti says. Hannum and Filicetti made a name for themselves when they opened one of Columbia City's more noted restaurants, Rutabaga. But working seven days a week proved too much of a grind, and the restaurant closed about a year ago. Their decision to close was based more on personal reasons, and not because the community is not a good place to run a restaurant, the couple say.
Ethnic diversity is one of the things that makes Columbia City so interesting.
Many residents, who say everyone seems to get along, consider the ethnic melange one of the neighborhood's finest attributes. Jennifer Healey Thornton and her husband moved from Fremont to Columbia City about a year ago. Mitchell teaches English as a second language at Columbia City's branch library. Her students come from Asia, North Africa, Mexico, Central and South America and eastern Europe. The Born to Read class, sponsored by the Seattle Public Library, is intended for immigrant mothers who may not have other opportunities to attend English classes.