Culture, parks and services make it clear this isn't a small town

Originally published Saturday, April 4, 1998

By JACK HOPKINS
SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER REPORTER

With 27,930 residents, Burien is Washington's 27th largest city and has many of the amenities that come with having a sizable population base.

The Northwest Symphony Orchestra moved into the city's Performing Arts Center a year ago, adding luster to an already strong arts program in the city. Burien also features the Burien Little Theater, one of the longest-running theater groups in the state. It has been in the city since the 1950s.

There are a number of small art galleries, including the Burien Arts Gallery, run by a non-profit organization that also sponsors the community's annual strawberry festival.

And Burien is home to some culinary diversity. Satsuma is a tiny restaurant with a big reputation for good Japanese food, and Filiberto's serves scampi in a red wine sauce that is so delicious it is almost sinful.

Local residents also pack into Rudy's and Sally's roadside cafe for killer breakfast omelets, and line up at Huckleberry Square Restaurant, a longtime mainstay in the community.

The city is also rich in parks and recreation facilities. Best known is Ed Munro Seahurst Park, with a beach, picnic shelter, play area, walking trails through the woods and a fish ladder. King County has a 200-acre greenbelt next to the park that features still more trails.

The city's Moshier Community Art Center and Park has served thousands of amateur potters and has extensive athletic facilities.

Burien is also home to the two institutions that reach out and help troubled youth: the Ruth Dykeman Children's Center, which treats about 3,000 abused and troubled kids every year; and Childhaven's Eli Creekmore branch, a therapeutic day-care center for abused and neglected children.

Major employers include the Highline School District with about 2,500 workers, and Highline Community Hospital, with about 1,100 employees.

Burien isn't known for having a high crime rate. Auto thefts and car-prowling are the biggest problem right now, says Major Rebecca Norton, commander of the Burien precinct.

"The other problem has been theft from mailboxes. Many residents still have mailboxes on posts near their homes. Unfortunately, we have a problem with people prowling those mailboxes," she says.