The community of Queen Anne is one of Seattle’s oldest residential neighborhoods. Pioneer settler Thomas Mercer first called the forested, water-lapped district Eden Hill. By the mid-1880s, the growing suburb had acquired the name Queen Anne Town in reference to its showy domestic architecture. The character of this thoroughly urban neighborhood today is the result of several key influences, both physical and human. Natural features have both encouraged and restrained the development of Queen Anne over time. Waterways at the base of the hill virtually assured adjacent industrial growth from an early date.