It consists of the valley between Queen Anne Hill on the east and Magnolia on the west, plus filled-in areas of Smith Cove and Salmon Bay.

[3] Although Interbay fell within the traditional geographic range of the Duwamish,[4] early ethnographers did not record contact-era or earlier Native American villages in the area.

Nonetheless, University of Washington ethnologist T. T. Waterman lists several native place names at or near Smith Cove and Salmon Bay.

His most famous piece of writing, published in the 1880s, purported to be an English-language rendering of Chief Seattle's speech on the occasion of an 1854 treaty conference; there is question about the authenticity of the translation.

The train stopped on Grand Boulevard near Gilman and Thorndyke Avenues, spurring further commercial development and the rise of a blue-collar village.

In 1896 Nippon Yusen Kaisha established the first regular steamship service between Asia and the Pacific Coast of North America, with Smith Cove as its American port.

[6] During the 1911–1916 construction of the Lake Washington Ship Canal along Salmon Bay, about 150 acres (61 ha) of Smith Cove tidelands were filled with material from the dredging.

[10] From 1941 into the early 1970s, Smith Cove served as a supply depot for the United States Navy, before returning to use as a civilian port.

A few buildings and warehouses can still be found on the site that trace back to that time, including Quarters A, also known as "The Admiral's House", perched on the SW corner of Magnolia and overlooking piers 90 and 91.

Five late 19th century houses near Smith Cove, known as the Fourteenth Avenue West Group, have official status as a city landmark.

[14] There is a miscellany of light industrial, warehouse, wholesale, and retail businesses along 15th Avenue West, as well as a few professional offices and some housing.

On April 2, 2015 Expedia, Inc. announced their purchase of the Amgen "Helix" facility along Elliot Ave. for $228.9m and their plans to move their corporate headquarters there from Bellevue, Washington by 2018.