Medina, Washington

Medina, Washington
City
Location of Medina, Washington
City limits of Medina
Country	United States
State	Washington
County	King
Platted	1914
Incorporated	August 19, 1955
Named for	Medina
Government
• Mayor	Patrick Boyd
Area
• Total	4.79 sq mi (12.41 km2)
• Land	1.44 sq mi (3.73 km2)
• Water	3.35 sq mi (8.68 km2)
Elevation	69 ft (21 m)
Population  (2010)
• Total	2,969
• Estimate  (2015)	3,226
• Density	2,061.8/sq mi (796.1/km2)
Time zone	UTC-8 (Pacific (PST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-7 (PDT)
ZIP code	98039
Area code	425
FIPS code	53-44725
GNIS feature ID	1512453
Website	www.medina-wa.gov

Medina (/məˈdaɪnə/ ) is a city located in the Eastside, a region of King County, Washington, United States. Surrounded on the north, west, and south by Lake Washington, opposite Seattle, Medina is bordered by Clyde Hill and Hunts Point, as well as the satellite city of Bellevue. The city's population was 2,969 at the 2010 census. The city is mostly residential and includes Bill Gates' house.

Medina has the second highest per-capita income in the state of Washington and the 49th highest in the United States.

History

Named in 1891 for the city of Medina in Saudi Arabia, Medina was platted in 1914 and officially incorporated on August 19, 1955. According to the city:

In 1891, T.L. Dabney built the first landing in Medina on what later became known as Dabney Point. The landing was directly across from the Leschi Park landing and it became the main crossing point for settlers to enter "the Points Country". As the community around the landing began to grow, local residents wanted to give it a distinct name. A community meeting was held and three women were appointed to select a name for the community. Flora Belote’s choice was the name selected. She had decided on the name "Medeena", after the Arabian city. Dabney was offended, he wanted it named "Floridine". Dabney built a large sign that said "Floridine" and placed it in the water beside his landing. The next evening when he came home from working in Seattle, he found his sign had been replaced by a "Medeena" sign. He promptly took it down and put his sign back up. This feud continued for several days, with Dabney replacing the "Medeena" sign each evening when he would return from work. The ladies prevailed. Dabney eventually tired and left the "Medeena" sign up.

Tree Code

Designated as a Tree City USA by the Arbor Day Foundation since 2006, Medina has always been a leader in urban tree codes. Since 1972, the City of Medina has codified the value that trees bring to a community, and the Tree Code ordinances have consistently been modified throughout the years. Major revisions in 2000, 2003 and 2006 have improved the code such that it is one of the most extensive in the region. The current code (2006 edition) protects large trees and requires significant mitigation if they are removed.

In 2011, the City Council directed the Planning Commission to update the existing tree code. Dividing the task into two phases, the Planning Commission brought Phase I, which were largely administrative changes, to Council in 2014, where it was passed into law. Phase II changes have been underway since then, with much work and input from the community, an ad hoc tree committee, the Planning Commission and City Council. It is anticipated that the new code will be adopted in mid-2015.

Surveillance

In 2009, Medina installed cameras at intersections along roads entering the city; the cameras are used to capture the license plate number of every car, and a security system automatically notifies local police if the captured number is recorded in a database. Travellers are notified of the presence of the system with signs that read "You Are Entering a 24 Hour Video Surveillance Area"; according to Medina's police chief, all captured information is stored for 60 days even if nothing negative is found in the database, allowing police to mine data if a crime occurs later. One of the city's council members said the system was motivated by the belief that the need for crime prevention—Medina had 11 burglaries in 2008—"outweighs concern over privacy". The system was inspired by that used in nearby Hunts Point, a town of about 500 residents which has not had a break-in for more than three years after installing their system.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 4.79 square miles (12.41 km²), of which, 1.44 square miles (3.73 km²) is land and 3.35 square miles (8.68 km²) is water.

Medina is connected to Seattle, on the western shore of Lake Washington, by State Route 520 on the Evergreen Point Floating Bridge, the longest floating bridge in the world.

Climate

This region experiences warm (but not hot) and dry summers, with no average monthly temperatures above 71.6 °F. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Medina has a warm-summer Mediterranean climate, abbreviated "Csb" on climate maps.

Politics

Alex Morcos is the mayor of Medina and Michael Sauerwein is the City Manager.

At the state level, Medina is represented by Democrats, who hold the State Senate and State Representative positions as of 2007. This district also includes more liberal areas of adjacent Bellevue.

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1960	2,285		—
1970	3,455		51.2%
1980	3,220		−6.8%
1990	2,981		−7.4%
2000	3,011		1.0%
2010	2,969		−1.4%
2015 (est.)	3,226		8.7%
U.S. Decennial Census 2015 Estimate

Medina in 1915

2010 census

As of the census of 2010, there were 2,969 people, 1,061 households, and 865 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,061.8 inhabitants per square mile (796.1/km²). There were 1,162 housing units at an average density of 806.9 per square mile (311.5/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 83.5% White, 0.3% African American, 0.2% Native American, 11.7% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 0.5% from other races, and 3.8% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.6% of the population.

There were 1,061 households of which 40.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 73.1% were married couples living together, 5.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 2.6% had a male householder with no wife present, and 18.5% were non-families. 16.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.80 and the average family size was 3.13.

The median age in the city was 45.5 years. 29% of residents were under the age of 18; 4.7% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 15.1% were from 25 to 44; 32.8% were from 45 to 64; and 18.2% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 49.4% male and 50.6% female.

2000 census

As of the census of 2000, there were 3,011 people, 1,111 households, and 905 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,102.3 people per square mile (813.0/km²). There were 1,165 housing units at an average density of 813.4 per square mile (314.6/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 92.63% White, 4.88% Asian, 0.27% Native American, 0.17% African American, 0.07% Pacific Islander, 0.33% from other races, and 1.66% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 1.39% of the population.

There were 1,111 households out of which 38.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 74.6% were married couples living together, 5.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 18.5% were non-families. 14.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.71 and the average family size was 3.00.

The age distribution was 30.1% under the age of 18, 3.5% from 18 to 24, 23.5% from 25 to 44, 29.6% from 45 to 64, and 16.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females there were 96.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.6 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $133,756, and the median income for a family was $149,637. Males had a median income of $100,000 versus $50,893 for females. The per capita income for the city was $81,742. About 0.2% of families and 0.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including none of those under age 18 and 1.0% of those age 65 or over.

Notable people

• Bill Gates, co-founder and former chairman of Microsoft, philanthropist
• Melinda Gates, wife of the co-founder of Microsoft and philanthropist
• Jeff Bezos, founder and CEO of Amazon.com
• Jon Shirley, former Microsoft president and noted art collector
• Charles Simonyi, former Microsoft executive
• John W. Stanton, founder and former CEO of Western Wireless Corporation
• Ichiro Suzuki, Miami Marlins outfielder
• Jeffrey Brotman, American attorney, businessman and the co-founder of Costco Wholesale Corporation
• Nathan Myhrvold, formerly Chief Technology Officer at Microsoft, is co-founder of Intellectual Ventures and the principal author of Modernist Cuisine
• Wayne M. Perry, former president McCaw Cellular, Vice-Chairman of AT&T Wireless Services, founder Edge Wireless, former National President of the Boy Scouts of America
• Gerald Grinstein, former CEO of Delta Air Lines, Inc
• Mark Pigott, Executive Chairman of the Board of Directors of PACCAR
• Jack Sikma, former NBA player Seattle SuperSonics
• Jeff Cirillo, former MLB third baseman, currently MLB Scout with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim

Education

Public education is provided by the Bellevue School District, with schools within Medina and in nearby Bellevue. There are three schools in Medina:

• Bellevue Christian School - Three Points Elementary (private, K to 6)
• Medina Elementary School (public, K to 5)
• Saint Thomas School (private, pre-K to 8)

External links

• Official website