Issaquah, Washington

Issaquah City Hall

Issaquah ([[Iz-ah-qu-ah)[ˈɪsəkwɔ]) is a city in King County, Washington, United States. The population was 11,212 at the 2000 census.

Based on per capita income, one of the more reliable measures of affluence, Issaquah ranks 25th of 522 areas in the state of Washington to be ranked.

According to the Washington State Office of Financial Management, Issaquah ranked 6th of 279 eligible incorporated communities in population growth between 2000 and 2005. Forbes.com ranked Issaquah the 2nd fastest-growing suburb in the state, and the 89th in the nation.

History

Erik lives here.

Coal miners' homes in Issaquah, 1913.

Issaquah is an anglicized word for a local Native American name, meaning "the sound of birds". Another version of the name is said to have come from the pioneers, who, being impressed with the multitude of wetland birds, called the area Squak Valley. When the next wave of settlers came and asked for the name of area the Natives told them, "Is Squak."

The city was officially incorporated on April 29, 1892. Initially a small mining town, this town has changed noticeably both in its appearance and economic focus. Issaquah was originally developed to service the mining industry on nearby Tiger Mountain, and began as the town of Gilman, Washington. As the mining deposits neared depletion in the late 1890s, other companies started to realize Issaquah's potential to support a lucrative lumber business. These companies exported timber from Issaquah and other small, local towns to Seattle and larger, rapidly growing communities throughout western Washington. These early boom industries, however, faded into a period of relative quiet by the time of the Great Depression. The town remained fairly placid through the succeeding decades, with The Boeing Company providing the majority of employment in the area. Microsoft and other technological industries moved into Redmond, Washington and other cities in the area, and later established operations in Issaquah itself. Both Boeing and Microsoft have significantly affected Issaquah's history, cultural development, and diverse population through their active community participation and attraction of outside residents. In June 1996, Costco moved its global headquarters to Issaquah from neighboring Kirkland, Washington (thus the origin of its Kirkland Signature brand). An interesting fact: Boeing's first wooden seaplane was built by employees from Issaquah and took off from Lake Sammamish (located at the northern edge of downtown Issaquah).

Other Issaquah employers include Siemens Medical Solutions' Ultrasound Group, Boehm's Candies, Darigold, and the Hedges Family Estate winery.

Geography

Location of Issaquah, Washington

Issaquah is located at 47°32′8″N 122°2′36″W (47.535573, -122.043298),Template:GR, at the south end of Lake Sammamish. Neighboring cities include Bellevue and Redmond, both a short 8 miles away, and downtown Seattle 17 miles to the West.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 21.9 km² (8.4 mi²). 21.8 km² (8.4 mi²) of it is land and 0.1 km² (0.04 mi²) of it (0.35%) is water.

Issaquah is surrounded on three sides by the Issaquah Alps: Cougar Mountain on the west, Squak Mountain to the south, and Tiger Mountain to the east. To the north of Issaquah is Lake Sammamish. Cougar Mountain contains many large residential communities, while Squak and Tiger Mountains have much smaller populations. Geologists have noted the chemical and geological content of these three mountains to be much different than that of the Cascade Mountain Range, simply because they are not volcanic in origin, while the entire Cascade Range is postulated to have formed from volcanic action. They believe that these three mountains are the remains of a much older mountain range long since destroyed by earthquakes, volcanic action, and shifting plates.

Transportation

Issaquah is bisected by the Interstate 90 freeway, which runs from Seattle to Boston, and highway 900, which connects the city to neighboring Renton. There is some bus service by Sound Transit and King County Metro, but in general it is not easy to get around by public transportation in the area. There is a chronic traffic congestion problem on Front Street, which traverses the historic downtown. Proposals have been made to create a bypass, but opponents argue that this will only result in more sprawl in the area beyond downtown and thus in more traffic and pollution.

Issaquah Valley Trolley

The Issaquah Valley Trolley is a project by local residents to start a regular trolley service on the remaining section of railroad track in downtown Issaquah together with a northern re-extension of removed track to the southern tip of Lake Sammamish. Such service would both add to the charm of the historical downtown area and make it easier for visitors and residents to get around and avoid the area's notorious traffic congestion. A onetime goal had been to extend trolley service all the way to downtown Redmond by reinstalling the track along the eastern shore of Lake Sammamish that the county removed several years ago. The opening of the East Lake Sammamish Trail in March of 2006 along that proposed line ended the possibility of Issaquah-Redmond service. As of August, 2007, there have been acquisitions of several trolleys, though none of them are in operation. One is a narrow gauge trolley which is not compatible with the remaining rails left in town. It is unclear when, if ever, the trolleys will be placed into service either for tourism, or real transportation.

Since August of 1995, the city in partnership with King County Metro, provides a free bus that runs through all the major shopping areas of the town, which provides some relief for residents and those who wish to shop or eat at the many retailers and restaurants.

Local Attractions

The neighbouring highlands are called the Issaquah Alps and feature hiking trails and outdoor activity throughout the three mountains making up the Issaquah Alps. There are also many cultural and historical activities to be found in the town of Issaquah itself.

Salmon Days Festival

Issaquah This is a two-day International Award-winning festival held in Issaquah on the first full weekend of October each year. It is initiated by a parade, celebrating the return of the salmon to their birth-waters, and praises Issaquah's history, culture, and ethnic diversity. This free festival encompasses several arts and crafts conventions, attracting many Northwest artists; these artisans feature wood, glass, jewelry,paintings, pottery and metal artworks for sale. There are four stages of entertainment. Sporting events include 5K/10K meter runs (and a 3K run for kids), a fencing invitational, bike rides, and a golf tournament. A "Field of Fun," providing free entertainment for children of all ages, is available thanks to the many festival sponsors. Visitors are encouraged to visit the newly restored Salmon Hatchery to view the returning salmon in close detail. The 2005 register revealed over 400,000 people attended the event.

Cougar Mountain Zoo

The Cougar Mountain Zoo is located on the north slope of Cougar Mountain, just to the west of Issaquah. This eight-acre zoo offers a glimpse at many endangered species from around the world, including many endangered birds from around the world and small lemurs from Madagascar. The highlight of the zoo for many observers are the cougars. The Zoo's two cougars (also called pumas or mountain lions) are provided enrichment on a near-daily basis, which consists of a stimulant to keep them active mentally and physically. The Zoo currently specializes in eight "worlds" of animals: cougars, lemurs, cranes, reindeer, macaws, wallabies, ratites, camelids. On June 16, 2007, another world was added to the list, when the zoo welcomed it's newest members, two male tiger cubs. Named Taj and Almos, they are the only Bengal tigers in Washington state. The Zoo is open for general admission Wednesday through Sunday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. (excluding the month of December). Each December the Zoo also offers a special Reindeer Festival, during which people may come view, and feed Santa's Reindeer, and visit the "big guy" in person.

Issaquah Salmon Hatchery

The Issaquah Salmon Hatchery was built in 1936 under the Federal Works Project Administration [1]. It is located on the Issaquah Creek within the city limits of Issaquah. The hatchery is owned and operated by the Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife. Friends of the Issaquah Salmon Hatchery (FISH) is a non-profit organization that trains volunteer guides who lead tours of the hatchery. Local elementary schools often raise small numbers of salmon eggs that are spawned in the hatchery and release them into the creeks as part of their science curriculum on the salmon life cycle. The Issaquah Salmon Hatchery is located in the cultural and geographical heart of Issaquah and is the Department of Fish and Wildlife's most visited hatchery, with an estimated 350,000 visitors a year. [2]

Gilman Village

Gilman Village was created in 1972, when Marvin and Ruth Mohl started saving old, unwanted farming and mining buildings, as well as pioneer homes, from around Issaquah. They moved, renovated and combined them into an attractive retail area in a park-like setting. Their goal was to create a haven for independent shops and restaurants. Now, the 40-plus shops and restaurants that make up Gilman Village constitute one of Puget Sound's best known and most distinctive shopping destinations.

In saving the buildings, the intent was to honour the character and ambiance of the old community rather than to create a museum. Still, the buildings that house the shops and restaurants of Gilman Village represent a significant portion of Issaquah's history.

Designers of Gilman Village have included the Baylis Architects, Richard Haag Associates and landscape architect Stephen G. Ray. Their combined efforts have won official recognition by the King County Board of Realtors in 1976 and the Issaquah Design Commission in 1977 for quality of design and landscaping. In 1985, The Bellevue Chamber of Commerce presented the Eastside Quality of Life Award to Gilman Village for "the pleasures it gives through its rich discoveries of space and forms."

Flight

Issaquah is home to a premiere site where people fly paragliders and hang gliders from the heights of Tiger Mountain. [3] Many people fly year-round (weather permitting) and have flown epic cross-country flights exceeding 50 miles. [4][5][6] Also, there use to be a parachuting center in Issaquah on the site where the Costco is today.

Demographics

As of the 2000 censusTemplate:GR, there were 11,212 people, 4,840 households, and 2,908 families residing in the city. The population density was 514.1/km² (1,330.9/mi²). There were 5,195 housing units at an average density of 238.2/km² (616.7/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 87.95% White, 0.88% African American, 0.63% Native American, 6.04% Asian, 0.11% Pacific Islander, 1.46% from other races, and 2.93% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race made up 4.95% of the population.

There were 4,840 households out of which 29.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.3% were married couples living together, 9.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.9% were non-families. 31.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.27 and the average family size was 2.87.

In the city the population was spread out with 22.2% under the age of 18, 7.3% from 18 to 24, 36.5% from 25 to 44, 24.0% from 45 to 64, and 10.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 91.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.1 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $57,892, and the median income for a family was $77,274. Males had a median income of $55,049 versus $36,670 for females. The per capita income for the city was $34,222. About 3.4% of families and 4.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.5% of those under age 18 and 4.7% of those age 65 or over.

Famous natives/residents

• Ray Allen
• Julius Boehm, candymaker
• Jay Buhner, baseball player
• Cynthia Geary
• Ken Griffey Jr., baseball player, not a native, resident until 1999
• Phil Lucas, documentary filmmaker
• Modest Mouse, indie rock band
• Patrick Monahan (of Train (band))
• Jeff Nelson, baseball player
• Rick Rizzs, sportscaster
• Mel Stottlemyre
• Ichiro Suzuki, baseball player
• Omar Vizquel
• Kyle Nielsen, experimental pop/rock musician

Schools

District: Issaquah School District 411. There are four major secondary schools (Issaquah, Skyline, and Liberty High Schools), including one "freshman campus" (Pacific Cascade Freshman Campus). Issaquah High School is over 100 years old, founded in 1905, while Liberty H.S. was built in 1977, followed by Skyline H.S. in 1997. Soon to follow was the freshman campus, completed in 2005.

Sister Cities

• Sunndal, Norway (source)
• Chefchaouen, Morocco (source)

External links

• City of Issaquah Official Website
• Issaquah Press
• Issaquah's Front Street Web
• Issaquah Historical Society
• Issaquah School District
• Issaquah Lacrosse
• Issaquah Community Information

• • Nearby hiking trails on Hikipedia