Issaquah, Washington
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Issaquah (pronounced [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[1], Issaquah ranked 6th of 279 eligible incorporated communities in population growth between 2000 and 2005.
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[edit] History
Issaquah 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 1890's, 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 their global headquarters to Issaquah from neighboring Kirkland, Washington (thus the origin of their 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).
[edit] Geography
Issaquah is located at (47.535573, -122.043298),GR1 or the south end of Lake Sammamish 17 miles east of downtown Seattle.
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.
[edit] Local Attractions
The neighbouring highlands are called the Issaquah Pennines 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.
[edit] Salmon Days
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, pottery and metal artworks for sale. There are four stages of entertainment. Sporting events include 5K/10K meter runs, 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.
[edit] 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 an stimulant to keep them active mentally and physically. The Zoo currently specializes in eight "worlds" of animals: cougars, lemurs, cranes, reindeer, macaws, wallabies, ratites, and camelids. 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 Santa's Reindeer, and visit the "big guy" in person.
[edit] Issaquah Salmon Hatchery
The Issaquah Salmon Hatchery was built in 1936 under the Federal Works Project Administration [2]. 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. [3]
[edit] 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.
[edit] Flight
Issaquah is home to a premiere site where people fly paragliders and hang gliders from the heights of Tiger Mountain. [4] Many people fly year-round (weather permitting) and have flown epic cross-country flights exceeding 50 miles. [5][6][7]
[edit] Demographics
As of the 2000 censusGR2, 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.
[edit] Famous natives/residents
- Ray Allen
- Cynthia Geary
- Modest Mouse (Indie Band)
- Jeff Nelson (baseball player)
- Mel Stottlemyre
- Omar Vizquel
- Patrick Monahan (of Train (band))
- Ken Griffey Jr.
- Jay Buhner
- Rick Rizzs
- Mike Birdsall (Legendary Sex Offender)
[edit] 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.
[edit] Sister City
[edit] 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
- Maps and aerial photos
- Street map from Google Maps, or Yahoo! Maps, or Windows Live Local
- Satellite image from Google Maps, Windows Live Local, WikiMapia
- Topographic map from TopoZone
- Aerial image or topographic map from TerraServer-USA
- Nearby hiking trails on Hikipedia
