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60-533: The 98 sq mi (250 km) Lake Sammamish watershed stretches from Redmond through Bellevue , and Issaquah to Preston and Hobart , and consists of numerous creeks which flow into the lake. Issaquah Creek is the largest tributary, furnishing over 70% of the lake's inflow. The area surrounding Lake Sammamish has been, in recent times, the most rapidly growing suburban district in the Greater Seattle Metropolitan Area. During

120-713: A 2018 estimate, the city's median household income was among the top five cities in the state of Washington. In 2008, Bellevue was number one in CNNMoney 's list of the best places to live and launch a business, and in 2010 was again ranked as the fourth-best place to live in America. In 2014, Bellevue was ranked as the second-best place to live by USA Today . More than 145 companies have been located in Bellevue; companies currently headquartered there include PACCAR Inc , T-Mobile US , and Valve . The technology company Amazon

180-421: A Mayor from among its members (not by popular vote), who serves as council chair for two years but has no veto power. As of 2022 , the mayor is Lynne Robinson and the deputy mayor is Jared Nieuwenhuis. The mayor administrates council meetings, helps set the issues on the council's meeting agendas, and serves as the city's most visible spokesperson. Operational authority is held by the city manager , who administers

240-647: A major engineering facility in downtown Bellevue. As of 2020 , there are several high-rise office buildings in Downtown Bellevue that are under construction or in active planning and design phases, including Bellevue 600 , part of a major Amazon campus. Several high-rise residential buildings are also planned in downtown, spurred in part by future light rail service, on former retail and low-rise commercial lots. As of 2024 , Amazon has 12,000 employees in Bellevue and has reduced its workforce in Seattle. By

300-464: A potential tunnel in the form of cash, services, free access to rights-of-way and one-time tax revenues that result from the East Link project. In November 2011, the city council signed an agreement with Sound Transit. Tunnel construction started in early 2016 while the remainder of downtown Bellevue construction began in mid-2017. As of July 2023, former Bellevue City Council member Claudia Balducci

360-576: Is a city in the Eastside region of King County, Washington , United States, located across Lake Washington from Seattle . It is the third-largest city in the Seattle metropolitan area , and the fifth-largest city in Washington . It has variously been characterized as a satellite city , a suburb , a boomburb , or an edge city . The population was 151,854 at the 2020 census . The city's name

420-550: Is bordered by Marymoor Park at the lake's north end, Lake Sammamish State Park at its south end, and the East Lake Sammamish Trail . Lake Sammamish State Park provides nine public boat launches that can be accessed through a separate park entrance, for a fee, with parking and restroom facilities on site. The public can access the lake's west shores at Redmond's Idylwood Park . The privately owned Vasa Park Resort, located in Bellevue, provides access from

480-539: Is derived from the French term belle vue ("beautiful view"). Bellevue is home to some of the world's largest technology companies. Before and after the 2008 recession, its downtown area has been undergoing rapid change with many high-rise projects being constructed. Downtown Bellevue is currently the second-largest city center in Washington state, with 1,300 businesses, 45,000 employees, and 10,200 residents. In

540-495: Is located in Bellevue, serving students from Pre-Kindergarten to Grade 8 . At the elementary level, Bellevue is home to several Montessori schools, the Eastside's only Waldorf education at Three Cedars School, as well as Bellevue Christian School . The Seattle Japanese School , a Japanese weekend supplementary school , holds its classes in Bellevue. Bellevue is an economic hub of the Seattle region's Eastside and home to

600-552: Is located in the Larsen Lake and Phantom Lake green belt and whose outlet is near where Interstate 90 meets Lake Washington's eastern shore. The city is bisected by Interstate 405 running north–south, and the southern portion is crossed from west to east by Interstate 90. The State Route 520 freeway roughly delineates the upper reaches of Bellevue. According to the United States Census Bureau ,

660-499: Is now one of the largest shopping centers in the region. Opened in 1946, the mall has undergone several significant phases of expansion since the 1980s. The city's plans include the Bel-Red Corridor Project, a large-scale planning effort to encourage the redevelopment of the large Bel-Red section of the city bordering the adjacent city of Redmond which is a major employment area in the city. Patterned after

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720-503: Is planned to be completed in 2023. Some sections of the railroad in Bellevue were demolished in 2008 to make way for the expansion of I-405 and will require the construction of additional structures to supplement the existing right of way. The city once had an operating airfield named Bellevue Airfield , which shut down in 1983. Bellevue has a council-manager form of government with seven non-partisan council members elected at large for staggered four-year terms. The City Council selects

780-510: The 2010 census , there were 122,363 people, 50,355 households, and 32,145 families residing in the city. The population density was 3,827.7 inhabitants per square mile (1,477.9/km ). There were 55,551 housing units at an average density of 1,737.6 per square mile (670.9/km ). The racial makeup of the city was 62.6% White, 2.2% African American, 0.4% Native American, 27.6% Asian, 0.2% Pacific Islander, 3.1% from other races, and 3.9% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 7.0% of

840-479: The 1920s, James S. Ditty predicted that it would become a city with a population of 200,000. He envisioned plans that included the bridging of Lake Washington and an area filled with golf courses and airports. His map with these visions was published in 1928. Once the Murrow Memorial Bridge opened, access from Seattle improved, and the area began to evolve into a bedroom community . In 1942,

900-562: The Bellevue Strawberry Festival was cancelled. The primary reason was that some 90 percent of the agricultural workforce in the area was of Japanese ancestry, and all of these farmers and their families had been forcibly interned in camps following the start of World War II. The fair would not be revived for another 45 years. Following the expulsion of the ethnic Japanese farming community, a large quantity of farmland became available for development. This made way for

960-492: The Bellevue Strawberry Festival was conceived of in 1925, and by the 1930s it had grown to attract as many as 15,000 visitors. At the time, Bellevue was still a small town with around 2,000 residents. Prior to the opening of the Lake Washington Floating Bridge in 1940, Bellevue was mostly rural farmland area with little development. Although it was small, developers were pushing to change that; in

1020-628: The City's 2023 Annual Comprehensive Financial Report, the largest employers in the city are: The city has numerous thriving commercial districts, with four major shopping centers: Bellevue Square in the downtown area, Factoria Mall to the south, Crossroads Mall to the east, and the Overlake Shopping District in the north. As of 2018, one in three Bellevue residents was born outside the United States, most likely due to

1080-565: The Downtown. Bellevue was also served by a railroad , a Burlington Northern branch line known as the Woodinville Subdivision , which included the historic Wilburton Trestle . The line is now disused, though part of the track bed at Wilburton Station will be reused by Sound Transit's light-rail construction. Construction of Eastrail , a rail trail on the abandoned Woodinville Subdivision right of way through Bellevue,

1140-629: The Northern United States and Canada shows that beavers provide ecological benefits by creating ponds that increase fish and bird abundance and diversity. Research in the Stillaguamish River basin, approximately 50 miles (80 km) north of Lake Sammamish, found that extensive loss of beaver ponds resulted in an 89% reduction in coho salmon smolt summer production and an almost equally detrimental 86% reduction in critical winter habitat carrying capacity . Lake Sammamish

1200-589: The Puget Sound lowland, Bellevue has a mild oceanic climate . It also has frequent rain showers from October to May, with precipitation levels typically being over 2 inches (51 mm). On average, the hottest month is July, while January is the coldest. Bellevue gets an average of 32.02 inches (813 mm) of rain per year, based on data from 1981 to 2013. However, the city published an analysis of rainfall stating that 2016 saw an usually high 47.14 inches (1,197 mm) of rainfall, and that rainfall in 2014–2016

1260-448: The afternoon drive personality at Seattle's KJR 950 radio station in the 1960s; he would eventually become program director and general manager. O'Day helped to bring the Seattle music scene to national prominence. O'Day owned Seattle radio station KYYX (96.5 FM) from 1977 to 1984. From late 1982 the station had a new wave music format, one of the few commercial stations in the US at

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1320-547: The app-based service is funded by the city's hotel room tax and fare-free for passengers. The 2 Line of Sound Transit's Link light rail system is planned to run from Seattle through Mercer Island and Bellevue before ending in Redmond. The $ 3.7 billion project was approved by voters in 2008 as part of the Sound Transit 2 ballot measure. It began construction in 2016 and was scheduled to begin service in 2023, but

1380-403: The average family size was 2.93. In the city, the population was spread out, with 21.1% under the age of 18, 7.8% from 18 to 24, 32.6% from 25 to 44, 25.0% from 45 to 64, and 13.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 98.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.6 males. The median income for a household in the city

1440-496: The boundaries of Lake Washington School District , Renton School District and Issaquah School District . At the higher education level the city is home to Bellevue College , part of the Washington Community and Technical Colleges system. Bellevue is home to Open Window School , an independent school serving gifted students from kindergarten through eighth grade. The Jewish Day School of Metropolitan Seattle

1500-687: The brink of extirpation. Despite resistance to the report by the city of Sammamish, Issaquah already limits development within 200 feet (61 m) of the lake, Issaquah Creek and the East Fork of Issaquah Creek under the Shoreline Management Program. It is estimated that fewer than 100 Kokanee salmon remain in Lake Sammamish. The recent return of beaver ( Castor canadensis ) to Lake Sammamish worries City of Issaquah and Lake Sammamish State Park officials who state that

1560-497: The city has a total area of 37.505 square miles (97.14 km ), of which 33.468 square miles (86.68 km ) is land and 4.037 square miles (10.46 km ) is water. The city's name is derived from a French term for "beautiful view". Under favorable weather conditions, scenic vistas of the Olympic Mountains and Cascade Mountains can be viewed from hilltops (and strategically positioned high-rise buildings) within

1620-614: The city is served by the Bellevue School District . There are four main public high schools – Bellevue High School , Interlake High School , Newport High School , and Sammamish High School – as well as two choice lottery high schools, International School and Big Picture School. Newsweek's 2015 ranking of U.S. public high schools placed Interlake at #359 and Newport at #391, with both schools noted for equitably helping low-income students meet average scores on standardized tests. Portions of Bellevue also lie within

1680-488: The city's day-to-day activities. The city manager is also elected by the seven members of the council instead of by popular vote. Politically, the city leans strongly Democratic, much like the Seattle/King County area as a whole. Of the 61,742 residents who cast ballots in the 2016 U.S. presidential election , 66.11% voted for Hillary Clinton , compared to 24.58% for Donald Trump . The vast majority of

1740-409: The city. The population density was 3,563.6 inhabitants per square mile (1,375.8/km ). There were 48,396 housing units at an average density of 607.7/km (1,574.0/mi ). The racial makeup of the city was 74.33% White, 1.99% African American, 0.32% Native American, 17.39% Asian, 0.23% Pacific Islander, 2.54% from other races, and 3.19% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 5.32% of

1800-501: The concert promotion company, Concerts West. O'Day was Schick Shadel's spokesman in both radio and television advertisements. In 2007, O'Day joined more than two dozen other radio and music industry leaders as a member of the nominating committee of the Hit Parade Hall of Fame. His story was featured in a 2015 documentary about radio DJs called I Am What I Play , directed by Roger King. O'Day died on August 4, 2020, at

1860-561: The downtown business district and is connected to Interstate 405 by NE 6th St. and a direct-access Texas T HOV ramp. Local buses run into Kirkland , Redmond , Issaquah , Renton , and the University District ; regional buses go to Bothell , Lynnwood , Everett , Seattle , Renton , Kent and Auburn , among other cities. An electric microtransit shuttle service operated by Circuit, Inc. began operating in August 2023;

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1920-417: The dry summer months. With rapid urbanization the forests have been replaced by impervious surfaces—roofs, roads, parking lots—and stormwater runoffs have increased flooding. The stormwater runoff carries sediment loads and toxic pollutants into streams and ultimately the lake, which generally has a negative impact on lake water clarity as well as fishes and wildlife. In May, 2010 the federal government asked

1980-406: The early 20th century, to support small-scale farming on leased land plots. By the early part of the 20th century, Bellevue had acquired a reputation as a weekend getaway destination for Seattle residents, who would arrive by ferry at Meydenbauer Bay and spend the day at nearby Wildwood Park. After the ferry landing was moved to Medina , however, tourism to Bellevue waned. To counter this decline,

2040-460: The headquarters of various sizes, including the U.S. operations for many international firms. Since 2005, the city has become a hub for software engineering and other technology development centers. These include PACCAR Inc , T-Mobile US , Eddie Bauer , SAP Concur , and Symetra . Bellevue hosts a number of satellite offices for large technology companies such as eBay , Meta , ByteDance , Oracle , Salesforce , Google , and Microsoft ; Microsoft

2100-534: The incorporated city. South of I-90, the city continues up Cougar Mountain , at the top of which is an unincorporated King County location called Hilltop. To the west of Cougar Mountain, Bellevue includes the Coal Creek , Somerset, and Factoria neighborhoods. Bellevue is bordered by the cities of Kirkland to the north and Redmond to the northeast along the Overlake and Crossroads neighborhoods. Across

2160-558: The initial development of the Bellevue downtown area. Bellevue incorporated as a third-class city on the March 31, 1953. Following the 1963 opening of a second bridge across the lake, the Evergreen Point Floating Bridge , the city began to grow more rapidly. The Crossroads community was annexed in 1964. Lake Hills was annexed in 1969. By the 1970 census, Bellevue had become the fourth most populous city in

2220-582: The last weekend in July. The biennial Bellevue Sculpture Exhibition draws thousands of visitors to the Downtown Park to view up to 46 three-dimensional artworks from artists around the country. Pat O%27Day Paul W. Berg (September 24, 1934 – August 4, 2020), known professionally as Pat O'Day , was an American broadcaster and concert promoter in the Pacific Northwest . O'Day was

2280-546: The late 1990s and early 2000s, the cities of Redmond, Snoqualmie , Fall City , Issaquah and Bellevue have grown substantially. The city of Sammamish was incorporated in 1999 because of suburban growth. Historically, runoff from the high precipitation in the lake's watershed (nearly twice the 35 inches that Seattle gets each year) was absorbed by the surrounding forests. Loose, sponge-like forest soils virtually eliminated runoff during winter storms and recharged groundwater aquifers which then released fresh water to streams in

2340-514: The late 2010s, Microsoft had become the largest employer in Bellevue, where it had several offices to supplement its headquarters campus in Redmond. The company's workforce in the city peaked at 9,300 in 2021 and later declined as it consolidated offices at its headquarters and vacated its leased offices pace in Downtown Bellevue and Eastgate. Other technology companies, including ByteDance and The Pokémon Company International, have since expanded their office leases in Downtown Bellevue. According to

2400-497: The mammals will cause flooding and burrow under roadways. These officials are recommending relocation of the beaver families. On July 6, 2010, officials of the City of Issaquah asked Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife to tear out a beaver dam on Tibbetts Creek in Lake Sammamish State Park because of concerns about potential flooding and barriers to salmon migration. In contrast, research on watersheds in

2460-408: The population. There were 45,836 households, out of which 27.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.0% were married couples living together, 7.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.6% were non-families. 28.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.37 and

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2520-441: The population. There were 50,355 households, of which 30.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.9% were married couples living together, 7.6% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.3% had a male householder with no wife present, and 36.2% were non-families. 28.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size

2580-400: The prevalence of multinational technology companies in the city. Around 23% of Bellevue's well-educated workforce are in engineering or science-related industries. About half of its residents identify as a person of color or ethnic minority. According to a 2018 estimate, the median income for a household in the city was $ 113,698. In a 2020 survey of Centers for Disease Control data, Bellevue

2640-498: The redevelopment of the downtown core, plans include superblock mixed-use projects similar to Lincoln Square , premised on private construction and the development of infrastructure such as the 2 Line of Link light rail that will extend to the Eastside. Bellevue lies between Lake Washington to the west and the smaller Lake Sammamish to the east. Much of Bellevue is drained by the Kelsey Creek watershed, whose source

2700-785: The short East Channel Bridge , I-90 connects Bellevue to Mercer Island to the southwest. Issaquah is to the east, down I-90 at the south end of Lake Sammamish. The city is bordered to the west by many affluent suburbs such as Medina , Clyde Hill , Hunts Point and Yarrow Point . The south end of Bellevue is bordered by the city of Renton , and to the southeast, the relatively recently incorporated city of Newcastle . Neighborhoods within Bellevue include Bellecrest, Bel-Red , Bridle Trails , Crossroads , Eastgate /Cougar Mountain, Enatai, Factoria , Lake Hills , Newport , Newport Hills, Northeast Bellevue, Northwest Bellevue, Overlake , Sammamish/East Bellevue, Somerset , Sunset, Tam O'Shanter, West Bellevue, Wilburton , and Woodridge. Like much of

2760-460: The state of Washington, behind only Seattle, Spokane , and Tacoma . Bellevue remains one of the largest cities in the state, with several high-rise structures in its core and a burgeoning business community. The city experienced a building boom during the mid-2000s, with the building of developments such as Lincoln Square and the Bravern. Bellevue Square is located in downtown Bellevue and

2820-478: The time to do so. Starting in 1967, O'Day served as race announcer and commentator for hydroplanes during Seafair for various radio and TV stations, lastly with KIRO-TV in 2013. In 1998, a plaquette featuring O'Day was added to the permanent disc jockey exhibit at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame . O'Day and Jim Ojala co-authored the book It Was All Just Rock 'n' Roll , detailing his O'Day's work in radio and

2880-402: The town of Sammamish to restrict development within 250 feet (76 m) from the lakeshore to protect local salmon and steelhead ( Oncorhyncus mykiss ) species. The report did not include Lake Sammamish kokanee salmon ( Oncorhyncus nerka ) among the species in trouble, although environmentalists and scientists said development along Lake Sammamish and tributary creeks have pushed the fish to

2940-402: The west for a fee. Vasa Park offers one ramp for launching watercraft. Several housing developments own small, private parks that provide lake access for their residents. The main leisure activities include rowing , fishing , waterskiing , wakeboarding , wakesurfing , tubing , and jet skiing . There is a public slalom course for waterskiing at the far north end of the lake, running from

3000-563: The west to the east. In the mid-1980s, local radio personality Pat O'Day proposed that the Seafair Cup hydroplane races be moved to Lake Sammamish from Lake Washington , an effort that was unsuccessful. Lake Sammamish offers fishing enthusiasts a variety of species to pursue, including perch , smallmouth bass , largemouth bass , cutthroat trout , salmon , and steelhead trout , among others. Bellevue, Washington Bellevue ( / ˈ b ɛ l v j uː / BEL -vew )

3060-470: Was $ 62,338, and the median income for a family was $ 76,868. Males had a median income of $ 56,456 versus $ 37,124 for females. The per capita income for the city was $ 36,905. About 3.8% of families and 5.7% of the population were below the poverty line , including 5.7% of those under age 18 and 6.3% of those age 65 or over. Bellevue is the site of the annual Bellevue Arts and Crafts Fair (originally Pacific Northwest Arts and Crafts Fair), held since 1947 during

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3120-438: Was 2.41 and the average family size was 2.97. The median age in the city was 38.5 years. 21.2% of residents were under the age of 18; 7.6% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 30.8% were from 25 to 44; 26.5% were from 45 to 64; and 13.9% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 50.1% male and 49.9% female. As of the 2000 census , there were 109,569 people, 45,836 households, and 29,060 families residing in

3180-463: Was 4,538.2 inhabitants per square mile (1,752.2/km ). There were 64,688 housing units. The racial makeup of the city was 44.7% White , 2.6% African American , 0.4% Native American , 40.6% Asian , 0.2% Pacific Islander , 3.4% from some other races and 8.1% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 7.3% of the population. 20.0% of residents were under the age of 18, 4.9% were under 5 years of age, and 14.6% were 65 and older. As of

3240-601: Was a member of the Sound Transit Board of Directors. The City of Bellevue has undertaken an extensive "Bel-Red Area Transformation" process which seeks to plan some 900 acres (3.6 km ) in the Spring District in the city's northern portion, all of which has been premised on the extension of light rail to the Eastside under Sound Transit 2. The top-down and highly integrated land use and transportation planning has been similar to earlier planning for

3300-427: Was at one point headquartered in Bellevue but has since moved to the neighboring community of Redmond, Washington . Celebrated video game companies Valve , Bungie , Sucker Punch Productions , and The Pokémon Company International are also based here. In 2019, Amazon and Facebook announced plans to open large engineering centers in Bellevue with plans to add several thousand employees. In 2018, Google also opened

3360-411: Was first settled by European Americans in 1869 by William Meydenbauer and Aaron Mercer, who claimed homestead tracts several miles apart. Both moved away within a few years, and permanent residents did not arrive until 1879. By 1882, a community, consisting mostly of logging homesteaders, had established itself. Once the land had been logged, it was gradually cleared, largely by Japanese immigrant labor in

3420-494: Was founded in Bellevue by Jeff Bezos . The Duwamish , whose main settlements were located in present-day Renton and Seattle, maintained a small outpost settlement called Satskal ( SAH-tsah-kahl ) along the Mercer Slough , south of present-day downtown Bellevue. It was from this village that an attack on the settlers of Elliott Bay was staged. The Duwamish also had a village near Factoria called 'pah-pah-DEEL'. Bellevue

3480-489: Was later delayed to 2024 due to construction issues. The first section, from South Bellevue station to Redmond Technology station in Overlake, opened on April 27, 2024. The Bellevue City Council lobbied Sound Transit, the regional transit authority, to construct its light rail line underground through Bellevue's rapidly growing downtown. The city government promised to devote between $ 104 million and $ 150 million toward

3540-407: Was ranked first among small U.S. cities with the highest percentage of physically active adults, with 86 percent reporting that they exercise. In 2006, Bellevue was rated one of the 25 safest cities in America, based on the per-capita incidence of violent crime. As of the 2020 census , there were 151,854 people, 60,953 households, and 39,419 families residing in the city. The population density

3600-407: Was trending unusually high. The wet season of 2017, defined as the period from October through April, saw a similar rainfall of 47.26 inches (1,200 mm). Bellevue is the main Eastside hub for both the local transit authority, King County Metro , and Sound Transit , the regional transit system. The Bellevue Transit Center , which serves both Metro and Sound buses, is located in the heart of

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