Brio Realty: Washington Real Estate

Kirkland , Washington
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Kirkland (Search Kirkland Real Estate)is a city in King County (Search King County Real Estate), Washington, U.S.It is a suburb of Seattle located on the Eastside (of Lake Washington). As of April 1, 2005, the city had an estimated population of 45,740, making Kirkland the eighth largest city in King County and the eighteenth largest city in the State.

Notable features of the city include its downtown, located on the lakefront (Kirkland is the only city on the Eastside with a waterfront downtown), with many restaurants and art galleries and a 400 seat performing arts center; numerous public parks, including a number of beaches; and a large collection of public art, primarily bronze sculptures.

Kirkland is the home of the Seattle Seahawks training facility. Warehouse chain Costco previously had its headquarters in Kirkland (now in Issaquah), hence the "Kirkland Signature" store brand. Several prominent companies like Bungie Studios (developer of the Halo, Marathon, Myth and Oni video game series) have headquarters in Kirkland; see List of companies based in Kirkland, Washington.

Kirkland had its moment in the limelight when the 1982 Kirkland National Little League team won the Little League World Series. It also was the home to Little League's 1992 Big League Softball World Series Champions Representing the Eastside District Nine Leagues. Since 1999 Kirkland has been the home of the Little League Junior Softball World Series held each August at Kirkland's Everest Park.

Based on per capita income, one of the more reliable measures of affluence, Kirkland ranks 13th of 522 areas in the state of Washington to be ranked.

History

The land around Lake Washington to the east of Seattle, which would later be known as Kirkland, was first settled by Native Americans. English settlers did not arrive until the late 1860s, when the McGregor and Popham families built their homesteads in what is now the Houghton neighborhood. Four miles to the north people also settled near what they would later call Juanita Bay, thrived in the region. The Curtis' arrived to the area sometime in the 1870s and, later, the French family in 1872. The Forbes family settled on Rose Hill in 1877. As time went by slowly more and more people arrived to the area and by the end of the 1880s a small number of logging, farming and boat-building communities had been established.

The first woolen mill in the state of Washington was built in Kirkland in 1892. The mill was the primary supplier of wool products for the Alaska Gold Rush prospectors and for the U.S. Military during World War I. By 1917, after the completion of the Lake Washington Ship Canal, the construction of ocean-going vessels had become a major business. By 1940, the thriving Lake Washington Shipyard had constructed more than 25 warships during World War II for the U.S. Navy, on what is now Carillon Point.

Annexations

Since the incorporation of Kirkland in 1905, the city has grown to approximately 12 times its original geographic boundaries, nearly doubling in size during the 1940s and 1960s.

Kirkland consolidated with the neighboring town of Houghton on July 31, 1968 to form one city of 13,500. It annexed the neighborhood of Totem Lake in 1974, and the neighborhoods of South Juanita, North Rose Hill, and South Rose Hill in 1988, which were the largest annexations undertaken in Washington in nearly two decades. This added a further 16,119 people to Kirkland's population and was responsible for 76 percent of Kirkland's population increase between 1980 and 1990.

Kirkland has not annexed any additional land since 1988, although possible future annexations include the unincorporated communities of Finn Hill, North Juanita, and Kingsgate, which would potentially add nearly seven square miles of new land and an additional population of 33,000. Kirkland has historically refused to annex these communities in the past due to a variety of issues, including the loss of $4.8 million from the cost and little expected resulting revenue.

In March 2006, Washington's legislature approved Senate Bill 6686, which would channel a portion of the State's sales tax to any city which annexes a region with more than 10,000 citizens. This has largely cleared the way for Kirkland to annex Finn Hill, North Juanita, and Kingsgate, although the resulting long-term financial implications of the annexation have lead Kirkland's City Council to reexamine its feasibility. A decision has yet to be made.

In a February 2005 poll on a potential annexation, 71% of 400 adult respondents residing in Finn Hill, North Juanita, and Kingsgate preferred to be annexed by Kirkland over Bothell and Woodinville. Financial issues aside, 57% thought that annexation to Kirkland was a "good idea." However, after cost and service issues had been brought to light, 62% said that they would favor annexation to Kirkland (30% definitely in favor; 32% probably in favor). [3] The city council will make a go/no-go decision to proceed to "Phase 2" of the annexation process on March 27, 2007. Phase 2 would conclude with a decision whether or not to place annexation on a ballot for affected residents

Kirkland culture

Today Kirkland is socially and economically integrated into the greater Seattle area. Like most of its Eastside neighbors, it is relatively affluent but dependent in large part on nearby technology firms such as Redmond-based Microsoft.

Parks

During the summer, local residents of neighboring cities flock to Kirkland to visit Kirkland's many waterfront parks on Lake Washington. Kirkland has many neighborhood parks as well, and abuts the equestrian Bridle Trails State Park.

Gentrification

Kirkland is a small, quiet town, with many retired people and apartment complexes. There are quite a few old, quaint houses though many are being torn down. Currently the major areas undergoing gentrification are Houghton, Juanita, Norkirk, Rose Hill, West of Market, and the downtown area.

Nightlife

Kirkland also boasts a rather active nightlife in comparison to the rest of the Eastside. It has a variety of bars, clubs and dance clubs, most of which are located in downtown Kirkland's main strip, Lake Street.

Geography

Kirkland is located at 47°41′9″N, 122°11′30″W (47.685821, -122.191729)GR1. It is bordered to the west by Lake Washington, to the east by Redmond, to the south by Bellevue, and to the north by Kenmore and Bothell.

Kirkland is accessible via Interstate 405, which connects it with other Eastside cities, including Bellevue, Renton, and Bothell. Seattle, which is west of Kirkland, as well as Redmond to the east, are both accessible through State Highway 520.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 28.5 km² (11.0 mi²). 27.7 km² (10.7 mi²) of it is land and 0.9 km² (0.3 mi²) of it (3.00%) is water. The elevation varies from 14 to 500 feet above sea level.
Kirkland's average temperature is 46.8 °F, and the average annual precipitation 38.6 inches.

Education

Kirkland is home to Lake Washington Technical College and Northwest University, formerly Northwest College of the Assemblies of God.
Kirkland is in the Lake Washington School District. Secondary schools located in the city include:
· Juanita High School
· Lake Washington High School
· International Community School
· B.E.S.T. High School
· Puget Sound Adventist Academy
· Kirkland Junior High School
· Finn Hill Junior High
· Kamiakin Jr. High School
· Northstar Jr. High School
· Rose Hill Jr. High School

Demographics

As of the censusGR2 of 2000, there were 45,054 people, 20,736 households, and 11,031 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,628.8/km² (4,220.3/mi²). There were 21,831 housing units at an average density of 789.2/km² (2,045.0/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 85.28% White, 1.59% African American, 0.53% Native American, 7.80% Asian, 0.20% Pacific Islander, 1.69% from other races, and 2.92% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.11% of the population.

There were 20,736 households out of which 23.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.0% were married couples living together, 8.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 46.8% were non-families. 35.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.13 and the average family size was 2.80.

In the city the population was spread out with 18.5% under the age of 18, 9.3% from 18 to 24, 38.1% from 25 to 44, 23.9% from 45 to 64, and 10.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 94.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.8 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $60,332, and the median income for a family was $73,395. Males had a median income of $50,691 versus $39,737 for females. The per capita income for the city was $38,903. About 3.9% of families and 5.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.3% of those under age 18 and 5.0% of those age 65 or over.

Kirkland Neighborhood

  • Kirkland( Kirkland )
  • North Juanita( North Juanita )
  • North Rose Hill( North Rose Hill )
  • Rose Hill( Rose Hill )
  • Totem Lake( Totem Lake )
  • West Of Market( West Of Market )
  • Yarrow( Yarrow )
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