North Bend, Washington | |
---|---|
Motto: "Excellence in Government—Pride in Service" | |
Coordinates: 47°29′44″N121°47′12″W / 47.49556°N 121.78667°W | |
Country | United States |
State | Washington |
County | King |
Incorporated | March 12, 1909 |
Government | |
• Type | Mayor–council [1] |
• Mayor | Mary Miller |
Area | |
• Total | 4.42 sq mi (11.45 km2) |
• Land | 4.35 sq mi (11.26 km2) |
• Water | 0.07 sq mi (0.17 km2) |
Elevation | 443 ft (135 m) |
Population | |
• Total | 7,461 |
• Estimate (2022) [5] | 7,902 |
• Density | 1,817/sq mi (701.7/km2) |
Time zone | UTC–8 (Pacific (PST)) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC–7 (PDT) |
ZIP Code | 98045 |
Area code | 425 |
FIPS code | 53-49485 |
GNIS feature ID | 1523724 [3] |
Website | northbendwa.gov |
North Bend is a city in King County, Washington, United States, on the outskirts of the Seattle metropolitan area. The population was 7,461 at the 2020 census. [4]
Since the closure of Weyerhaeuser's Snoqualmie sawmill, North Bend has become a prosperous bedroom community for Seattle, which is located about 30 miles (48 km) to the west. The town was made famous by David Lynch's television series Twin Peaks , which was partially filmed in North Bend. The community is also home to Nintendo North Bend, the main North American production facility and distribution center for the video game console manufacturer Nintendo.
The Snoqualmie Indian Tribe has resided in the Snoqualmie Prairie, including the area now known as North Bend, for thousands of years. This prairie southeast of Snoqualmie Falls was the ancestral home, hunting and forage grounds for the Snoqualmie people and was located in the upper Snoqualmie Valley near the Snoqualmie River fork confluence, Mount Si, and the western foothills of the Cascade Range.
One of the first American explorers to the upper Snoqualmie Valley was Samuel Hancock, who arrived in 1851. Hancock traveled upriver with his Snoqualmie guides, fording canoes around the falls to reach Snoqualmie Prairie, searching for coal deposits. He was taken to a "very extensive and fertile prairie" about two miles above Snoqualmie Falls. [6] The beautiful open grassland came to be known as the Snoqualmie Prairie, the heart of which is now known as Tollgate and Meadowbrook farms. [7] The Snoqualmies, led by Chief Patkanim, later sided with early settlers in the 1850s Indian Wars and were one of the signatory tribes of the Treaty of Point Elliott in 1855, which failed to designate an Indian reservation for the Snoqualmies. Some of the soldiers in those wars, such as the Kellogg brothers, established cabins near remaining Snoqualmie blockhouses; however, the most well known American resident in the valley was Jeremiah Borst, who arrived in 1858. [8]
After the Homestead Act of 1862, more settlers ventured to the Snoqualmie Valley, with the first families settling near Borst on the easterly end of Snoqualmie Prairie. In 1865, Matts Peterson homesteaded the site that ultimately became North Bend. [9] In 1879, Peterson sold the property to Borst and moved east of the Cascades. Borst wrote to Will Taylor, who had left the Pacific Northwest to pursue mining in California, and offered him the Peterson homestead in exchange for labor. Taylor returned and became the driving force in developing the town while expanding his property to include a thriving trading post and boarding house for travelers over Snoqualmie Pass. On February 16, 1889, with the upcoming railroad boom, Taylor formally platted a town including his farm, upcoming street plans and building lots, giving it the name "Snoqualmie Prairie". [10] Later that summer, competing Seattle land speculators subsequently platted nearby "Snoqualmie Falls", choosing a similar name. Pressured by demands of the Seattle, Lake Shore and Eastern Railway to avoid confusion, Taylor reluctantly renamed his town "Mountain View". [11] However, the U.S. Post Office Department objected to "Mountain View", as a town with that name already existed in northern Whatcom County. To conclude the matter Taylor agreed to permanently rename the community "North Bend", after its prime location near the large northward bend of the South and Middle Fork of the Snoqualmie River. [9] Taylor was proud of his new, thriving town, but by historical accounts, "He never got over having his town name taken away." [6] North Bend was officially incorporated on March 12, 1909, and grew throughout the 20th century, with an early economic focus on logging, sawmill production, agricultural and dairy farming. [12]
North Bend is located near the geographic center of King County at 47°29′44″N121°47′12″W / 47.49556°N 121.78667°W (47.495658, -121.786778). [3]
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 4.42 square miles (11.45 km2), of which 4.35 square miles (11.27 km2) are land and 0.07 square miles (0.18 km2) are water. [2]
North Bend is located in the foothills of the Cascade Range, 30 miles (48 km) east of Seattle in the upper valley of the Snoqualmie River. The city is bordered to the northwest by the city of Snoqualmie. Both communities lie near the center of the Mountains to Sound Greenway. [13] Mount Si, the most prominent geological feature nearby, looms over the town. To the south is Rattlesnake Ridge. Mount Si stands at 4,167 feet (1,270 m) and towers above the town, itself at around 440 ft (130 m). A 4-mile (6 km) trail zigzags up to the summit with a vertical climb of 3,500 feet (1,100 m).
North Bend annexed some neighborhoods near Tanner and the Stilson area July 6, 2009. [14]
North Bend's climate (border between Cfb and Csb in the Köppen climate classification) is warm and generally dry during the summer when high temperatures tend to be in the 70s and mild to cold during the winter when high temperatures tend to be in the 30s and 40s. The town's location in the foothills means that it receives significantly higher annual precipitation than other suburbs to the west, and also translates into heavier snowfall in the winter. The all-time record high temperature is 115 °F (46 °C) set during the 2021 Western North America heat wave. The warmest month of the year is August with an average maximum temperature of 77 °F (25 °C), while the coldest month of the year is January with an average minimum temperature of 29 °F (−2 °C). The annual average precipitation in North Bend is 59.1 inches (1,500 mm) with 14.7 inches (370 mm) of snowfall. Winter months tend to be wetter than summer months. [15]
Climate data for North Bend, Washington | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
Record high °F (°C) | 67 (19) | 75 (24) | 79 (26) | 90 (32) | 97 (36) | 115 (46) | 105 (41) | 102 (39) | 98 (37) | 95 (35) | 75 (24) | 67 (19) | 115 (46) |
Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 40 (4) | 44 (7) | 52 (11) | 59 (15) | 65 (18) | 71 (22) | 76 (24) | 77 (25) | 70 (21) | 59 (15) | 48 (9) | 42 (6) | 59 (15) |
Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 29 (−2) | 32 (0) | 36 (2) | 40 (4) | 44 (7) | 49 (9) | 51 (11) | 51 (11) | 47 (8) | 42 (6) | 37 (3) | 30 (−1) | 41 (5) |
Record low °F (°C) | −11 (−24) | −9 (−23) | 8 (−13) | 24 (−4) | 26 (−3) | 31 (−1) | 36 (2) | 35 (2) | 30 (−1) | 23 (−5) | 2 (−17) | −2 (−19) | −11 (−24) |
Average precipitation inches (mm) | 8.25 (210) | 5.88 (149) | 5.88 (149) | 4.41 (112) | 3.49 (89) | 2.84 (72) | 1.31 (33) | 1.49 (38) | 2.97 (75) | 5.46 (139) | 8.49 (216) | 8.61 (219) | 59.1 (1,500) |
Average snowfall inches (cm) | 3.7 (9.4) | 4.3 (11) | 1.3 (3.3) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 1.6 (4.1) | 3.8 (9.7) | 14.7 (37) |
Source: http://www.wrcc.dri.edu/cgi-bin/cliMAIN.pl?wa7773 |
Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
---|---|---|---|
1910 | 299 | — | |
1920 | 387 | 29.4% | |
1930 | 548 | 41.6% | |
1940 | 646 | 17.9% | |
1950 | 787 | 21.8% | |
1960 | 945 | 20.1% | |
1970 | 1,625 | 72.0% | |
1980 | 1,701 | 4.7% | |
1990 | 2,578 | 51.6% | |
2000 | 4,746 | 84.1% | |
2010 | 5,731 | 20.8% | |
2020 | 7,461 | 30.2% | |
2022 (est.) | 7,902 | [5] | 5.9% |
U.S. Decennial Census [16] 2020 Census [4] |
As of the 2020 census, there were 7,461 people, 2,775 households, and 2,031 families residing in the city. [17] The population density was 1,716.0 inhabitants per square mile (662.6/km2). There were 2,951 housing units.
As of the 2010 census, there were 5,731 people, 2,210 households, and 1,487 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,343.2 inhabitants per square mile (518.6/km2). There were 2,348 housing units at an average density of 549.9 per square mile (212.3/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 90.7% White, 0.5% African American, 0.9% Native American, 1.6% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 2.5% from other races, and 3.6% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 6.4% of the population.
There were 2,210 households, of which 39.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.9% were married couples living together, 10.0% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.4% had a male householder with no wife present, and 32.7% were non-families. 24.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.57 and the average family size was 3.10.
The median age in the city was 38.7 years. 26.8% of residents were under the age of 18; 6.8% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 27.6% were from 25 to 44; 29.4% were from 45 to 64; and 9.4% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 49.3% male and 50.7% female.
As of the 2000 census, there were 4,746 people, 1,841 households, and 1,286 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,611.6 people per square mile (623.3/km2). There were 1,889 housing units at an average density of 641.4 per square mile (248.1/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 92.01% White, 0.70% African American, 1.03% Native American, 2.23% Asian, 0.17% Pacific Islander, 1.45% from other races, and 2.40% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.79% of the population.
There were 1,841 households, out of which 37.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.1% were married couples living together, 8.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.1% were non-families. 23.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.53 and the average family size was 3.01.
In the city the population was 27.3% under the age of 18, 6.7% from 18 to 24, 37.1% from 25 to 44, 18.4% from 45 to 64, and 10.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.0 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $61,534, and the median income for a family was $69,402. Males had a median income of $57,333 versus $38,401 for females. The per capita income for the city was $28,229. About 2.1% of families and 4.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.1% of those under age 18 and 3.0% of those age 65 or over.
The McGrath Hotel is located on the site of the cabin of William Henry Taylor, who platted North Bend in 1889. In October 1921, Jack McGrath and his wife Caroline purchased the site of their future venture, McGrath's Café; construction was completed as a one-story restaurant in 1922. In early 1926 the building was expanded two window bays westward, creating the hotel lobby (now the restaurant bar), and a second story was added to the entire structure to accommodate the hotel rooms of the new McGrath Hotel. After several years of deferred maintenance, the McGrath was purchased in 2000 by a local couple who spent two years rehabilitating the building. It is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The first floor currently houses a popular restaurant, the Iron Duck Public House.
On April 9, 1941, the North Bend Theatre [18] opened its doors. Built at a cost of $12,000 with 400 seats, the 4,000 square foot theater's occupancy is now 265 and it has continued operating as an independent movie theater since its opening day through seven family ownerships. [19] In 1999, the theatre underwent a major renovation. In 2013, the theater was once more saved from extinction by a successful $100,000+ fundraiser to convert the projection system from 35mm cellulose to 4K digital video. [20] During this series of renovations every part of the building was improved without sacrificing the distinctive character of this 1941 Art Deco theater. The renovation was awarded a Spellman Award, a King County honor, for the efforts. [19]
The movie house hosted the opening premier of the David Lynch movie, Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me . [19]
Valley Center Stage is a downtown community theater that promotes the performing arts in all its aspects. The theater has regular shows featuring classics and comedy. In addition, the theater offers opportunities to valley residents to participate in the theater's productions. [21]
The Snoqualmie Valley Historical Museum, operated by the Snoqualmie Valley Historical Society, has been sharing the history of the Snoqualmie Valley for over 50 years. [22]
The Visitors Information Center is operated by the North Bend Downtown Foundation and represents a significant step towards downtown revitalization and growing community pride through volunteer efforts. The Mountain View Gallery features local artwork and hosts special events for the community throughout the year. The modern Northwest Regional style center features easy to use touchscreen computers for visitors to access a variety of information on local attractions and history. [23]
North Bend is located 30 miles (48 km) east of Seattle on Interstate 90. There is regular bus service provided by King County Metro Transit on route 208. Metro buses are outfitted with bike racks. There are a number of van pools to Redmond, Bellevue, Seattle, and Renton. [24] Snoqualmie Valley Transportation provides door-to-door transportation for the public in North Bend, Snoqualmie, Preston, Fall City, Carnation, Duvall and Monroe. [25]
North Bend has a fairly modest trail system. [26] The Snoqualmie Valley Regional Trail stretches from Duvall through Carnation, Fall City, Snoqualmie, and North Bend to Rattlesnake Lake. [27] This 31.5-mile (50.7 km) trail connects to the Palouse to Cascades State Park Trail (which goes clear across Washington to the Idaho border) and to the city of Snoqualmie's extensive trail network. North Bend also has its own city trail system in downtown, the Si View neighborhood and along the South Fork of the Snoqualmie River in several places.
Outdoor recreation opportunities include hiking, fishing, mountain biking, climbing, river sports, wildlife observation, and enjoying scenic areas, all within city limits, not to mention the vast recreational playground immediately surrounding the city. Current city parks include Dahlgren Family Park, E.J. Roberts Park, Future Tennant Trailhead Park, Gardiner-Weeks Memorial Park, Meadowbrook Farm, Riverfront Park, Si View Neighborhood Park, Si View Park and Community Center, Snoqualmie Valley Trail, Tanner Trail, Tannerwood Neighborhood Park, Tollgate Farm, Tollgate Farm Park, Torguson Park and William Henry Taylor Park. [28]
Throughout the 20th century North Bend has maintained gradual growth with an early economic focus on logging, sawmill production, agricultural and dairy farming. Currently, North Bend is for the largest part a bedroom community to Bellevue and Seattle. In addition, North Bend has a growing tourism economy centered around the North Bend Premium Outlet Mall, Northwest Railway Museum train activities and Snoqualmie Pass recreational commerce related to hiking, backpacking, mountain biking, skiing, snowboarding and cross-country skiing. North Bend also has approximately 400 employees working for Nintendo North Bend.
Year | Republican | Democratic | Third Parties |
---|---|---|---|
2020 | 33.60% 1,602 | 62.48%2,979 | 3.92% 187 |
The city has a mayor–council government with a seven-member city council that meets twice a month. [31] The mayor is a separate position with four-year terms. Mary Miller was elected mayor in 2023. [32]
North Bend leans Democratic much like the rest of King County, giving a majority of the vote to Joe Biden in the 2020 presidential election.
Law enforcement services in North Bend have changed hands several times. From 1973 until March 8, 2014, the city contracted with the King County Sheriff's Office for law enforcement services within city limits. It was KCSO's longest standing contract at the time of its conclusion. Since March 8, 2014, the city has contracted for law enforcement services with the City of Snoqualmie Police Department.
King County and the city of North Bend have designated the following landmarks:
Landmark | Built | Listed | Address | Photo |
---|---|---|---|---|
Camp Waskowitz [33] Namesake of Fritz Waskowitz [34] | 1935 | 1992 | 45509 SE 150th Street, North Bend | |
Si View Pool and Activity Center (WPA Park Building) | 1938-40 [33] | 1984 | 400 SE Orchard Dr., North Bend | |
North Bend Historic Commercial District [33] | 1889–1960 | 2000 | Bendigo Blvd. & No. Bend Way | |
Tollgate Farmhouse [33] | c.1890 | 2002 | SR 202 (near Boalch Avenue) |
King County is located in the U.S. state of Washington. The population was 2,269,675 in the 2020 census, making it the most populous county in Washington, and the 12th-most populous in the United States. The county seat is Seattle, also the state's most populous city.
Carnation is a city in King County, Washington, United States. It was historically known as Tolt and lies at the confluence of the Snoqualmie and Tolt rivers.
Duvall is a city in King County, Washington, United States, located on SR 203 halfway between Monroe and Carnation. The population was 8,034 at the 2020 census.
Fall City is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in King County, Washington, United States, 25 miles (40 km) east of Seattle. The community lies along the Snoqualmie River and Raging River. The population was 2,032 as of the 2020 census.
Sammamish is a city in King County, Washington, United States. The population was 67,455 at the 2020 census. Located on a plateau, the city is bordered by Lake Sammamish to the west and the Snoqualmie Valley to the east. Sammamish is situated 20 miles east of Seattle, is a member of the Eastside, and is a part of the Seattle metropolitan area. Sammamish is an affluent community and has been ranked as one of the wealthiest cities in Washington.
Snoqualmie is a city next to Snoqualmie Falls in King County, Washington, United States. It is 28 miles (45 km) east of Seattle. Snoqualmie city is home to the Northwest Railway Museum. The population was 14,121 at the 2020 census.
Riverpoint is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in east King County, Washington, United States. As of the 2020 census, it had a population of 774. At the 2010 census, the area was listed as the Tanner CDP and had a population of 1,018 over a larger area.
Snoqualmie Pass is a census-designated place (CDP) in Kittitas County, Washington, United States. It includes the unincorporated community of Hyak. The population was 311 at the 2010 census.
Centralia is a city in Lewis County, Washington, United States. It is located along Interstate 5 near the midpoint between Seattle and Portland, Oregon. The city had a population of 18,183 at the 2020 census. Centralia is twinned with Chehalis, located to the south near the confluence of the Chehalis and Newaukum rivers.
Fords Prairie is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Lewis County, Washington, United States. The population was 2,234 at the 2020 census.
Mount Si is a mountain in the northwest United States, east of Seattle, Washington. It lies on the western margin of the Cascade Range just above the coastal plains around Puget Sound, and towers over the nearby town of North Bend. Mount Si and neighboring mountain Little Si were named after local homesteader Josiah "Uncle Si" Merritt. The mountain became nationally familiar in the early 1990s with the television series Twin Peaks, which was filmed in North Bend.
The Seattle, Lake Shore and Eastern Railway (SLS&E) was a railroad founded in Seattle, Washington, on April 28, 1885, with three tiers of purposes: Build and run the initial line to the town of Ballard, bring immediate results and returns to investors; exploit resources east in the valleys, foothills, Cascade Range, and Eastern Washington in 19th-century style, attracting more venture capital; and boost a link to a transcontinental railroad for Seattle, the ultimate prize for incorporation. The historical accomplishment of the line was Seattle to Sumas at the border, with British Columbia, Canada, connecting with the Canadian Pacific transcontinental at the border at Huntingdon, British Columbia, now part of the City of Abbotsford.
The Burke–Gilman Trail is a rail trail in King County, Washington. The 27-mile (43 km) multi-use recreational trail is part of the King County Regional Trail System and occupies an abandoned Seattle, Lake Shore and Eastern Railway (SLS&E) corridor.
Rattlesnake Ridge, known as daʔšədabš to the Snoqualmie people, is the ridge of Rattlesnake Mountain located south of North Bend, Washington, United States. The western end is near the intersection of State Route 18 and I-90 in Snoqualmie, Washington, and runs southeast about 7 miles (11 km) or 11 miles (18 km) by trail. It is the highest and easternmost of the Issaquah Alps. A maze of abandoned logging roads and constructed trails have been strung together to provide a 10.5-mile (16.9 km) footpath from the Snoqualmie Point trailhead at Exit 27 on I-90 all the way to the Rattlesnake Lake trailhead near Exit 32.
The Palouse to Cascades State Park Trail, formerly known as the John Wayne Pioneer Trail and the Iron Horse Trail, is a rail trail that spans most of the U.S. state of Washington. It follows the former railway roadbed of the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul & Pacific Railroad for 300 miles (480 km) across two-thirds of the state, from the western slopes of the Cascade Mountains to the Idaho border.
The Snoqualmie Valley Regional Trail is a rail trail in King County, Washington. The 29-mile (47 km) trail follows a portion of the former alignment of the Milwaukee Road, which was constructed in 1911 and abandoned in 1973.
William Taylor, (1853–1941) was a pioneer, Snoqualmie Valley driving force and the founder of North Bend, Washington in February 1889.
Jeremiah W. Borst was the first permanent white settler in the upper Snoqualmie Valley region.
The Raging River is a tributary of the Snoqualmie River in western Washington state in the United States. It is located in the western foothills of the Cascade Mountains in east central King County, Washington. It gets its name from the large amount of water it sometimes carries. The record discharge at the gaging station is over 4,000 cubic feet (110 m3) per second. The Raging is a salmon-bearing river and supports one-fifth of the Snoqualmie River's chinook runs.
The Snoqualmie Valley School District is located in King County, Washington about 40 miles (64 km) from Seattle at the foothills of Snoqualmie Pass. It encompasses over 400 square miles (1,000 km2), making it geographically one of the largest school districts in Washington state. The district has an enrollment of approximately 7,200 students.