Founded in 1869 by William Meydenbauer, Bellevue was officially incorporated on March 21, 1953. Prior to the opening of the Lake Washington Floating Bridge (1940), Bellevue was a rural area with very little development. Once the bridge opened, access to/from Seattle became incredibly easy and Bellevue began its transformation to its current status of the largest city on the Eastside The city of Bellevue lies between Lake Washington to the west and Lake Sammamish to the east. It is bordered by Kirkland to the north, Redmond to the northeast, and the affluent Lake Washington “Gold Coast” district (Medina, Clyde Hill, Hunts Point, and Yarrow Point) to the west. The city is also bisected by I-405, and I-90, creating a convenient commute to Seattle and the rest of the Eastside. Downtown Bellevue is undergoing an urban renaissance with many new condominium, retail, and office towers under construction. As of Sept. ’07, 5,600 condominium and apartment units slated to be built in downtown Bellevue are under construction or in the permit stage. With nearly 100 parks including nature preserves, botanical gardens, working farms, and golf courses, Bellevue offers much in the way of green space. Bellevue is home to many high tech and professional companies and residents. As of the 2000 census, over 54% of residents 25 years+ have at least a bachelor’s degree. The highly accredited Bellevue School District is nationally recognized. Of the roughly 24,000 high schools in the US, all five Bellevue School District high schools placed in Newsweek’s 2006 “Top 200 U.S. Schools”, with four in the top 100.
Area Links
City of Bellevue
Bellevue School District
Bellevue Square Mall