Bellevue, WA

In the 1880s, the young village of Bellevue had a post office and a schoolhouse. Today, the city of Bellevue is the fifth-largest city in Washington state, with a downtown with gleaming high-rise buildings, which have risen over the past two decades. Residential high-rises have also been built and attract professionals who enjoy living in an urban setting.

Bellevue has the distinction of having more jobs than residents. The city's population is more than 120,000. More than 130,000 people are employed in Bellevue.

However, with such rapid growth comes traffic congestion. Residents of Bellevue have identified transportation as their top citywide concern, and the city is working on a comprehensive transportation plan. The plan aims to improve access to the city's commercial centers by building or expanding five major roads, computerizing the city's traffic light system, establishing a downtown shuttle bus service, and constructing new paths for pedestrians and bicycles. Additionally, separate plans are moving forward for a new light-rail line.

Bellevue residents are proud of their parks and green space. City parks number nearly 100 and give residents the opportunity to take part in a diverse group of activities, including swimming, boating, tennis, golfing, skating, hiking, and biking.In addition to its green spaces, Bellevue is known for its thriving retail stores and a booming downtown.

With so much to offer, it is not surprising that Bellevue's population is growing. City planners expect 7,000 people and 18,000 jobs to move to Bellevue in the next few years. As the population grows, it is becoming more diverse. Twenty-five percent of the city's residents were born outside the country, and children in the city's schools speak more than 50 languages.

BEST BETS

Bellevue Botanical Garden at Wilburton Hill Park is a quiet, 50-acre park of display gardens, wetlands, and woodlands.

NEIGHBORHOODS AND DISTRICTS

Overall, Bellevue's more than 20 neighborhoods have a large population of well-educated, single professionals who are in their 20s and 30s. Because of this, they also have a good selection of restaurants and places to spend a night out. A sampling of Bellevue's neighborhoods includes:

• Beaux Arts Village: A walkable waterfront neighborhood that is home to many wealthy executives and professionals. The average home price is relatively expensive, with many selling for around $1 million.
• West Lake Sammamish: Located between Interstate 90 and Lake Sammamish, this neighborhood consists of mostly three- and four-bedroom homes.
• Northrup: This quiet, artsy neighborhood attracts urban sophisticates of many ages. A mixture of homeowners and renters live in a variety of single-family homes and apartment buildings.

ECONOMY AND INDUSTRIES

Bellevue is the second-largest employment center in King County. It added jobs rapidly during the tech boom of the 1990s, growing its employment base by 50 percent during that decade. Yet the retail and service sectors are still the city's largest employers. Bellevue has a high concentration of retail stores, car dealerships, engineering firms, financial institutions, and accounting firms. Some of the largest public companies in the state of Washington are headquartered in Bellevue, including Puget Sound Energy and PACCAR, a company that makes trucks and other heavy equipment.

Employers with more than 1,000 workers in Bellevue are:

• Bellevue Community College
• Bellevue School District
• City of Bellevue
• Boeing Shared Services Group
• Expedia
• Overlake Hospital Medical Center
• Puget Sound Energy
• Symetra Financial
• T-Mobile USA
• Verizon Wireless

EDUCATION

Bellevue's public schools are nationally recognized for their exceptional teachers and innovative curriculum. Students take advantage of full-day kindergarten, enhanced foreign language courses, and a large number of Advanced Placement courses. The result is that SAT scores are routinely higher than state and national averages. In 2008, Newsweek recognized all five of the city's high schools as part of the top 200 high schools in the country.

The focus on education continues at the college and university level. A remarkable 59 percent of Bellevue residents have graduated from college with at least a bachelor's degree. The city has several nearby institutions of higher learning. They are:

• Bellevue Community College, the third-largest educational institute in the state, after the University of Washington and Washington State University. BCC serves approximately 34,000 students annually on two campuses in Bellevue.
• Cascadia Community College, which shares a campus with the University of Washington in nearby Bothell. Cascadia offers professional and technical degrees with a focus on the demands of high-tech businesses.
• Lake Washington Technical College, a school that gives students professional and technical training in more than 35 programs such as information technology, business and manufacturing, and transportation technologies.
• City University, a private university that offers programs in education, arts and sciences, and management at its Bellevue campus.
• University of Washington Bothell Campus, a public school with around 2,300 enrolled students in nearby Bothell, Washington.

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

Cultural offerings have grown along with Bellevue's population growth. The city now has a diverse arts scene with museums, stage productions, and art exhibits drawing crowds. Some of the major attractions are:

• Bellevue Arts Museum
• Bellevue Opera
• Bellevue Philharmonic Orchestra
• Bellevue Youth Theatre
• Cascadian Chorale
• KidsQuest Children's Museum
• Rosalie Whyel Museum of Doll Art

EVENTS

Bellevue's seasonal activities include the Seafair Marathon, the city's Strawberry Festival, the Family 4th at Downtown Park, and the Kelsey Creek Farm Fair.