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Bellevue, Washington
is a suburb of Seattle
across
Lake
Washington
in King County. The city lies between Lake Washington to the west and Lake Sammamish to the east. A 2006 estimate had the population at 117,000 making it the fifth largest city in the state and the largest on the Eastside.
The city's name is derived from a
French
term for "beautiful view". On nice days, scenic vistas of the
Olympic
Mountains
and
Cascade
Mountains
can be viewed from hilltops and strategically-positioned high-rise buildings in the Downtown core of Bellevue.
Bellevue is bordered by the cities of Issaquah
Kirkland
and
Redmond
, and cross the short I-90
East
Channel
Bridge,
Mercer
Island.
Among Bellevue's neighborhoods is the affluent LakeWashington “Gold Coast” district (Medina, Hunts Point, Clyde Hill, and Yarrow Point), whose residents include Bill Gates
. South of I-90 the city’s Eastgate neighborhood continues up Cougar Mountain. To the west of Cougar Mountain, Bellevue includes the Coal Creek, Newport Hills, Somerset, and Factoria neighborhoods.
Downtown Bellevue is undergoing rapid change. Over the next few years, the area will see the construction of several additional high-rises and other projects for office, residential, and retail space.
Reflective of Bellevue's growth over the years is Bellevue Square, now one of the largest shoppingcenters in the region. Opened in 1946, Bellevue Square underwent a significant expansion in the 1980s. More recently, an expansion to Bellevue Square along Bellevue Way called "The Lodge" and the new One Lincoln Tower directly across Bellevue Square. The Bravern, a large mixed-use project currently under construction, will feature a Neiman Marcus (the first in the Pacific Northwest) as well as other upscale shops.
Bellevue is the main Eastside hub for both the local transit authority,
King County Metro
, and
Sound Transit
, the regional transit systems. The Bellevue Transit Center is located in the heart of the downtown business district.
Culture
Bellevue is the site of the popular annual Bellevue Arts & Crafts Fair, held since
1947
at the end of July.
The Bellevue Arts Museum first opened in
1975
, then moved to Bellevue Square in
1983
. T
he museum moved into its own building in 2001, designed by
Steven Holl
. 'BAM' closed was closed to the public in 2003. After a fundraising campaign, a remodel, and a new mission to become a national centre for the fine art of craft and design, the museum re-opened on June 18,
2005
.
The Rosalie Whyel Museum of Doll Art contains one of the largest doll collections in the world—more than a thousand dolls—displayed on two floors of a Victorian-style building.
Bellevue’s newest museum opened in December 2005. The KidsQuest Children’s Museum is located in Factoria Mall. Its 10,000 square foot space houses play and discovery areas, exhibits, offices, educational activities and classroom space.
The biennial Bellevue Sculpture Exhibition draws thousands of visitors to Bellevue's Downtown Park to view up to 46 three-dimensional artworks from artists around the country.
Bellevue has the largest percentage of Asian-Americans in the state of Washington (20%). It also has one of the largest foreign-born populations in the state (25%), including sizable Eastern European and Mexican populations. More than sixty languages are spoken by city residents.
Education
Bellevue is home to
City University
and
Bellevue Community College
.
The city hosts the
Bellevue School District
, with four main public
high
schools
:
Bellevue High School
,
Newport High School
,
Interlake High School
, and
Sammamish High School
. All four were included in
Newsweek
's listing of the
Best High Schools in America
in
2005
. Bellevue also has two alternative high schools,
International School
(which also made the list) and Robinswood High School.
At the elementary level, Bellevue is home to the Eastside's only
Waldorf Education
, at
Three Cedars School
History
Bellevue was founded in
1869
by William Meydenbauer and was officially incorporated on
March
21
,
1953
. Prior to the opening of the
Lake Washington Floating Bridge
in
1940
, Bellevue was a rural area with little development. Once the bridge opened, access from
Seattle
improved and the area gradually grew into a bedroom community.
Following the 1963 opening of a second bridge across the lake, the
Evergreen Point Floating Bridge
, the city began to grow more rapidly. It has since become one of the largest cities in the state, with several high-rise structures in its core and it's own burgeoning business community.
Some Information courtesy of wikipedia.org
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