Issaquah: The Hills Are Alive with the Sound of Progress

If you were to awaken after a Rip Van Winkle nap in the center of the Alpine-like valley called Issaquah, you probably will get run over by the hundreds of thousands of cars that travel across Interstate 90 each day. Not all progress is beautiful, but Issaquah does its best to maintain its connection to its natural past and its high tech future.

Long ago, members of Seattle families who staked their claim on to Issaquah Real Estate were considered distant relatives, living at the “gateway to Idaho” — just another 300 miles away. Today, however, any Seattle Realtor would trade places with an Issaquah Realtor holding properties along the I-90 Corridor. The fast-growing residential community, surrounded by often snow-covered foothills like Tiger Mountain, Cougar Mountain and Squawk Mountain, was once a bedroom community, but is now the world headquarters for a new generation of companies like Costco. It is also the home of a new major campus for Microsoft Corp.

Issaquah is at the southern end of Lake Sammamish, and has been incorporated more than a century. It began as a mining community until the nearby hills exhausted their ore. Soon, the focus was on salmon fishing, and the Issaquah Salmon Hatchery was born during the Great Depression. Since the end of World War II, however, Issaquah has grown into a wealthy suburb that is no longer remote from the Seattle metropolitan area. Its residences often feature spectacular mountain and water views. Local shopping centers that began with the historic Gilman Village have expanded to include most modern resources. The Village Theatre in downtown Issaquah has become a major center of performance for the entire metropolitan area.

The city of Issaquah is served by the Issaquah School District, one of the top districts on the competitive Eastside. Yes, progress isn't always beautiful, but try to explain that to someone in Issaquah.