Issaquah, WA

Downtown Issaquah, WA

I have been living in Issaquah, WA for the last 11 years. The first place was an apartment at the south end of Front Street, then a condo on Dogwood St. in downtown Issaquah, and now a townhome on East Lake Sammamish. Issaquah isn't the flashiest or most exciting of cities, but it provides a beautiful suburb nestled amongst the mountains, waters, and Evergreen trees.

One of my favorite parts of Issaquah is the downtown area located on Front Street. When you make your way through downtown Issaquah you get that old town historic feeling, the old train tracks running across town, barbers with their spinning color poles, the old Shell gas station with the bright yellow pumps, and many local stores that have been in business for years. Ever year in October Issaquah celebrates the return of the Salmon to their birth waters. The two day festival is kicked off with a parade while vendors and artists from all around the North West showcase their work.

Another great feature about downtown Issaquah is Gilman Village. Initially these buildings were unwanted farming and mining buildings but now call home to over 40 plus local specialty stores. The architecture has been carefully preserved to show the old charm of the early 1900's.

Even though Issaquah is a booming suburb with Issaquah Highlands getting more populated, the headquaters of Costco, and office presense of Microsoft and Boeing downtown Issaquah is still able to keep the small town charm. Check it out next time you are passing exit 17 on I90.

How does your home stack up? Click for a FREE Market Snapshot!

Issaquah is an anglicized word for a local Native American name, meaning "the sound of birds". Another version of the name is said to have come from the pioneers, who, being impressed with the multitude of wetland birds, called the area Squak Valley. When the next wave of settlers came and asked for the name of area the Natives told them, "Is Squak."

The city was officially incorporated on April 29, 1892 Initially a small mining town, this town has changed noticeably both in its appearance and economic focus. Issaquah was originally developed to service the mining industry on nearby Tiger Mountain, and began as the town of Gilman, Washington. As the mining deposits neared depletion in the late 1890s, other companies started to realize Issaquah's potential to support a lucrative lumber business. These companies exported timber from Issaquah and other small, local towns to Seattle and larger, rapidly growing communities throughout western Washington. These early boom industries, however, faded into a period of relative quiet by the time of the Great Depression. The town remained fairly placid through the succeeding decades, with The Boeing Company providing the majority of employment in the area. Microsoft and other technological industries moved into Redmond, Washington and other cities in the area, and later established operations in Issaquah itself. Both Boeing and Microsoft have significantly affected Issaquah's history, cultural development, and diverse population through their active community participation and attraction of outside residents. In June 1996, Costco moved its global headquarters to Issaquah from neighboring Kirkland, Washington

Affordable Housing now available in the Issaquah Highlands.

D.R. Horton one of America's largest builder has teamed up with ARCH to provide affordable housing in the heart of the Issaquah Highlands Community.

Ashford at Vista Park - located in Issaquah Highlands. The community offers more than one hundred 1, 2 and 3 bedroom condominiums, starting from low to mid $200's. I hope you can share this exciting opportunity with any of your potential clients. To learn more about this affordable housing project, you can visit DR Horton's website at http://www.drhorton.com/corp/GetCommunity.do?dv=Y7&pr=44205 or my website at: http://www.yournwhomeresource.com/home-buyers-seminar.asp

Real Estate Market Statistics
Single Family Residence
January 2008

Area 500 (South Bellevue/Issaquah) was one of the Eastside areas where the median prices were down -13.1% YOY listing inventory was up 51.6% and PENDINGS were down -48.3%
LISTINGS: 426 (2007) vs. 281 (2006) +51.6%
PENDINGS: 31(2007) vs. 60(2006) -48.3%
MEDIAN: $630,000 (2007) vs. $724,975 (2006) -13.1%

Compiled from, but not published by NWMLS

By Greg Perry
Eastside Realtor
http://www.425realty.com/