North Bend is a city in King County, Washington, United States. The town was made famous by David Lynch's television series Twin Peaks (also filmed in nearby Snoqualmie.) Since the Weyerhaeuser sawmill closed, North Bend has become an upscale bedroom community for the Eastside of Seattle, Washington, with property values more than doubling from 1997 to 2006. The population was 4,746 at the 2000 census.
North Bend is home to Nintendo North Bend, the main North American production facility and distribution center for the video game console manufacturer Nintendo.
Based on per capita income, one of the more reliable measures of affluence, North Bend ranks 52nd of 522 areas in the state of Washington to be ranked.
The city's ZIP code is 98045.
History
The Native Americans who inhabited the Snoqualmie Valley, lead by Chief Patkanim, sided with settlers in the wars of the 1850s and, with the Treaty of Point Elliott, lost such title as settlers acknowledged. Some of the soldiers in those wars, such as the brothers Kellogg, established cabins near their blockhouses; however the first permanent settler in the valley was Jeremiah Borst, in 1858.[3]
In 1865, Matts Peterson homesteaded the site that ultimately became North Bend. Deeply in debt, he sold the property to Borst and moved east of the mountains. Borst wrote to Will Taylor, who had left the area to go mining in California, and offered him the Peterson place in exchange for labor.
Taylor returned and prospered as a farmer and operator of a trading post. He platted North Bend as Snoqualmie[1] but because another nearby town had the same name, renamed it Mountain View.[2] However, the Post Office Department objected to the name Mountain View, so it was renamed North Bend after its location near the north bend of the South Fork of the Snoqualmie River. North Bend was officially incorporated on March 12, 1909.
Geography
North Bend is located at 47°29′38″N 121°47′10″W / 47.49389°N 121.78611°W / 47.49389; -121.78611 (47.493831, -121.786247)[4].
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 2.9 square miles (7.6 km²), all of it land.
North Bend is located in the foothills of the Cascade Range just 31 miles (50 km) east of Seattle in the upper valley of the Snoqualmie River. Nearby Mount Si looms over the town. To the south is Rattlesnake Ridge. The nearest town, Snoqualmie, Washington, is located about 3 miles (4.8 km) to the northwest.
Mount Si is the most prominent geological feature arising on the outskirts of North Bend. It stands at 4,167 feet (1,270 m) and towers above the town, itself at around 440 ft (130 m). A 4-mile (6.4 km) trail zig zags up to the summit with a vertical climb of 3,500 feet (1,100 m).
North Bend is in the process of annexing Tanner, Washington and the Stilson area.[5]
Surrounding Cities and Communities
North Bend Climate
North Bend, WA's climate is mild during summer when temperatures tend to be in the 60's and cold during winter when temperatures tend to be in the 40's. The warmest month of the year is August with an average maximum temperature of 75.20 °F, while the coldest month of the year is January with an average minimum temperature of 33.10 °F. Temperature variations between night and day tend to be moderate during summer with a difference that can reach 23 °F, and fairly limited during winter with an average difference of 14 °F. The annual average precipitation at North Bend is 62.06 Inches. Winter months tend to be wetter than summer months. The wettest month of the year is November with an average rainfall of 9.43 Inches.[6]
| Weather data for North Bend, Washington |
| Month |
Jan |
Feb |
Mar |
Apr |
May |
Jun |
Jul |
Aug |
Sep |
Oct |
Nov |
Dec |
Year |
| Record high °F (°C) |
67
(19) |
75
(24) |
79
(26) |
90
(32) |
97
(36) |
99
(37) |
100
(38) |
102
(39) |
98
(37) |
95
(35) |
75
(24) |
67
(19) |
102
(39) |
| Average high °F (°C) |
46
(8) |
50
(10) |
53
(12) |
58
(14) |
64
(18) |
68
(20) |
74
(23) |
75
(24) |
70
(21) |
60
(16) |
50
(10) |
45
(7) |
75
(24) |
| Average low °F (°C) |
33
(1) |
34
(1) |
35
(2) |
39
(4) |
44
(7) |
49
(9) |
52
(11) |
52
(11) |
47
(8) |
42
(6) |
37
(3) |
34
(1) |
34
(1) |
| Record low °F (°C) |
-1
(-18) |
-3
(-19) |
8
(-13) |
24
(-4) |
26
(-3) |
31
(-1) |
36
(2) |
35
(2) |
30
(-1) |
23
(-5) |
2
(-17) |
3
(-16) |
-10
(-23) |
| Precipitation inches (mm) |
8.45
(214.6) |
6.46
(164.1) |
6.18
(157) |
4.63
(117.6) |
3.79
(96.3) |
2.94
(74.7) |
1.60
(40.6) |
1.50
(38.1) |
2.80
(71.1) |
5.26
(133.6) |
9.43
(239.5) |
9.02
(229.1) |
37.1
(942.3) |
| Source: http://www.weather.com/weather/wxclimatology/monthly/USWA0304 (unknown date) |
Demographics
| Historical populations |
| Census |
Pop. |
|
%± |
| 1910 |
299 |
|
—
|
| 1920 |
387 |
|
29.4% |
| 1930 |
548 |
|
41.6% |
| 1940 |
646 |
|
17.9% |
| 1950 |
787 |
|
21.8% |
| 1960 |
945 |
|
20.1% |
| 1970 |
1,625 |
|
72.0% |
| 1980 |
1,701 |
|
4.7% |
| 1990 |
2,578 |
|
51.6% |
| 2000 |
4,746 |
|
84.1% |
| Est. 2008 |
4,635 |
|
−2.3% |
As of the census[1] of 2000, there were 4,746 people, 1,841 households, and 1,286 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,611.6 people per square mile (623.3/km²). There were 1,889 housing units at an average density of 641.4/sq mi (248.1/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 92.01% White, 0.70% African American, 1.03% Native American, 2.23% Asian, 0.17% Pacific Islander, 1.45% from other races, and 2.40% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.79% of the population.
There were 1,841 households out of which 37.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.1% were married couples living together, 8.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.1% were non-families. 23.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.53 and the average family size was 3.01.
In the city the population was spread out with 27.3% under the age of 18, 6.7% from 18 to 24, 37.1% from 25 to 44, 18.4% from 45 to 64, and 10.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 97.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.0 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $61,534, and the median income for a family was $69,402. Males had a median income of $57,333 versus $38,401 for females. The per capita income for the city was $28,229. About 2.1% of families and 4.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.1% of those under age 18 and 3.0% of those age 65 or over.
Culture
North Bend Theatre
On April 9th, 1941 the North Bend Theatre opened its doors. It has continued operating as an independent movie theater since that day. In 1999, the theatre underwent a major renovation to make it more modern. During this renovation every part of the building was improved without sacrificing the distinctive character of this 1941 Art Deco theatre.
Valley Center Stage
Valley Center Stage is a community theater that promotes the performing arts in all its aspects. The theater has regular shows featuring classics and comedy. In addition, the theater offers opportunities to valley residents to participate in the theater productions.[7]
Snoqualmie Valley Historical Museum
The Snoqualmie Valley Historical Museum has been sharing the history of the Snoqualmie Valley for over 50 years.[8]
Transportation
North Bend is located 30 miles east of Seattle on Interstate 90 freeway, which runs from Seattle to Boston. There is regular bus service provided by King County Metro Transit on routes MT 209 to Issaquah [9] and MT 215 to downtown Seattle.[10] Metro buses are outfitted with bike racks. There are a number of van pools to Redmond, Bellevue, Seattle, and Renton.[11] Snoqualmie Valley Transportation provides door-to-door transportation for the public in North Bend, Snoqualmie, Preston, Fall City, Carnation, Duvall and Monroe.[12]
North Bend has a fairly modest trail system.[13] The Snoqualmie Valley Regional Trail stretches from Duvall, WA through Carnation, WA, Fall City, WA, Snoqualmie, WA, through North Bend, WA to Rattlesnake Lake.[14] This 31.5 mile trail connects to the John Wayne Pioneer Trail (which goes clear across Washington to the Idaho border) and to the City of Snoqualmie's extensive trail network. North Bend also has its own city trail system in downtown, the Si View neighborhood and along the South Fork of the Snoqualmie River in several places.
Economy
North Bend is for the largest part a bedroom community to Bellevue and Seattle. In addition, it does have a growing tourism economy centered around the Factory Outlet Shops and the Northwest Train Museum's train activities. North Bend also has about 400 employees working for Nintendo North Bend.
Landmarks
King County and the City of North Bend have designated the following landmarks:
| Landmark |
Built |
Listed |
Address |
Photo |
| Camp North Bend (Camp Waskowitz) [15] |
1935 |
1992 |
45509 SE 150th Street, North Bend |
 |
| Si View Pool and Activity Center (WPA Park Building) |
1938-40 [15] |
1984 |
400 SE Orchard Dr., North Bend |
 |
| North Bend Historic Commercial District[15] |
1889-1960 |
2000 |
Bendigo Blvd. & No. Bend Way |
 |
| Tollgate Farmhouse[15] |
c.1890 |
2002 |
SR 202 (near Boalch Avenue) |
 |
See also
References
External links
Si View neighborhood, Rattlesnake Ridge in background
