Beaux Arts

Most people don't know about the small city of Beaux Arts, perhaps for one reason, because it IS small. Founded in 1908 and incorporated in 1954, the Town of Beaux Arts Village is located on the eastern shore of Lake Washington. With a population of approximately 300 residents, Beaux Arts is one of the smallest municipalities in Western Washington. However, its proximity to Seattle and the Eastside help make it a great and highly desired place to live.

Residents relish the "small town" feel of Beaux Arts, often referring to themselves as "Villagers", at they have since well before the city was incorporated. The streets are narrow and tree-lined. The homes are an eclectic mix of new and vintage, old-fashioned and modern. All Villagers and their guests enjoy the use of a private beach maintained by resident volunteers.

The first home was located at 2873 102nd Ave SE in 1909.

Beaux Arts is surrounded by the Enatai, Surrey Downs, and downtown Bellevue neighborhoods.

Downtown Bellevue

Bellevue is a rapidly growing city in across Lake Washington from Seattle. Long known as a suburb of Seattle, in a 2003 census, it was estimated that the city had a total population of 112,344, making it the fifth largest city in the state and the largest on the Eastside.

Downtown Bellevue is undergoing quite a bit of change, development, and re-development. I was at a condominium complex that overlooked the downtown Bellevue area and I think I counted something like 10 construction cranes. Lincoln Square, which debuted in 2005, and a renovation of the former Qwest building into a new City Hall are the most recent large-scale developments. To follow, Neiman Marcus will open its first store in the Pacific Northwest this Fall 2007 at the corner of 112th Ave NE and NE 8th Street.

The latest buzz came in April from Microsoft, when they announced and agreed to lease a total of 1.3 million square feet in the Bravern (where Neiman Marcus will be located) and Advanta Office Commons, three seven-story buildings east of downtown.

The lease — the biggest in the region, according to local real estate brokers — has made Microsoft the largest tenant downtown. Microsoft has planned to start moving 4,000 new or existing employees into Advanta by year-end with expectations to move into the Bravern by the end of 2008.

The Bravern is now open (Grand Opening was in September, 2009). I went opening weekend and was able to sample free cupcakes from Trophy Cupcakes and enjoy lunch with girlfriends at Mariposa, which is only open for lunch. Since the opening, I've gone to Wild Ginger and have also dined at John Howie Steak. Much to our dismay, they aren't open for lunch on the weekends.

Over the next few years, everyone can expect the downtown Bellevue area to see the construction of several additional high-rises and other projects for office, residential, and retail space. The majority of downtown Bellevue condominiums are listed below.

Based on per capita income, Bellevue ranks 15th wealthiest from 522 communities in the state of Washington.

Downtown Bellevue is home to the Bellevue Square Mall, located at Bellevue Way and spans NE 4th to NE 8th. Visit the official website here to find Mall hours, directions, and a list of all the stores. http://www.bellevuesquare.com/

There are so many parks in Bellevue but favorites are the Downtown Park, which is adjacent to the Bellevue Square Mall, and Chism Beach Park. Most people don't know about the latter one, which is a great beach park, tucked away in a residential area. The crowds are small but the waves can be strong at times. Located at 2102 Bellevue Way, the Mercer Slough is also a favorite mid- to end- of summer they offer blueberry picking right in the city!

New or Near New Downtown Bellevue Condominium Buildings include:
The Bravern Residences
Washington Square
One Lincoln Tower
Bellevue Towers
Continental Condominiums
Park West
1200 Bellevue Way

Older Buildings:
Windsor House (located right behind Bellevue Square) just underwent a major interior renovation with new furniture, floor coverings, paint, and lighting.
Towne Square
The Carlyle
Aria
The McKee (this building had exterior renovations several years ago due to the siding failing). It is in a great location of Old Bellevue on Main Street. There is a good deli called Gilbert's on Main and lots of boutique shopping. Check out the chic Belle Pastry Bakery!
Astoria (directly across from the McKee), built in 2000
Bellevue Pacific Tower
Library Square
Abella, built in 2001
150 Meydenbauer Bay
Cambridge Village
The Palazzo (2 separate buildings, do you know which one has AC in all the units? Email me and I'll be happy to tell you!)
Ashley House
The Park Place
Chiavari
Park Terrace
One Main Street

Clyde Hill Bellevue, WA

HOW CLYDE HILL GOT ITS NAME
In 1947, the area residents formed a local community club. There was much housing building activity taking place and people found that it was difficult to describe the exact location of the Clyde Hill area. It wasn't exactly Bellevue, although the Bellevue Post Office delivered the mail. At the first meeting of the new community club, the members grappled with the problem of a name. One of the attendees, Sam Boddy, whose family had homesteaded there, told the group how Clyde Hill Road (now 92nd Ave. NE) first got its name. Clyde Road had been named long before 1947. Regular commuters on the Yarrow Point to Seattle ferry, most of who were of Irish decent, had been unofficially naming various roads along their route. Most of those names were Irish. One of the "Regulars" was Scottish and wanted his opportunity to develop a name. The others invited him to name a road. This pioneer had migrated from an area in Scotland called the "Firth of Clyde." Since the trip to the boat landing had reminded him of his Scotland home, he suggested the name Clyde Road for the road which was later numbered by the County as 92nd Avenue NE. Since "Clyde Road" was the main thoroughfare in 1947, and because the area was obviously a hill, local resident and first mayor of Clyde Hill, Ken Day, proposed the name "Clyde Hill" for the area. Six years later on March 31, 1953, the area incorporated as the Town of Clyde Hill.

Clyde Hill is surrounded by Medina and downtown Bellevue.

Here is an interesting fact that I learned about: Only 9% of the real estate property tax bill paid by Clyde Hill property owners goes to the City of Clyde Hill for municipal government services. Isn't that amazing? These services include but are not limited to: police, fire, and medic one, street operations, roadway improvements, storm drainage to prevent flooding, sidewalks, building code enforcement, park facilities, and general municpal government.
When compared to the other 39 cities and towns in King County, only 1 other city can boast of a lower city property tax rate than Clyde Hill.

Medina, WA

Surrounded on the north, west, and south by Lake Washington, directly opposite the lake of Seattle's Madison Park neighborhood, Medina is bordered by Clyde Hill and Hunts Point, and one of the biggest cities on the Eastside, Bellevue. Microsoft's Bill Gates and Seattle Mariner's Outfielder, Ichiro Suzuki call this city their home.

Medina is connected to Seattle on the eastern shore of Lake Washington by Washington State Route 520 on the Evergreen Floating Bridge, which happens to be the longest floating bridge in the world.

There are some beautiful parks in Medina, 5 to be exact. My favorite is the Medina Beach Park, located at 501 Evergreen Point Road. The park is adjacent to the Police Department and City Hall.

If you are a gardener, make sure you check out the Wells Medina Nursery. Sure it's a bit pricey but the selection is amazing and the staff are always helpful and friendly.

Bridle Trails Bellevue, WA

Lake Hills Bellevue, WA

Eastgate Bellevue, WA

South of I-90 the city surrounds an unincorporated part of King County called Eastgate. It is almost all residential.
Since Eastgate unincorporated, it is 1 of 10 potential annexation areas or PAAs in King County's Annexation Initiative. King County would like to rid itself of the cost of providing urban services to pockets of unincorporated suburbia. But due to lacking money, it cannot entice existing cities to annex those areas. King County estimates that it is losing $800,000 per year to Eastgate.
Eastgate has tried to get annexed by Bellevue several times in the past.