Encyclopedia
Kenmore, occasionally known as "Kenmore by the Lake," is a city in the
United States located on the northernmost shores of
Lake Washington in
King County, Washington. Prominent features include several waterside parks, the nation's largest seaplane-only commercial air facility, Bastyr University, easy access to the
Burke-Gilman Trail and the King County bike-trail system, and other features of local historical interest such as the former St. Edward Seminary, now Saint Edward State Park. Kenmore's official city flower is the
dahlia, the official city bird is the
great blue heron, and the official city
evergreen is the
rhododendron. The population was 18,678 at the 2000 census.
History
Founded in 1901, Kenmore's name comes third-hand from the
Scottish village of
Kenmore, via town founder John McMasters' home town of Kenmore, Ontario. John and his wife Anne arrived in Puget Sound circa 1889 from
Canada, intending to establish themselves in the shingle-making trade, eventually opening their own shingle mill on the northern shore of Lake Washington on land leased from Watson Squire. By 1903, Kenmore had established a school system and post office , but did not formally incorporate as a city until August 31, 1998.
Despite cargo railway service passing through the area as early as 1887 via the
Seattle, Lake Shore, and Eastern Railroad, most access to the city in its early days was by boat, with regular ferry service to
Seattle,
Bothell, and
Woodinville starting in 1906. The city later gained a passenger railroad stop. The first improved road connection to Seattle and Bothell—the Red Brick Road—opened between 1913 and 1914, with bus service following the laying of the bricks.
During
Prohibition, Kenmore became locally famous in
Seattle for country dining and, probably more importantly, country
drinking, as a substantial illegal alcohol industry developed to meet the demands of Seattle nightlife. Being located on
Bothell Way—one of the few improved roads then heading north from Seattle—it was nonetheless far enough out that Department of Revenue officers could, for the most part, safely ignore it.
The Blind Pig, a roadhouse on Shuter's Landing onto Lake Washington, was probably the most famous of the Kenmore speakeasys. Being lakeside, its illegal hooch could be dumped into the lake quickly and easily should it become necessary. However, despite its notoriety, the Pig was not the city's most infamous saloon; routine violent fist-fights at Inglewood Tavern earned that establishment an alternative name: The Bucket of Blood. This archipelago of dining and entertainment that evolved in the city - over 30 different restaurants, dance halls, bars, and clubs in a three-block area - remained a major part of Kenmore's identity through the 1940s.
Once the
Great Depression hit the nation, Kenmore became home for a small settlement of workers under President
Franklin D. Roosevelt's Back to the Land program. Paid by the
Works Progress Administration, a small number of workers settled in an area of northwestern Kenmore which became known as "Voucherville," after the vouchers the WPA paid in lieu of a cash salary.
After
World War II, Kenmore became home to Kenmore Air Harbor, which today is one of the world's largest seaplane-only airports. Kenmore Air itself operates a fleet of seaplanes serving waterside destinations throughout
Cascadia. At the same time, the town's immediate proximity to Seattle—just two miles north of modern Seattle city limits—made it an early target of post-war housing development; the first homes in the new Uplake neighborhood were sold in 1954. Housing development continued throughout the Kenmore area for the next several decades, mostly following the postwar suburban model. The city also gained its first college in 1996, with the relocation of Bastyr University from
Seattle onto the grounds of the former St. Edward Seminary.
Following Kenmore's incorporation, the new city government set about devising a local set of zoning codes and a downtown development plan with the intent of reviving and rebuilding the traditional core areas of the city. A significant component of this plan involves extensive use of land now owned by the city, in the area known within the plan as the Northwest Quadrant. An open invitation was extended to all architects and developers to submit development plans for this newly-available area in December, 2005; the City Council chose to negotiate primarily with Kenmore Partners LLC in April of 2006. Design plans were submitted to the city the following summer, with a conceptual overview made available to the public at the same time.
Geography
Kenmore is located at , with borders encompassing all of the north shore and a significant portion of the northeastern shore of
Lake Washington. The local terrain is typical of the Puget Sound lowlands, consisting largely of rolling hills formed from glacial till, occasionally interrupted by flatlands typically found near substantial bodies of water. The largest river is the
Sammamish, which connects
Lake Sammamish to
Lake Washington, and divides the city into northern and southern halves. Additionally, the northeastern corner of the city includes a narrow set of
swamps and
marshlands running north to south along Swamp Creek.
According to the
United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 16.2 kmē . 16.0 kmē of it is land and 0.3 kmē of it is water.
Neighborhoods
Kenmore has several distinct neighborhoods. These include:
- Arrowhead, in southern Kenmore, on the west side, saw its first house built in 1888. This was a small summer cabin; the oldest house still standing dates from 1929.
- Inglewood, in southern Kenmore, was first platted in 1953, with large-scale suburban development appearing by 1962.
- Lower Moorlands, in eastern Kenmore, saw its first house in 1904. Significant development occurred in this area after World War I.
- Upper Moorlands, also in eastern Kenmore, saw initial building in 1938-1939 but stayed quite rural due to the lack of a good water system until suburban development arrived in the mid 1950s.
- Central Kenmore hugs Bothell Way, formed the original core of the city, and is today Kenmore's commercial and industrial core.
- Northlake Terrace, an early residential neighborhood just north of town, is now a mix of commercial and residential development. Much of the eastern portion of this area is to be redeveloped as part of the new Downtown Plan.
- Linwood Heights, in northwest Kenmore, was first founded as part of the "Back to the Land" movement during the Great Depression. Then derisively referred to as Voucherville, it has long since been redeveloped and is now largely suburban housing. Portions were annexed by Lake Forest Park in 1995, predating Kenmore's formal incorporation.
- Kenlake Vista, in northern Kenmore, is post-war residential suburban housing.
- Uplake Terrace, in northwestern Kenmore, was one of the few areas of Kenmore with no residents at all before World War II. Its development started in 1954.
- Kenmore Terrace
Since 2000, a significant number of developers have been converting former pastureland to high-end housing in the northern section of the city. As a result, the overall character of these sections of town has been rapidly changing, from run-down and semi-rural to affluent suburbia. This has also affected nearby
Bothell, resulting in the creation of numerous commercial developments.
Education
Kenmore is part of the Northshore School District, and the local high school is Inglemoor Senior High. It is also home to Bastyr University, a leading private school of naturopathic medicine founded in 1978 and accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities . Kenmore is also located between the
University of Washington's main campus in Seattle and its satellite campus and the co-located
Cascadia Community College in nearby
Bothell, with paved bike trails and express bus service connecting the city to all three schools. The city also has a bus connection directly to Shoreline Community College, but not an easy bicycle link.
Civic Events
Major annual civic events include:
- The Kenmore Summer Concert Series, hosted at the former St. Edward Seminary, now Saint Edward State Park
- The annual Kenmore Art Show, a juried art exhibition sponsored by the Arts of Kenmore
- The Good Ol' Days festival, an annual summer carnival featuring a fireworks display, parade, and 5K run through town.
Demographics
As of the
census of 2000, there were 18,678 people, 7,307 households, and 4,961 families residing in the city. The
population density was 1,168.8/kmē . There were 7,562 housing units at an average density of 473.2/kmē . The racial makeup of the city was 86.70%
White, 1.39%
African American, 0.37% Native American, 7.16% Asian, 0.18% Pacific Islander, 1.24% from
other races, and 2.96% from two or more races.
Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.51% of the population.
There were 7,307 households out of which 33.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.1% were married couples living together, 8.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.1% were non-families. 24.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.54 and the average family size was 3.03.
In the city the population was spread out with 24.5% under the age of 18, 7.5% from 18 to 24, 31.9% from 25 to 44, 25.8% from 45 to 64, and 10.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 98.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.7 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $61,756, and the median income for a family was $72,139. Males had a median income of $50,160 versus $35,570 for females. The per capita income for the city was $31,692, ranking 33rd of 522 areas in the state of Washington to be ranked. About 4.8% of families and 5.7% of the population were below the
poverty line, including 7.7% of those under age 18 and 4.1% of those age 65 or over.
Economy
While in some ways now a bedroom community, Kenmore has a significant independent economic core centered around
durable goods and special trade contracting . As home to the James G. Murphy Company, one of the ten largest commercial/industrial auction houses in the United States, Kenmore is an
auction center; it is also the home of Kenmore Air, a regional hydroplane-based airline. Bastyr University , Kenmore Lanes , and Kenmore Camera are other significant local employers and businesses.
Trivia
...
artifact, moved from
Seattle Center to Kenmore after the end of the fair in October, 1962.
- The Red Brick Road, rebuilt and expanded several years later, became Squire Road, then, after World War I, Victory Boulevard. After World War II, it was renamed—yet again—to Bothell Way, the name it has today.
- Several local roads now known by their standard county-assigned numeric names once had more traditional names; 61st Avenue NE, for example, was Cat's Whiskers Road.
- Kenmore hosts the one of the last industrial water ports on Lake Washington, serving the local concrete and building industries, in addition to Kenmore Air Harbor.
- In the 1920's, Kenmore hosted at least two known nudist camps, both of which were short-lived.
- BRING IT, COPPERS: "The Blind Pig" speakeasy flaunted its illegal status; indeed, the name itself was, in fact, a slang term for "speakeasy."
- Home to what may be the largest bowling alley west of Mississippi River with 50 lanes; the famous street bowler Oliver B. Votteler once rolled a 178 at these prized lanes.
References
- Priscilla Droge, et al., Kenmore by the Lake: A Community History, Kenmore Heritage Society, Kenmore, Washington, 2003
External links
