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Mercer Island, Washington

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	Mercer Island, Washington
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	Topics Mercer Island, Washington Topic Home History Mercer Island was first settled by non-Natives in the 1870s. It was named after early visitors, the Mercer brothers, who rowed from Seattle often for berry picking, hunting and fishing (Gellaty, 1977). The first large settlement was on the northwest side of Mercer Island, called "East Seattle." C.C. Calkins built a resort, the Calkins Hotel, in 1889 in East Seattle. This resort led to the development of a ferry dock (Calkins landing), which in turn led to a growing population. While the Calkins hotel burned to the ground in 1908, the ferry service continued, and a small business district prospered. In the 1930s, George LightfootGeorge Lightfoot George Washington Lightfoot was most commonly known as the "father" of the Lake Washington Floating Bridge.... began campaigning for a bridge to Seattle. The Lake Washington Floating Bridge was built in 1940, and this spurred the move of the business district to its present location near the northern end of the island. The City of Mercer Island incorporated on July 5, 1960. It included all the land area of the island with the exception of the 70 acre (280,000 m²) business district. Just over a month later, on August 9, the business district incorporated as the Town of Mercer Island, wholly surrounded by the City. The two municipalities finally merged on May 19, 1970. Geography Mercer Island is located at (47.569271, -122.232337). According to the United States Census BureauFacts About United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau is a part of the United States Department of Commerce.... , the city has a total area of 34.0 km² (13.1 mi²Square mile A square mile is an English unit of area equal to that of a square with sides each 1 statute mile in length.... ). 16.5 km² (6.4 mi²) of it is land and 17.4 km² (6.7 mi²) of it (51.33%) is water. Mercer Island is the most populated island in a lake in the United States. Bridges Mercer Island is connected to Seattle in the west by Interstate 90, carried by the Homer M. Hadley Memorial BridgeHomer M. Hadley Memorial Bridge The Third Lake Washington Bridge, officially the Homer M.... (the fifth longest floating bridgeFloating Bridge The term Floating Bridge can to refer to:... in the world) and the Lacey V. Murrow Memorial BridgeLacey V. Murrow Memorial Bridge External links References... (the second longest in the world). I-90 also connects Mercer Island to BellevueBellevue, Washington Bellevue is a suburb of Seattle and rapidly-growing city in King County, Washington, USA, across Lake Washington from Seattl... in the east. Education The Mercer Island School DistrictMercer Island School District The Mercer Island School District is well regarded in the U.S.... operates six schools on the island: three elementary schools (Lakeridge Elementary, Island Park Elementary and West Mercer Elementary) one middle school (Islander Middle School), one high school, and one alternative high school (Crest Learning Center). Mercer Island is also home to the (K-8), the (P-8), and the (9-12). There are also several preschools on Mercer Island. Demographics As of the censusCensus A census is the process of obtaining information about every member of a population .... of 2000, there were 22,036 people, 8,437 households, and 6,277 families residing in the city. The population densityPopulation density Summary Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume.... was 1,333.6/km² (3,452.0/mi²). There were 8,806 housing units at an average density of 532.9/km² (1,379.5/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 84.09% white, 1.14% African American, 0.16% Native American, 11.87% Asian, 0.07% Pacific Islander, 0.52% from other races, and 2.16% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.86% of the population. There were 8,437 households out of which 35.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 65.6% were married couplesMarriage A marriage is a relationship between or among individuals, usually recognized by civil authority and/or bound by the religio... living together, 6.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.6% were non-families. 22.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.58 and the average family size was 3.03. In the city the population was spread out with 26.0% under the age of 18, 4.2% from 18 to 24, 21.2% from 25 to 44, 29.9% from 45 to 64, and 18.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44 years. For every 100 females there were 92.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.3 males. The median income for a household in the city was $91,904, and the median income for a family was $110,830. Males had a median income of $82,855 versus $46,734 for females. The per capita incomePer capita income The per capita income for a group of people may be defined as their total personal income, divided by the total population.... for the city was $53,799. About 1.9% of families and 3.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.4% of those under age 18 and 2.3% of those age 65 or over. Tourist attractions Mercer Island has a few tourist attractions The Mercer (apartment complex & shopping area) Island Square (apartment complex & shopping area) The Lid (park) Luther Burbank Park (park) Freeway Sculpture park Pioneer Park Mercer Island community center Dragon Park Youth Theater Northwest Lake Washington Clark Beach Sister city Mercer Island's Sister CityTown twinning Town twinning or sister cities is a concept whereby towns or cities from geographically and politically distinct areas... , as designated by Sister Cities InternationalSister Cities International Sister Cities International is a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting and fostering town twinning, especially betw... , is Thonon-les-BainsFacts About Thonon-les-Bains Thonon-les-Bains is a picturesque French spa town located on the south shore of Lake Geneva.... , FranceFrance France, officially the French Republic, is a country whose metropolitan territory is located in Western Europe and whi... . Annual events Mercer Island is focal to annual performances by the Blue AngelsBlue Angels The United States Navy's Blue Angels , formed in 1946, is the world's first officially-sanctioned military aerial demonstrat... during Seattle's summer SeafairSeafair Seafair** is a summer festival in Seattle, Washington, USA that encompasses a wide variety of small neighborhood events leadin... celebration. Summer Celebration is a celebration once a year on the weekend after the 4th of July. The celebration ends with fireworks. External links Local newspaper