Sammamish, Washington
Encyclopedia
Surrounding cities and communities
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 34,104 people, 11,131 households, and 9,650 families residing in the city. In 2007, the population is expected to pass 40,000.
In 2009, the population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 2,276.8 people per square mile (729.5/km²). There were 14,177 housing units at an average density of 642.4 per square mile (248.1/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 78.4% White, 0.9% African American, 0.4% Native American, 17.1% Asian, 0.8% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 2.3% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.1% of the population.
There were 14,177 households out of which 56.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 77.4% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 3.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 15.5% were non-families. 11.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 1.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.07 and the average family size was 3.39.
In the city the population was spread out with 33.2% under the age of 18, 3.3% from 20 to 24, 29.8% from 25 to 44, 27.0% from 45 to 64, and 4.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35.7 years. For every 100 females there were 98.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.5 males.
The median income for a household in 2009 was $129,583, and the median income for a family was $136,689 (these figures rose from $122,750 and $129,335 respectively as of a 2007 estimate). The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the city was $49,994. About 1.7% of families and 2.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 2.9% of those under age 18 and 0.0% of those age 65 or over. Sammamish ranks 12th of 522 areas in the state of Washington to be ranked on per capita income
Washington locations by per capita income
Washington is the twelfth richest state in the United States of America, with a per capita income of $22,973 and a personal per capita income of $33,332 .-Washington counties ranked by per capita income:...
.
In 2007, CNN Money ranked Sammamish as the 11th Best Place to Live in the United States, and subsequently ranked it as #12 in 2009 and #15 in 2011 .
Recreation
Lake SammamishLake Sammamish
Lake Sammamish is a freshwater lake east of Seattle in King County, Washington, United States. The lake is long and wide, with a maximum depth of and a surface area of . It lies east of Lake Washington and west of the Sammamish Plateau, and stretches from Issaquah in the south to Redmond in...
and Issaquah's Lake Sammamish State Park
Lake Sammamish State Park
Lake Sammamish State Park is a park at the south end of Lake Sammamish, in King County, Washington, United States. The park is administered by the Washington State Park System. The park covers an area of and has of waterfront and is known for its boating and watersport activities, such as...
offer water recreation. There are many hiking trails and scenic woods around the housing developments. There are five major city parks: Beaver Lake Park
Beaver Lake Park (Washington)
Beaver Lake Park is a 54 acre park located on the southwest corner of Beaver Lake in the city of Sammamish, Washington. It offers public access to the lake, and a boat ramp, three ball fields, and a picnic shelter....
, Pine Lake Park, NE Sammamish Park, East Sammamish Park, and Ebright Creek Park
Ebright Creek Park
Ebright Creek Park is a 12 acre neighborhood park located alongside the Ebright Creek Watershed in the city of Sammamish, Washington...
. Parks being planned in the recently-incorporated city include Soaring Eagle Park and the Sammamish Commons. The East Lake Sammamish Trail
East Lake Sammamish Trail
The East Lake Sammamish Trail is an recreational rail trail in King County, Washington that runs along Lake Sammamish from Marymoor Park in Redmond, through Sammamish, to Gilman Boulevard in Issaquah....
, opened in April 2006, connects to a regional trail system. A skatepark
Skatepark
A skatepark is a purpose-built recreational environment made for skateboarding, BMX, aggressive inline skating and scooters. A skatepark may contain half-pipes, quarter pipes, spine transfers, handrails, funboxes, vert ramps, pyramids, banked ramps, full pipes, pools, bowls, snake runs stairsets,...
is located adjacent to the Sammamish City hall, across from Skyline High School
Skyline High School (Sammamish, Washington)
Skyline High School is a public high school in the Issaquah School District of King County, Washington.-Overview:Skyline is the district's third and newest high school, opening in the fall of 1997. Its campus straddles the apex of the Sammamish Plateau in the city of Sammamish, at an approximate...
.
The first phase of Sammamish Commons, a city center project comprising City Hall, recreation facilities, and a police station was opened in late 2006. The King County Library System relocated the Sammamish Library to the site in January 2010. The city government and YMCA have recently been in talks to create a community aquatic center at the Commons site as well.
Sammamish is home to two private golf clubs: the Plateau Club, and Sahalee Country Club
Sahalee Country Club
The Sahalee Country Club is a private 27-hole golf course and country club in Sammamish, Washington, a suburb east of Seattle. In the Chinookan language, Sahalee means "high heavenly ground." The course is located on a heavily-forested plateau immediately east of Lake Sammamish.Sahalee is best...
, which hosted the 1998 PGA Championship and the 2002 World Golf Championship-NEC Invitational.
Politics
Sammamish uses a council-city managerCouncil-manager government
The council–manager government form is one of two predominant forms of municipal government in the United States; the other common form of local government is the mayor-council government form, which characteristically occurs in large cities...
form of government.
In the 2000 Presidential election
United States presidential election, 2000
The United States presidential election of 2000 was a contest between Republican candidate George W. Bush, then-governor of Texas and son of former president George H. W. Bush , and Democratic candidate Al Gore, then-Vice President....
, Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
received 51.80% percent of the vote here, defeating Democrat
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
Al Gore
Al Gore
Albert Arnold "Al" Gore, Jr. served as the 45th Vice President of the United States , under President Bill Clinton. He was the Democratic Party's nominee for President in the 2000 U.S. presidential election....
, who received 44.99%. In the 2000 Washington Senatorial Election
Washington United States Senate election, 2000
The 2000 United States Senate election in Washington was held on November 7, 2000. Incumbent Republican U.S. Senator Slade Gorton ran for re-election to his third consecutive term, but lost re-election to Maria Cantwell.-Democratic:...
, Republican Slade Gorton
Slade Gorton
Thomas Slade Gorton III is an American politician. A Republican, he was a U.S. senator from Washington state from 1981 to 1987, and from 1989 to 2001. He held both of the state's Senate seats in his career and was narrowly defeated for reelection twice as an incumbent: in 1986 by Brock Adams, and...
received 55.93% to Democrat Maria Cantwell's
Maria Cantwell
Maria E. Cantwell is the junior United States Senator from the state of Washington and a member of the Democratic Party....
42.57%.
In the 2004 Presidential election
United States presidential election, 2004
The United States presidential election of 2004 was the United States' 55th quadrennial presidential election. It was held on Tuesday, November 2, 2004. Republican Party candidate and incumbent President George W. Bush defeated Democratic Party candidate John Kerry, the then-junior U.S. Senator...
, Republican George W. Bush received 49.97% percent of the vote, defeating Democrat John Kerry
John Kerry
John Forbes Kerry is the senior United States Senator from Massachusetts, the 10th most senior U.S. Senator and chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. He was the presidential nominee of the Democratic Party in the 2004 presidential election, but lost to former President George W...
, who received 49.07%. In the 2004 Washington Senatorial Election
Washington United States Senate election, 2004
The 2004 United States Senate election in Washington was held on November 2, 2004. Incumbent Democrat U.S. Senator Patty Murray won re-election. She became only the fourth Washington senator to win 3 consecutive terms, just after fellow Democrats Warren G. Magnuson and Scoop...
, Democrat Patty Murray
Patty Murray
Patricia Lynn "Patty" Murray is the senior United States Senator from Washington and a member of the Democratic Party. Murray was first elected to the Senate in 1992, becoming Washington's first female senator...
received 50.51% of the vote to Republican George Nethercutt's
George Nethercutt
George R. Nethercutt, Jr. is an American politician, and is the founder and chairman of The George Nethercutt Foundation. He was a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives from 1995 to 2005, representing ....
48.05%.
In the 2006 Washington Senatorial Election
Washington United States Senate election, 2006
The 2006 United States Senate election in Washington was held on November 7, 2006. Incumbent Democratic U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell won re-election to a second term.-Background:...
, Democrat Maria Cantwell received 53.91% of the vote compared to Republican Mike McGavick's
Mike McGavick
Michael S. "Mike" McGavick is an American business executive and a graduate of the University of Washington....
44.29%.
City services
Despite its size, the City of Sammamish does not have its own U.S. Post Office. The city relies on Eastside Fire and Rescue to provide fire services.Police
Sammamish contracts with the King County Sheriff's Office for police services. Deputies assigned to Sammamish wear city uniforms and drive patrol cars marked with the city logo. There are currently 9 patrol officers, three master police officers, one motorcycle officer, one patrol/DUI officer, two school resource officers, three sergeants, two burglary/larceny detectives, and one chief assigned full time to the city. The city relies on the King County Jail and does not have its own detention center.Schools
The city is part of two school districts: Lake Washington School DistrictLake Washington School District
The Lake Washington School District #414 is a public school district in King County, Washington. it is the fifth-largest school district in Washington. It serves the region to the east of Lake Washington, one of the wealthiest in the Puget Sound area...
(LWSD for short) serves northern Sammamish and Issaquah School District
Issaquah School District
Issaquah School District No. 411 is a public school district in King County, Washington, USA, serving the city of Issaquah as well as portions of Sammamish, Renton, Bellevue, and Newcastle....
(ISD for short) serves southern Sammamish. There are three high schools, Eastside Catholic, Eastlake High School
Eastlake High School (Sammamish, Washington)
Eastlake High School is a public high school located in Sammamish, Washington in the United States. The school serves students in grades 10-12 as part of the Lake Washington School District...
of the LWSD and Skyline High School
Skyline High School (Sammamish, Washington)
Skyline High School is a public high school in the Issaquah School District of King County, Washington.-Overview:Skyline is the district's third and newest high school, opening in the fall of 1997. Its campus straddles the apex of the Sammamish Plateau in the city of Sammamish, at an approximate...
of ISD exist within the city limits. There are four middle/junior high schools: Inglewood Junior High, Beaver Lake Middle School, Pine Lake Middle School, and Renaissance School of Art and Reasoning
Renaissance School of Art and Reasoning (Sammamish, Washington)
Renaissance School of Art and Reasoning is a public middle school located in Sammamish, King County, Washington, USA. It is a operating in the Lake Washington School District. Renaissance, located on the campus of Eastlake High School, has an arts-based curriculum and a maximum enrollment of 90...
, as well as nearly a dozen elementary schools such as Discovery, Sunny Hills, Cascade Ridge, Challenger, Creekside, Margaret Mead, Samantha Smith, Rachel Carson, Christa McAuliffe, and Elizabeth Blackwell. Eastside Catholic High School
Eastside Catholic High School
Eastside Catholic School is a private Roman Catholic school in Sammamish, Washington, USA. Located in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Seattle, Eastside Catholic is fully accredited by the state of Washington, the Pacific Northwest Association of Independent Schools and the Northwest Association...
moved to its newly-constructed Sammamish campus in September 2008, with the addition of grades 6-8.
Public transit
With service provided both by Sound TransitSound Transit
Sound Transit has been the popular name of Washington state's Central Puget Sound Regional Transit Authority since September 19, 1999. It was formed in 1996 by the Snohomish, King, and Pierce County Councils...
and King County Metro, some areas of Sammamish are served by four bus routes that provide access to other Eastside
Eastside (King County, Washington)
File:Seattle-lakewashington-lakesammamish.PNG|250px|right|The Eastside is to the right of Seattle.# rough city boundariespoly 137 256 148 256 158 194 172 179 172 237 212 266 133 266Renton...
cities and Seattle.
- Route 216 – Seattle commuter service on weekdays from Bear Creek P&R in RedmondRedmond, WashingtonRedmond is a city in King County, Washington, United States, located east of Seattle. The population was 54,144 at the 2010 census,up from 45,256 in 2000....
and going through Sammamish and IssaquahIssaquah, WashingtonIssaquah is a city in King County, Washington, United States. The population was 30,434 at the 2010 census.Based on per capita income, Issaquah ranks 25th of 522 areas in the State of Washington to be ranked....
on weekdays - Route 269 – Commuter service to RedmondRedmond, WashingtonRedmond is a city in King County, Washington, United States, located east of Seattle. The population was 54,144 at the 2010 census,up from 45,256 in 2000....
and IssaquahIssaquah, WashingtonIssaquah is a city in King County, Washington, United States. The population was 30,434 at the 2010 census.Based on per capita income, Issaquah ranks 25th of 522 areas in the State of Washington to be ranked....
on weekdays - Route 554 – Sound Transit express service from downtown Seattle to Issaquah. Five weeknight eastbound buses per evening continue on to 185th Ave NE & RedmondRedmond, WashingtonRedmond is a city in King County, Washington, United States, located east of Seattle. The population was 54,144 at the 2010 census,up from 45,256 in 2000....
/Fall CityFall City, WashingtonFall City is a census-designated place in King County, Washington, United States. Located 26 miles east of Seattle, the community lies along the Snoqualmie River. The population was 1,993 at the 2010 census...
Rd NE in RedmondRedmond, WashingtonRedmond is a city in King County, Washington, United States, located east of Seattle. The population was 54,144 at the 2010 census,up from 45,256 in 2000....
, and three early-morning westbound buses start at 185th Ave NE & RedmondRedmond, WashingtonRedmond is a city in King County, Washington, United States, located east of Seattle. The population was 54,144 at the 2010 census,up from 45,256 in 2000....
/Fall CityFall City, WashingtonFall City is a census-designated place in King County, Washington, United States. Located 26 miles east of Seattle, the community lies along the Snoqualmie River. The population was 1,993 at the 2010 census...
Rd NE instead of the normal Issaquah Highlands P&R. - Route 927 – Local transportation service with DART (Dial-A-Ride Transit) access to/from IssaquahIssaquah, WashingtonIssaquah is a city in King County, Washington, United States. The population was 30,434 at the 2010 census.Based on per capita income, Issaquah ranks 25th of 522 areas in the State of Washington to be ranked....
from Monday to Saturday