Mercer Island, Washington
Mercer Island, Washington | |
|---|---|
 Location of King County, Washington (where Mercer Island is located) | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Washington |
| County | King |
| Area | |
| • Total | 13.1 sq mi (34.0 km2) |
| • Land | 6.4 sq mi (16.5 km2) |
| • Water | 6.7 sq mi (17.4 km2) |
| Elevation | 338 ft (103 m) |
| Population (2000) | |
| • Total | 22,036 |
| • Density | 3,452.0/sq mi (1,332.8/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-8 (Pacific (PST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-7 (PDT) |
| ZIP code | 98040 |
| Area code | 206 |
| FIPS code | 53-45005Template:GR |
| GNIS feature ID | 1512455Template:GR |
Mercer Island is a city in King County, Washington, U.S. The population was 22,036 at the 2000 census. [1] It is also the name of the island in Lake Washington with which the city is coterminous.
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 Lightfoot 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.
Notable residents
- Paul Allen, co-founder of Microsoft and owner of the Seattle Seahawks, the Portland Trail Blazers, venture capital firms, Experience Music Project (EMP), and multiple other initiatives. As of 2006 he is ranked as the seventh richest person in the world, worth an estimated $22 billion.
- Phil Borges, author and photographer. Through his various exhibits, books and educational programs, he strives to promote cultural diversity.
- Jack Prelutsky, children's poet. He has written a collection of children poem books but has since stopped writing poems.
- Paul Maritz, former Microsoft senior executive
- Daniel Lorenz Johnson, social activist and artist. Co-founder of World Naked Bike Ride and Body Freedom Collaborative.
- Daniel Lapin, rabbi, commentator, and radio personality
- Brian Weinstein, state senator
Film, radio and television personalities
- Joel McHale, actor and cast member of Almost Live! as well as television host of The Soup.
- Michael Medved, acclaimed radio talk show host, author, film critic.
- Stanley Kramer, film director and one-time UW teacher.
Sports figures
- Fred Brown, Seattle Supersonics basketball player.
- Mike Holmgren, Seattle Seahawks headcoach.
- Blair Rasmussen, played for the Denver Nuggets and the Atlanta Hawks.
- Bill Russell, Celtic basketball player and winner of five Most Valuable Player of the Year awards as well as 12-time All-Star.
- Mary Wayte, swimmer. Raised on Mercer Island, she won the gold medal in the women's 200m Freestyle at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, California. Northwest Center's Mary Wayte Pool's namesake.
- Jim Zorn, former Seahawks football player and their current quarterback coach.
- David Kirtman, Seattle Seahawks full back, formerly of the USC Trojans.
- Quin Snyder, former basketball coach at The University of Missouri
- Sean White, Seattle Mariners Pitcher.
- Brayden Billbe, Professional Basketball Player in Europe.
- Kevin Durant, Professional Basketball Player for the Seattle SuperSonics.
- Michael Chang, former professional tennis player and winner of the 1989 French Open.
Geography
Mercer Island is located at 47°34′9″N 122°13′56″W / 47.56917°N 122.23222°WInvalid arguments have been passed to the {{#coordinates:}} function (47.569271, -122.232337).Template:GR
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 34.0 km² (13.1 mi²). 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 freshwater lake in the United States.[citation needed]
Bridges
Mercer Island is connected to Seattle in the west by Interstate 90, carried by the Homer M. Hadley Memorial Bridge (the fifth longest floating bridge in the world) and the Lacey V. Murrow Memorial Bridge (the second longest in the world). I-90 also connects Mercer Island to Bellevue in the east.
Education
The Mercer Island School District operates six schools on the island: three elementary schools (West Mercer Elementary, Island Park Elementary and Lakeridge Elementary) one middle school (Islander Middle School), one high school (Mercer Island High School), and one alternative high school (Crest Learning Center). The MIHS mascot is the islander, but is more commonly known as the snail for its shape.
Mercer Island is also home to the St. Monica School(K-8), the French American School of Puget Sound (P-5), and the Northwest Yeshiva High School (9-12).
There are also a number of preschools on Mercer Island, including the Stroum Jewish Community Center. (members of the Mercer Island Preschool Association).
Demographics
As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there were 22,036 people, 8,437 households, and 6,277 families residing in the city. The population density 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 couples 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 income 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.
Sister city
Mercer Island's Sister City, as designated by Sister Cities International, is Thonon-les-Bains, France.[1]
Annual events
- Mercer Island is focal to annual performances by the Blue Angels during Seattle's summer Seafair celebration.
References
- ^ "City of Mercer Island - Demographics". U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved 2007-11-26.
External links
