Lakeridge, Seattle, Washington
Encyclopedia
Lakeridge is a waterfront neighborhood located southeast of, and adjacent to, Seattle in unincorporated King County, Washington
. Its boundaries extend from Seattle's Rainier Beach neighborhood on the north, to Lake Washington
on the east, to unincorporated Bryn Mawr
on the south, and to unincorporated Skyway on the west. Portions of Bryn Mawr and Lakeridge have formed a neighborhood council to rename the area South Lake Washington.
, Lakeridge is mapped by King County for potential annexation by the City of Seattle.
and some streets are lined with a number of nearly identical homes. When built, these were made more visually interesting by varying the percentage of brick (from none to 100%) and wood on the exteriors. They have been further varied by later additions of new rooms and sometimes a second story, as well as by mature landscaping and diverse exterior paint colors. A few individually architect-designed mid-century modern homes also are interspersed. Some pre-WWII homes are present and later mid-entry and contemporary modern homes in various styles have been built since 1960 as the original double lots have been divided. Although originally most homes had views of Lake Washington, today only an estimated 50% of homes still retain some view of the lake. Maturing trees, other tall landscape vegetation, and infill construction are gradually blocking the views which currently range from peeks through the trees to unobstructed 180-degree vistas.
King County, Washington
King County is a county located in the U.S. state of Washington. The population in the 2010 census was 1,931,249. King is the most populous county in Washington, and the 14th most populous in the United States....
. Its boundaries extend from Seattle's Rainier Beach neighborhood on the north, to Lake Washington
Lake Washington
Lake Washington is a large freshwater lake adjacent to the city of Seattle. It is the largest lake in King County and the second largest in the state of Washington, after Lake Chelan. It is bordered by the cities of Seattle on the west, Bellevue and Kirkland on the east, Renton on the south and...
on the east, to unincorporated Bryn Mawr
Bryn Mawr-Skyway, Washington
Bryn Mawr-Skyway is a census-designated place in King County, Washington, United States. The population was 15,645 at the 2010 census.Bryn Mawr-Skyway is the only census-designated place in the Seattle metro area to report a majority-minority population in the 2000 Census...
on the south, and to unincorporated Skyway on the west. Portions of Bryn Mawr and Lakeridge have formed a neighborhood council to rename the area South Lake Washington.
, Lakeridge is mapped by King County for potential annexation by the City of Seattle.
History
In 1928, developer E. S. Goodwin filed a plat for part of a hillside and uplands above the southwestern shore of Lake Washington and called it Lakeridge. The Seattle Planning Commission adopted that name for the neighborhood in 1947.Services and utilities
As in many unincorporated areas, services are provided by various interlocal agreements between jurisdictions and by private entities:- Seattle City LightSeattle City LightSeattle City Light is the public utility providing electrical power to Seattle, Washington and parts of its metropolitan area, including all of Shoreline and Lake Forest Park and parts of unincorporated King County, Burien, Normandy Park, Seatac, Renton, and Tukwila...
provides electricity. - Both Seattle School District #1 and Renton School District #403 serve the neighborhood (King County Districts and Development Conditions).
- The Skyway Water and Sewer District provides all sewer service and draws water from three sources including the Cascade Water Alliance, which includes the City of Seattle’s Cedar River Watershed operated by Seattle Public UtilitiesSeattle Public UtilitiesSeattle Public Utilities is a public utility agency of the city of Seattle, Washington, which provides water, sewer, drainage and garbage services for 1.3 million people in King County, Washington...
; Skyway's own district wells; and the City of Renton. - Puget Sound EnergyPuget Sound EnergyPuget Sound Energy is Washington state's oldest local energy utility providing electrical power and natural gas in the Puget Sound region of the northwest United States...
, a private for-profit company, provides natural gas. - King County Metro provides public bus transportation.
- QwestQwestQwest Communications International, Inc. was a large United States telecommunications carrier. Qwest provided local service in 14 western U.S. states: Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Iowa, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming.On April...
, ComcastComcastComcast Corporation is the largest cable operator, home Internet service provider, and fourth largest home telephone service provider in the United States, providing cable television, broadband Internet, and telephone service to both residential and commercial customers in 39 states and the...
, and ClearWireClearwireClearwire Corporation is a wireless internet service provider serving markets in the United States, Belgium, and Spain...
provide phone, cable television, and Internet services.
Lakeridge Park
Lakeridge Park, on the neighborhood’s northern edge, “occupies more than 35 acres of Taylor Creek and Deadhorse Canyon in southeast Seattle … Taylor Creek is the fourth largest creek in Seattle and is the site of an urban creek restoration program that will attract salmon back to the creek to spawn. On April 19, 2000, under the leadership of Seattle Public Utilities, Seattle Department of Parks and Recreation, Cascadia Quest, and Friends of Deadhorse Canyon, volunteers planted native vegetation. Seattle Public Utilities replaced two culverts and when a culvert is replaced under Rainier Avenue South, salmon fry will be released into the creek. If the efforts are successful, the salmon will return to the creek to spawn.”Architecture and aesthetics
Lakeridge is characterized by winding streets and mid-century modest architecture. The lake views, mature vegetation and curving streets give an appealing aspect to the neighborhood. In some spots, the views are breathtaking. Many of the homes in Lakeridge are one-story ramblers, or ramblers with daylight basements, built in the post-WWII period between 1946 and 1959 using the highly functional and frequently seen 1-bedroom, 2-bedroom, and 3-bedroom Ranch House floor plans of the time. These layouts exemplify mid-century modest tract housingTract housing
Tract housing is a style of housing development in which multiple similar homes are built on a tract of land which is subdivided into individual small lots...
and some streets are lined with a number of nearly identical homes. When built, these were made more visually interesting by varying the percentage of brick (from none to 100%) and wood on the exteriors. They have been further varied by later additions of new rooms and sometimes a second story, as well as by mature landscaping and diverse exterior paint colors. A few individually architect-designed mid-century modern homes also are interspersed. Some pre-WWII homes are present and later mid-entry and contemporary modern homes in various styles have been built since 1960 as the original double lots have been divided. Although originally most homes had views of Lake Washington, today only an estimated 50% of homes still retain some view of the lake. Maturing trees, other tall landscape vegetation, and infill construction are gradually blocking the views which currently range from peeks through the trees to unobstructed 180-degree vistas.