Mountlake Terrace, Washington
Encyclopedia
Mountlake Terrace is a city in Snohomish County, Washington
, United States. It lies east of Edmonds, Washington
, south of Lynnwood, Washington
, and west of Brier, Washington
. Its southern boundary runs along the King County line. Interstate 5
runs north-south through the city, and services the city via three exits. The population was 19,909 at the 2010 United States Census.
in 1862. By 1900 most of the land in south Snohomish County had been logged off, so Pope & Talbot Co. (the successor entity to the Puget Mill Co.), subdivided it into 10-acre (40,470 m²) "chicken ranches". This effort was moderately successful (the larger area was known as Alderwood Manor during this time), as a few people moved into the area to raise chicken, mink and chinchilla. An interurban rail line between Tacoma, Washington
and Everett, Washington
(1910) allowed easier access. Many of those small farms failed during the Great Depression
, and the railroad was abandoned in 1939.
A portion of the area was used by the government during World War II as a landing field
. At the end of the war the government ceased operation, and in 1949 Albert LaPierre and Jack Peterson bought the abandoned airstrip and began filling it with modest cinder-block houses. They named their development Mountlake Terrace because from some parts of the property they could see both Mount Rainier and Lake Washington, and the old runway looked a little like a terrace.
moved its electronics center from Seattle to Mountlake Terrace in 1959. In 1961 a bond issue was approved in a special election; it was used to build a City Hall.
, but subsequent leaders began to envision it as a "stand-alone" development with a viable downtown area. This effort was aided by the arrival of Fluke and the construction of the two strip malls and the City Hall. However, the 1980s brought a standstill. The Boeing Company
suffered a significant business downturn (about 75% of the Everett workers lost their jobs in that decade); Lynnwood
opened a large mall (Alderwood Mall
) which drew much of the area's business away from downtown; and in 1990 two arson-caused fires in the city center caused significant destruction. In 1981 Fluke moved its facility to Everett. The 1980 census showed that Mountlake Terrace's population had dropped by almost 5 percent in 10 years. The city budget was trimmed and trimmed again and even so, Mountlake Terrace entered 1989 with a $1.3 million deficit.
, which employed some 2,400 people.
A city-center plan adopted in February 2007 allows mixed-use buildings of up to seven stories in the central block and up to five stories in surrounding blocks. The previous limit was three stories.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the city has a total area of 4.2 square miles (10.7 km2), of which, 4.0 square miles (10.5 km2) is land and 0.1 square miles (0.3 km2) is water. The total area is 2.65 % water.
The southwestern portion of the city includes Lake Ballinger Park, which offers access to Lake Ballinger and contains a boat launch and a fishing pier. The lake itself is located partially in Mountlake Terrace and partially in neighboring Edmonds
.
, and 4.87% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 5.65% of the population.
There were 7,962 households out of which 32.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.2% were married couples living together, 11.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.0% were non-families. 26.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.4% 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 3.11.
In the city the age distribution of the population shows 25.3% under the age of 18, 9.8% from 18 to 24, 35.6% from 25 to 44, 20.2% from 45 to 64, and 9.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 98.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.6 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $47,238, and the median income for a family was $52,117. Males had a median income of $37,421 versus $28,796 for females. The per capita income
for the city was $21,566. About 5.8% of families and 8.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.3% of those under the age of 18 and 7.6% of those aged 65 and older.
Snohomish County, Washington
Snohomish County is a county located in the U.S. state of Washington. It is named after the Snohomish tribe. Since 2000, the county's population has grown from 606,024 to 713,335 residents , making it one of the fastest-growing in the state, ranking third in overall population after King and...
, United States. It lies east of Edmonds, Washington
Edmonds, Washington
Edmonds is a city in Snohomish County, Washington, United States. Edmonds has a view of Puget Sound and both the Olympic Mountains and Cascade Range. The third most populous city in Snohomish County after Everett and Marysville, the population was 39,709 according to the 2010 census...
, south of Lynnwood, Washington
Lynnwood, Washington
Lynnwood is a city in Snohomish County, Washington, United States. The population was 35,836 at the 2010 census, making it the fourth largest in Snohomish County and twenty-ninth largest in Washington State. The city is a mix of urban, suburban, small city, crossroads and bedroom community to many...
, and west of Brier, Washington
Brier, Washington
Brier is a city in Snohomish County, Washington, United States. It is bordered by Mountlake Terrace to the west, Lynnwood to the north, Bothell to the east, and the King County line to the south...
. Its southern boundary runs along the King County line. Interstate 5
Interstate 5 in Washington
Interstate 5 in Washington is a highway in the U.S. state of Washington that extends from its border with Oregon to its border with Canada...
runs north-south through the city, and services the city via three exits. The population was 19,909 at the 2010 United States Census.
History
In the nineteenth century the Mountlake Terrace site was thickly forested. Natives criss-crossed the area to hunt, gather berries and dig roots. The thick forested land was obtained by the Puget Mill CompanyPort Gamble, Mill Town
Port Gamble, Mill Town is a small town of a hundred and two residence nestled in Puget Sound area of Washington State. In the 1850s, due to an influx in the demand for timber needed to settle the Oregon Territory, a mill was established in the Gamble Bay. Soon after the mill’s construction, a town...
in 1862. By 1900 most of the land in south Snohomish County had been logged off, so Pope & Talbot Co. (the successor entity to the Puget Mill Co.), subdivided it into 10-acre (40,470 m²) "chicken ranches". This effort was moderately successful (the larger area was known as Alderwood Manor during this time), as a few people moved into the area to raise chicken, mink and chinchilla. An interurban rail line between Tacoma, Washington
Tacoma, Washington
Tacoma is a mid-sized urban port city and the county seat of Pierce County, Washington, United States. The city is on Washington's Puget Sound, southwest of Seattle, northeast of the state capital, Olympia, and northwest of Mount Rainier National Park. The population was 198,397, according to...
and Everett, Washington
Everett, Washington
Everett is the county seat of and the largest city in Snohomish County, Washington, United States. Named for Everett Colby, son of founder Charles L. Colby, it lies north of Seattle. The city had a total population of 103,019 at the 2010 census, making it the 6th largest in the state and...
(1910) allowed easier access. Many of those small farms failed during the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
, and the railroad was abandoned in 1939.
A portion of the area was used by the government during World War II as a landing field
Aerodrome
An aerodrome, airdrome or airfield is a term for any location from which aircraft flight operations take place, regardless of whether they involve cargo, passengers or neither...
. At the end of the war the government ceased operation, and in 1949 Albert LaPierre and Jack Peterson bought the abandoned airstrip and began filling it with modest cinder-block houses. They named their development Mountlake Terrace because from some parts of the property they could see both Mount Rainier and Lake Washington, and the old runway looked a little like a terrace.
The city is born
In 1954 over 5,000 people lived in the area between 244th and 216th Streets SW, and 48th and 68th Avenues W. The existing infrastructure was overwhelmed by this unplanned growth; people waited a year for a party-line telephone; streets were unpaved; house sanitation was provided by individual septic systems. The nearest police department was in Everett, 15 miles away. One frustrated resident, Patrick McMahan, organized the Mountlake Terrace Study Committee, which led a campaign to incorporate the community. An election (23 November 1954) supported incorporation, 517 to 483. Voters chose a five-person city council at the same election. The council had its first meeting on November 24 and selected Gilbert "Gil" Geiser (1919–1997), a 35-year-old hardware store owner, as Mountlake Terrace's first mayor. Geiser had to lend the new city $5 so the incorporation papers could be filed. With the filing, on November 29, Mountlake Terrace officially became a third-class city.The new city grows
Mountlake Terrace's population doubled between 1950 and 1960 and then nearly doubled again by 1970. Small businesses flourished in two strip-mall-type shopping centers in the middle of the area, on land provided by the developers. The developers also donated land for several churches, including the parish of St. Pius X, which celebrated its first mass on 22 June 1955. The John Fluke CorporationFluke Corporation
Fluke Corporation, a subsidiary of the Danaher Corporation, is a manufacturer of industrial testing equipment including electronic test equipment. It was started in 1948 by John Fluke, Sr., a friend and roommate of David Packard, future co-founder of Hewlett-Packard, when both were employed at...
moved its electronics center from Seattle to Mountlake Terrace in 1959. In 1961 a bond issue was approved in a special election; it was used to build a City Hall.
Growth slows
The city had been first envisioned as an automobile-based bedroom communityCommuter town
A commuter town is an urban community that is primarily residential, from which most of the workforce commutes out to earn their livelihood. Many commuter towns act as suburbs of a nearby metropolis that workers travel to daily, and many suburbs are commuter towns...
, but subsequent leaders began to envision it as a "stand-alone" development with a viable downtown area. This effort was aided by the arrival of Fluke and the construction of the two strip malls and the City Hall. However, the 1980s brought a standstill. The Boeing Company
Boeing
The Boeing Company is an American multinational aerospace and defense corporation, founded in 1916 by William E. Boeing in Seattle, Washington. Boeing has expanded over the years, merging with McDonnell Douglas in 1997. Boeing Corporate headquarters has been in Chicago, Illinois since 2001...
suffered a significant business downturn (about 75% of the Everett workers lost their jobs in that decade); Lynnwood
Lynnwood, Washington
Lynnwood is a city in Snohomish County, Washington, United States. The population was 35,836 at the 2010 census, making it the fourth largest in Snohomish County and twenty-ninth largest in Washington State. The city is a mix of urban, suburban, small city, crossroads and bedroom community to many...
opened a large mall (Alderwood Mall
Alderwood Mall
Alderwood, formerly Alderwood Mall, is a regional shopping mall in Lynnwood, Washington. It is anchored by JCPenney, Macy's, Nordstrom, and Sears and comprises both a traditional enclosed mall and two open-air areas known as The Village and The Terraces...
) which drew much of the area's business away from downtown; and in 1990 two arson-caused fires in the city center caused significant destruction. In 1981 Fluke moved its facility to Everett. The 1980 census showed that Mountlake Terrace's population had dropped by almost 5 percent in 10 years. The city budget was trimmed and trimmed again and even so, Mountlake Terrace entered 1989 with a $1.3 million deficit.
Recent history
The mid-2000s saw new construction on 56th Avenue, and in 2006 the city created a plan to revitalize downtown and encourage economic activity. As of 2006 the town's largest employer was Premera Blue CrossPremera Blue Cross
Premera Blue Cross is a nonprofit Blue Cross Blue Shield licensed health insurance company based in Mountlake Terrace, Washington. It sells health insurance plans under the Blue Cross license in Washington state except Clark County and under both the Blue Cross and Blue Shield licenses in Alaska...
, which employed some 2,400 people.
A city-center plan adopted in February 2007 allows mixed-use buildings of up to seven stories in the central block and up to five stories in surrounding blocks. The previous limit was three stories.
Geography
Mountlake Terrace is located at 47.790969°N 122.306636°W (47.790969, -122.306636). The city's elevation above sea level ranges between 262 and 530 feet (161.5 m), with an average altitude of 440 feet (134.1 m).According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the city has a total area of 4.2 square miles (10.7 km2), of which, 4.0 square miles (10.5 km2) is land and 0.1 square miles (0.3 km2) is water. The total area is 2.65 % water.
The southwestern portion of the city includes Lake Ballinger Park, which offers access to Lake Ballinger and contains a boat launch and a fishing pier. The lake itself is located partially in Mountlake Terrace and partially in neighboring Edmonds
Edmonds, Washington
Edmonds is a city in Snohomish County, Washington, United States. Edmonds has a view of Puget Sound and both the Olympic Mountains and Cascade Range. The third most populous city in Snohomish County after Everett and Marysville, the population was 39,709 according to the 2010 census...
.
Demographics
As of the 2000 census, there were 20,362 people, 7,962 households, and 5,016 families residing in the city. The population density was 5,036.7 people per square mile (1,946.0/km2). There were 8,217 housing units at an average density of 2,032.6 per square mile (785.3/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 77.70% White, 2.52% African-American, 1.08% Native American, 10.64% Asian, 0.58% Pacific Islander, 2.61% from other racesRace (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 4.87% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 5.65% of the population.
There were 7,962 households out of which 32.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.2% were married couples living together, 11.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.0% were non-families. 26.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.4% 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 3.11.
In the city the age distribution of the population shows 25.3% under the age of 18, 9.8% from 18 to 24, 35.6% from 25 to 44, 20.2% from 45 to 64, and 9.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 98.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.6 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $47,238, and the median income for a family was $52,117. Males had a median income of $37,421 versus $28,796 for females. 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 $21,566. About 5.8% of families and 8.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.3% of those under the age of 18 and 7.6% of those aged 65 and older.