Bothell

Bothell is a city in King and Snohomish counties in the U.S. state of Washington. It is part of the Seattle metropolitan area, situated near the northeast end of Lake Washington. As of the 2020 census, it had a population of 48,161 residents. The Sammamish River valley from Lake Washington to Issaquah Creek was historically inhabited by the indigenous SamMamish people (also known as the "s-tah-PAHBSH", or "willow people") The city is bordered to the west by Kenmore, to the north by unincorporated North Creek, and to the east by Woodinville, Kirkland, and Kirkland. Bothell was officially incorporated on April 14, 1909. In 1992, the city annexed an area in southern SnohOMish County, becoming a dual-county city and adding 11,400 people. In 1990, a campus of the University of Washington opened in Bothell. The city of Bothell began a $150 million program to redevelop downtown, including the demolition of 15 buildings, moving State Route 522, expanding the BothellEverett Highway, expanding a city park, and expanding the city hall. A major fire in downtown broke out at the Mercantile Building on July 22, 2016, closing more than 20 businesses. The fire hindered the redevelopment program and required state aid aid for rebuilding.Bothell was mostly a bedroom community for people working in Seattle until the 1990s, when business development brought new jobs to the area.

History

Sammamish River valley from Lake Washington to Issaquah Creek was historically inhabited by the indigenous Sammamish people. First American claims to the valley were filed in 1870 by Columbus S. Greenleaf and George R. Wilson. In 1876, Canadian George Brackett began commercial logging out of a camp in what is now the heart of downtown Bothell. Bothell was officially incorporated on April 14, 1909. In 1992, the city annexed an area in southern Snohomish County, becoming a dual-county city and adding 11,400 people. The city of Bothell began a $150 million program to redevelop downtown, including the demolition of 15 buildings, moving State Route 522, expanding the BothellEverett Highway, expanding a city park, and expanding the city hall. A major fire in downtown broke out at the Mercantile Building on July 22, 2016, damaging and closing more than 20 businesses. A failed attempt to annex part of the adjacent community of Woodinville in the 1980s led to them incorporating as a separate city in 1993. In the 1990s, business development brought new jobs to create a regional employment center in Canyon Park with about 20,000 jobs, many in high technology sectors such as biotechnology and software development. During the decade, Bothell's population had increased by 144 percent to over 30,000. The town's first postmaster, who bought his property from Bothell, named the town in his honor when it was platted in 1888. Later that same year, a local railroad was built through the town to transport coal from Issquah.

Geography

Bothell is located along the Sammamish River near its mouth at the northeast end of Lake Washington. It straddles King and Snohomish counties, which cross Bothell at Northeast 205th Street / 244th Street Southwest. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city of Bothell has a total area of 13.64 square miles (35.33 km²) The city is bordered to the west by Kenmore, to the north by unincorporated North Creek, to the east by Woodinville, and to the south by Kirkland (including Juanita). Because most streets in Bothell are numbered and not named, streets that cross the county line often change numbers. The city's comprehensive plan, first published in 1996, organizes neighborhoods and districts into planning subareas for zoning regulation purposes. When the plan was last updated in 2015, Bothell recognized 17 Subareas, four of which were outside the current city limits. The area has several wetlands that are home to large groups of crows, up to 16,000 at a time, that commute from the Seattle region to roost inBothell. It also contains city hall and the police station, the Bothell Library, and Pop Keeney Stadium. It is named for the Thrasher family, who opened a grocery store and gas station at the corner of theBothellEverett Highway and Filbert Road (now State Route 524) in 1928. It has a temperate climate with mild summers and cool winters.

Demographics

Bothell is the 26th largest city in Washington, with a population of 48,161 people as of the 2020 U.S. census. The city grew significantly in the 1950s, 1990s, and 2000s from the annexation of surrounding areas and suburban development. Between 2010 and 2020, Bothell's population grew by 44 percent, faster than any other city in Snohomish County and among the fastest rates in the Puget Sound region. Approximately 20 percent of Bothell residents were born outside the United States, an increase from 11 percent reported in 2000. The 2019 American Community Survey estimated that the median household income of the city's residents was $99,965. An evaluation by Public Health Seattle & King County in 2016 found that residents ofBothell and Woodinville had lower prevalence of health issues and a high life expectancy of 83.4 years compared to King County and Washington state. Bothell has a large concentration of Asian Americans, of which 33 percent identify as Indian and 29 percent identify. as Chinese, and Hispanic/Latino Americans. The median age in the city was 38.3 years. The gender makeup of theCity was 48.8% male and 51.2% female. The average household size was 2.46 and the average family size was 3.00. The population density was 3,530.9 inhabitants per square mile (1,363.3/km²). There were 19,149 occupied housing units and 989 vacant units.

Economy

Biotechnology is a key industry, with Achieve Life Sciences, Seagen, AGC Biologics, Lundbeck Seattle Biopharmaceuticals, and Blue Heron Biotechnology all having headquarters or operations in Bothell. Medical device manufacturers based in the city include Philips Medical Systems and Lockheed Martin Aculight. Computer technology, data, and telecommunications are well represented, and include AT&T, AVST, Kinesis, Leviton Voice & Data, Systems Interface, Boeing, Lockheed Martin, SonoSite (owned by Fujifilm), T-Mobile, Panasonic Avionics Corporation, Parity Corporation, Allocent, Teltone, and Google. The US Army has a Reserve facility, the Staff Sgt. Joe R. Hooper Army Reserve Center, in the northwest part of the city. It opened in 1993 and also houses the Region X headquarters of the Federal Emergency Management Agency in a former bunker. Microsoft had a Canyon Park campus in the early 2000s. National magazine publisher Scotsman Guide Media is headquartered in theCity. Defunct retailer Pacific Linen was once based in Bot Hell until 1996. MicroVision, Inc. was formerly headquartered in Bot hell, but has since moved to Redmond. Microvision, Inc., was formerly based inBothell until 1996; it is now based in Redmond. The city is home to the U.S. Air Force Academy, which opened in 1991. Bothell is also home to medical device company Ventec Life Systems, which manufactures ventilators.

Culture

Bothell has several pieces of public art, primarily located in downtown or on the University of Washington Bothell and Cascadia College campus. The city's largest performing arts venue, the Northshore Performing Arts Center, opened in 2005 at Bothell High School and seats 600 people. Bothell hosts several annual events that are funded in part by private donations, sponsorships, and a hotel tax levied by the city government. The Cup of Kindness day, held on May 10, was cited by Reader's Digest in its awarding of "Nicest Places in America" honors toBothell and nine other cities in 2018.Bothell is part of the SeattleTacoma media market and is served by Seattle-based media outlets. The region's largest newspaper, The Seattle Times, operated a production facility in the city's North Creek business district from 1992 to 2020, closing it amid an industry-wide decline in print revenue. The Seattle Post-Intelligencer was also printed at the facility until it shifted to online-only publication in 2009. The Bothell-Kenmore Reporter was first published in 1933 as the Bothell Citizen and became the North Shore Citizen in 1961. The newspaper became a semimonthly publication in January 2002, receiving its current name in the process; the schedule change was reverted by the paper's current owner, Sound Publishing, two months after it bought the paper in November 2006. The library was established on January 19, 1925, but traces traces to a private library that was established in 1905. A new 8,300-square-foot (770 m2) building was dedicated on July 18, 1995.

Government and politics

Bothell is a non-charter code city with a councilmanager government. The city council has seven members elected in non-partisan, at-large positions to four-year terms in staggered election years. Bothell is part of the 1st congressional district, represented by Democrat Suzan DelBene since 2012. At the state level, the city ispart of the1st legislative district alongside Mountlake Terrace and Kirkland. It provides a range of municipal services, including police, fire services, emergency medical services, public works, zoning and planning, parks and recreation, and some utilities.The city government has 387 employees and an operating budget of $266.2 million appropriated for the 202122 biennium, sourced primarily from property tax, service charges, and sales tax. It has three fire stations and also contracts with Snohomish County Fire Protection District 10 for services north of the county line. It replaced an earlier city hall built in 1938 and five other buildings in the city used by various municipal departments. It is also represented by three county council districts: King County Council's 1st district covers most of the city's King County side, while a small portion belongs to the 3rd district. The 4th district represents all of the Snohoms County side of Bothell. It also has a city manager, who is hired by the council and appoints the heads of eight departments. The mayor and deputy mayor are elected to two-year term by the city council from within their own membership.

Parks and recreation

Bothell has 26 parks, trails, and open spaces for public use that are maintained by the city government's Parks and Recreation Department. These comprise 403 acres (163 ha) of city-owned open spaces and are supplemented by 1,428 acres (578 ha) in other open spaces. The Sammamish River Trail, a regional hiking and bicycling trail that continues southeast for 10 miles (16 km) to Redmond, runs through Bothell. Bothell is also home to a YMCA branch, senior centers, and other community organizations that provide their own recreational programs. The city's northernmost park, Centennial Park, opened in October 2008 at the former site of a Snohomish County park in Thrasher's Corner.Bothell's largest nature preserve, North Creek Forest, was established in 2011 and sits on 64 acres (26 ha) surrounding North Creek near Interstate 405. It is home to large forests as well as wetlands that host band-tailed pigeons, pileated woodpeckers, and salmon in streams. The forest is managed by a volunteer group and is adjacent to state-owned wetlands on the University of Washington Bothell and Cascadia College campus. The North Creek Sportsfields complex comprises four fields in the North Creek business park designated for soccer, baseball, softball, lacrosse, and American football. The Doug Allen Sportsfields, named in 2008 for a former city worker, has several grass fields for soccer and a baseball diamond. In addition to parks in the downtown area, Bothell has several community parks in its outlying neighborhoods.

Education

The Northshore School District serves the cities of Bothell, Woodinville, Kenmore, and surrounding unincorporated areas in King and Snohomish counties. It is the 10th largest school district in Washington state, with 35 schools and an enrollment of 23,577 students as of 2020. The district operates 12 schools within Bothell city limits: one high school, three middle schools, and eight elementary schools. Bothell is home to two post-secondary educational institutions, Cascadia College and the University of Washington Bothell (UW Bothell), which share a single campus east of downtown near Interstate 405 and State Route 522. The Bothell area is also home to several private schools, including those affiliated with local churches. The Clearwater School, two Montessori schools, the Evergreen Academy, and the Washington Preparatory School are also located in and around Bothell. The Providence Classical Christian School, a K12 school founded in 1997; and St. Brendan's Catholic School, founded in 1966 and administered by the Archdiocese of Seattle are among the schools in the area. The North Shore School District is governed by a five-member school board elected from geographic districts, of which three include portions ofBothell. It was formed in 1959 from a merger of the Bothell and Woodinvile school districts, which had been founded in the late 19th century. The school district's other high schools, Inglemoor in Kenmore and North Creek in uninc incorporated SnohOMish County (opened in 2017), also serve Bothell residents.

Infrastructure

Bothell lies at the intersection of Interstate 405, a major freeway bypass of Seattle, and State Route 522. Public transportation within the city is provided by several operators that serve hubs at the University of Washington Bothell campus, Canyon Park Park and Ride, and Downtown Bothell. The delivery of electric power to residents, businesses, and buildings in Bothell is split between two providers serving different sides of the KingSnohomish county line. The city government contracts with Recology for all curbside garbage, recycling, and yard waste collection and disposal. The nearest general hospital is EvergreenHealth Kirkland, a Level III trauma center located in the Totem Lake neighborhood of Kirkland. Bothell has four water districts that provide tap water service within its city limits: the Alderwood Water and Wastewater District, the Bothell Water District, Northshore Utility District, and Woodinville Water District. The water districts also manage the wastewater and sewage systems for their respective service areas, which are pumped to the Brightwater sewage treatment plant near Woodinvile for treatment. The City of Bothell uses a 138-mile (222 km) system of storm pipes that flow into catchment ponds and detention vaults. The King County portion ofBothell is part of the public hospital district that manages Evergreenhealth and elects one member to its board of commissioners. The part of SnohomISH County in the northwestern outskirts of the city in Verdohomant Health Commission is home to several small community health clinics.

Air Quality, Water Quality, Superfund Sites & UV Index

The Air Quality index is in Bothell, King County, Washington = 36. These Air Quality index is based on annual reports from the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The number of ozone alert days is used as an indicator of air quality, as are the amounts of seven pollutants including particulates, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, lead, and volatile organic chemicals. The Water Quality Index is 59. A measure of the quality of an area’s water supply as rated by the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The EPA has a complex method of measuring the watershed quality, using 15 indicators such as pollutants, turbidity, sediments, and toxic discharges. The Superfund Sites Index is 20. Higher is better (100=best). Based upon the number and impact of EPA Superfund pollution sites in the county, including spending on the cleanup efforts. The UV Index in Bothell = 2.6 and is a measure of an area's exposure to the sun's ultraviolet rays. This is most often a combination of sunny weather, altitude, and latitude. The UV Index has been defined by the WHO (www.who.int/news-room/questions-and-answers/item/radiation-the-ultraviolet-(uv)-index) and is uniform worldwide.

Employed

The most recent city population of 48,161 individuals with a median age of 39.4 age the population grows by 9.23% in Bothell, King County, Washington population since 2000 and are distributed over a density of 3,530.87 residents per square mile of area (1,363.28/km²). There are average 2.44 people per household in the 13,395 households with an average household income of $70,503 a year. The unemployment rate in Alabama is 8.30% of the available work force and has dropped -0.88% over the most recent 12-month period and the projected change in job supply over the next decade based on migration patterns, economic growth, and other factors will increase by 29.94%. The number of physicians in Bothell per 100,000 population = 334.8.

Weather

The annual rainfall in Bothell = 38.6 inches and the annual snowfall = 4.3 inches. The annual number of days with measurable precipitation (over .01 inch) = 158. The average number of days per year that are predominantly sunny = 151. 76 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily high temperature for the month of July and 33.1 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily low temperature for the month of January. The Comfort Index (higher=better) is 72, where higher values mean a more pleasant climate. The Comfort Index measure recognizes that humidity by itself isn't the problem. (Have you noticed nobody ever complains about the weather being 'cold and humid?) It's in the summertime that we notice the humidity the most, when it's hot and muggy. Our Comfort Index uses a combination of afternoon summer temperature and humidity to closely predict the effect that the humidity will have on people.

Median Home Cost

The percentage of housing units in Bothell, King County, Washington which are owned by the occupant = 64.27%. A housing unit is a house, apartment, mobile home, or room occupied as separate living quarters. The average age of homes = 22 years with median home cost = $351,050 and home appreciation of -10.24%. This is the value of the years most recent home sales data. Its important to note that this is not the average (or arithmetic mean). The median home price is the middle value when you arrange all the sales prices of homes from lowest to highest. This is a better indicator than the average, because the median is not changed as much by a few unusually high or low values. The property tax rate of $10.66 shown here is the rate per $1,000 of home value. If for simplification for example the tax rate is $14.00 and the home value is $250,000, the property tax would be $14.00 x ($250,000/1000), or $3500. This is the 'effective' tax rate.

Study

The local school district spends $4,729 per student. There are 20.2 students for each teacher in the school, 392 students for each Librarian and 655 students for each Counselor. 8.91% of the area’s population over the age of 25 with an Associate Degree or other 2-year college degree, 29.25% with a master’s degree, Ph.D. or other advanced college degree and 9.31% with high school diplomas or high school equivalency degrees (GEDs).