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Newcastle Tidbits
Newcastle, Washington combines the community and comfort of a small town with the selections and convenience urban living, which is the reason the it is ranked as one of the best small towns in America. The residents of Newcastle can play, shop, work, live and easily commute to the best jobs in the Pacific Northwest, and then return home to trails, natural areas and other opportunities for recreation.
Newcastle has been an important town and settlement since the late 1800's, although it wasn't incorporated until 1994. The community has played a major role in the development of the Seattle area, as well as Seattle itself. Newcastle was one of the earliest coal mining regions in the country and the first railroad link to Seattle in King County. In the early history of Newcastle, timber also played an important role. The railroad delivered coal from the mines in Newcastle to Seattle which attracted railroads, such as the Great Northern Railroad and also fueled the growth of the Port of Seattle.
During the 1870's, the Newcastle coal mine started producing coal. By the time the mine closed in 1963, over 13 million tons of coal had been extracted. The history of the coal mining industry in Newcastle as well as the legacy of the many Chinese laborers who worked in the mines, are memorialized in place names such as China Creek Golf Courses, Coal Creek Parkway, and Coal Creek.
Newcastle ranks 11th of 522 areas in Washington State to be ranked based on income per capita. Newcastle has also been ranked among the top 20 best places to live in America, according to CNN Money's 2011. Also in the top 20 was close by Sammamish. In the 2009 copy of Newsweek, of best places to live in America, Newcastle ranked 17th.
Newcastle was established in the 1870's, and originally, was a coal mining community that was named in honor of Newcastle upon Tyne in England. In 1863, the discovery of coal was made next to Coal Creek. Two surveyors named Edwin Richardson and Philip H. Lewis made the discovery while surveying the region for the General Land Office. Between 75 and 100 tons of coal each day were being produced at Newcastle by 1872. Approximately 60 men worked in the mines. In the late 1800's, the first railroad in King County, known as the Seattle and Walla Walla Railroad was constructed between Newcastle and Seattle. In 1963, coal mining came to an end.
The year 1994 brought the incorporation of Newcastle. Prior to then, the region was located in an unincorporated region within King County. The city is currently a suburban community. Based on the location of Newcastle, across Lake Washington from Seattle, south of Bellevue, and north of Renton these are the communities in which the majority of the residents of Newcastle work. There is a considerable amount of hilly terrain, which created opportunities for the viewing properties southeast and east of Lake Washington. This fueled the initiative for the Golf Course in Newcastle, which is next to many high value homes at higher elevations with views of Mercer Island, Seattle, as well as downtown Bellevue in addition to the Olympic Mountains. Some of the attractions in the region include the nearby Cougar Mountain to the east of Newcastle, a well-developed trail system, named Lake Boren Park, a brand new Family YMCA, and the Golf Club at Newcastle.
The community has an active trail building organization that has created a system of trails that are being integrated into new housing parks and developments. The majority of the trail-work has been completed by the WCC (Washington Conservation Corps), which is sponsored by Newcastle, or volunteers. Eventually, the trail system will lead all the way to Lake Washington in the west, in conjunction with Renton. The trail system is currently connected to the Cougar Mountain Regional Wildland Park in the east, which is in Unincorporated King County.
The population of Newcastle was 10,380 people according to the census that was taken in 2010. This included 2,860 families, and 4,021 households residing in the city. The racial makeup of Newcastle was 4.2% Latino or Hispanic, 5.0% two or more races, 1.6% other races, 0.3% Pacific Islanders, 24.7% Asian, 0.4% Native Indian, 2.6% African American, and 65.4% White.
There were 4,021 households of which 28.9% were non-families, 3.3% had a male householder with no wife present, 6.2% had a female householder with no husband present, 61.6% were married couples living together, and 35.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them. Some 4.4% were 65 years of age or older who were living alone and 21.8% of all households were made up of individuals. The size of the average household was 2.57 people and the size of the average family was 3.04 people.
Newcastle is a wonderful place to live, work, play and raise a family. The residents of Newcastle are proud of their heritage and history and are looking forward to a bright future.
