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Issaquah Tidbits
As the result of fuel oil becoming a more popular fuel for home heating, during the 1920's the coal industry in Issaquah began to die out. In addition, the logging industry hit especially hard when the Great Depression started in 1929. Although, the dairy farms in Issaquah were still prosperous, the days of a booming economy were over. There was little change in the 900-person population in Issaquah for the four centuries.
Although the community may have been somewhat isolated during this time period, the residents who had lived in Issaquah for a long time enjoyed their life in their now sleepy community. Residents became in community boosterism and civic groups as social organizations thrived.
In 1981, the volunteer fire department developed Memorial Field, which became home to the annual rodeo, known as the Issaquah Round-up. During the remainder of the year, townspeople folk would gather there for high school baseball and football games.
The majority of the people worked wherever they could. The federal WPA (Works Progress Administration) program provided employment through the construction of such buildings as the Issaquah Salmon Hatchery and Sportsmen's Club and the replacement of the sewer system Issaquah in 1936.
During the 1920's, Sunset Highway was constructed through Issaquah, which brought the small community into the age of the automobile. In 1940, the opening of the Lake Washington Bridge attracted even more people to the Eastside. In 1941, Highway 10, which is currently known as Gilman Boulevard, opened and there was a minor spurt of growth in Issaquah when work at the sawmills was needed for the war effort.
Following the end of WW II, many residents of Seattle started migrating to Eastside suburbs, starting with those communities that were nearest to the lake such as Renton, Kirkland, and Bellevue. The railroad train depot closed in 1958. However, some years later, work started on Interstate-90, which connected the community with Seattle to the west, and all points elsewhere to the east. This was the beginning of the second boom period for Issaquah.
The population of Issaquah had more than quadrupled, having 4,313, by 1970. The community experienced an increase in gravel mining, which is required in the construction of roads and homes, although the days of coal mining were long over. Soon, real estate became a hot prospect after remaining stable for decades.
Efforts were being made to preserve and capture much of the past of Issaquah, while the community was starting to change. In 1972, the Issaquah Historical Society was established and many of the old miners and loggers were still alive. Since that time, the organization has gathered numerous ephemera, stories, and photographs, and has also restored town hall and the old train depot
For the majority of its history, the community of Issaquah was focused around its downtown. The community started annexing the surrounding area, as more people relocated to the valley, which includes the Issaquah Highlands on the southern end of the Sammamish Plateau, Squak Mountain as well as much of Cougar Mountain.
Developers bought much of the farmland in the valley, starting in the 1980's. Since that time, the valley has filled many businesses such as restaurants and shopping malls. Housing prices were affected accordingly, with the median value of homes more than $250,000 by the 2000's. This has resulted in traffic problems along the I-90 corridor, which has necessitated more traffic lanes and new interchanges,
By the early 2000's, Issaquah was once again experiencing a boom period. The census data of 2003 reported that Issaquah was the fastest growing community in Washington State.
Throughout the following decades, the community remained relatively quiet. he Boeing Company provided most of jobs in the region. Other High-Tech companies, such as Microsoft relocated Redmond, Washington and other communities in the region, and later also established operations in Issaquah. Both Microsoft and Boeing affected the history of Issaquah considerably. They have also effected the diverse population and cultural development, through their attraction of outside residents and active community participation. Costco relocated its global headquarters from close by Kirkland, Washington to Issaquah.
Other Issaquah employers include Darigold, Boehm's Candies, Overtime Technologies, GoldSim Technology Group, and Siemens Medical Solutions' Ultrasound Group.
Interstate-90 bisects Issaquah, which runs to Boston and Washington State Route 900, which connects Renton and Issaquah, from Seattle. On Front Street, there is a chronic traffic congestion problem, which runs through the historic downtown area. Proposals had been made to develop a bypass. However, opponents have argued that this will only cause more sprawl in the region beyond downtown and therefore bring in more pollution and traffic. The fact is that in 2008, the City Council of Issaquah voted to cancel the 15-year-running Southeastern bypass project. Also, King County doesn't have any funding available or allotted in its seven-year capital plan to improve Hobart-Issaquah Road, which is the southernmost terminus of the proposed bypass.
