Clyde Hill, Washington

Clyde Hill, Washington
City
Location of Clyde Hill, Washington
Coordinates:
Country	United States
State	Washington
County	King
Area
• Total	1.06 sq mi (2.75 km2)
• Land	1.06 sq mi (2.75 km2)
• Water	0 sq mi (0 km2)
Elevation	295 ft (90 m)
Population (2010)
• Total	2,984
• Estimate (2014)	3,198
• Density	2,815.1/sq mi (1,086.9/km2)
Time zone	Pacific (PST) (UTC-8)
• Summer (DST)	PDT (UTC-7)
ZIP code	98004
Area code(s)	425
FIPS code	53-13365
GNIS feature ID	1504034
Website	www.clydehill.org

Clyde Hill is a city located about 1.5 to 2 miles east of the City of Seattle and is bordered by the cities and towns of Bellevue, Kirkland, Medina, Yarrow Point and Hunts Point. The population was 2,984 at the 2010 census.

Based on per capita income, Clyde Hill ranks 4th of 522 areas in the state of Washington to be ranked. It was listed as the most affluent town in Washington State by Slate.

Clyde Hill is also ranked 10th in the United States for most landscapers hired per square mile, at about 1,000 households per mile.

The majority of Clyde Hill is zoned for single-family use with the exception of two commercially zoned areas: a gas station and a Tully's Coffee shop. In addition to a small government zone, the City is home to four schools: two public schools - Clyde Hill Elementary and Chinook Middle School; and two private schools: Bellevue Christian School and Sacred Heart School. The City's minimum lot size is 20,000 square feet, although many smaller lots exist which pre-date the incorporation of the City.

Geography

Clyde Hill is located at (47.630171, -122.216559).

The top elevation is close to 375 feet. There are approximately 21 miles of public roadway that make Clyde Hill very centrally located within the Seattle - Bellevue metro area.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 1.06 square miles (2.75 km²), all of it land.

History

September 29, 1882, Patrick Downey, an Irish immigrant, homesteaded a 160-acre tract of land on the southern slope of Clyde Hill. He was the first known settler in present-day Clyde Hill. Downey's tract was bounded by NE 8th Street on the south, 92nd Avenue NE on the west, NE 16th Street on the north, and 100th Avenue NE on the east. It included the Bellevue residential area now known as Vuecrest. Downey built a log cabin at 100th Avenue NE and NE 12th Street with the help of neighbors. Pat Downey reportedly lived in this cabin for two years before he discovered Meydenbauer Bay. From his cabin he hiked to Houghton (now south Kirkland), and rowed to Seattle when he wanted to go to the city. He remodeled and rebuilt several times and eventually the entire house was destroyed by fire in 1911.

In September 1888, Downey filed his final affidavit for a homestead claim, (SE º of Section 30 in Township 25 N of Range 5 E), and described the property as timbered agricultural land. Timber was described as fir and cedar 2nd class. He said that in the process of clearing land, he cut, removed, and sold 296,000 board feet from 20 acres to a Terence O'Brien of Seattle.

By 1888, Downey had built an 18' X 27' log house one story high with shake roof. The house included four rooms and was valued at $300.00. In addition to the house, the Downey estate included a 16' X 22' shake barn, a 10' X 12' shake stable, an 8' X 10' shake hen house and an 8' X 10' shake storehouse. These additional buildings were valued at a combined $185. During this time Downey raised crops on about 11 acres of land for five seasons, including potatoes, oats, wheat and vegetables.

In 1888, Patrick Downey in his homestead claim cited Peter Buckley, John McRae, John Davis of Bellevue, Washington Territory and W. W. Easter of Seattle, Washington Territory as references for his claim. McRae, 49 years old, lived on nearby property. Peter Buckley, 42 years old, lived about 1/2 mile away and also gave testimony supporting Downey's homestead claim. Also living near Downey were W. E. Conway and Isaac Bechtel.

Downey eventually planted 15 acres of his claim in strawberries. These strawberries brought a premium from wholesalers on Western Avenue in Seattle. A number of farmers in Clyde Hill raised strawberries and the community was well known for that product. Downey would pack a load of strawberries in a wheelbarrow to the foot of Clyde Road (now 92nd Avenue NE) and board a little wood-burning steamer to Leschi in Seattle. There he could take a cable car over the Seattle hills from Leschi to Elliott Bay.

By 1890, about 20 families settled in the Clyde Hill, Medina and the downtown Bellevue area. In June 1900, the Federal Census of Bellevue Precinct, King County, Washington, encompassing about the same area, enumerated a total of 254 persons.

In June 1894, Patrick and wife, Victoria M. Downey, subdivided the north eighty acres of their original claim (from about NE 12th Street to NE 16th Street), most of which lay in present-day Clyde Hill. His plat, of which most of it is still known today, was entitled "Lake Washington Garden Tracts." Most of the subdivision was platted as 5-acre lots. Streets shown in the plat include Hunter Avenue (present 92nd Avenue NE), Bellevue Avenue (Present 100th Avenue NE) and Downey Street (NE 14th Street).

Political history

Between 1946 and 1948, J. Gordon and Mary Schneidler subdivided and sold more than a dozen lots in a five-acre subdivision in Clyde Hill. Each deed of sale included the following restriction: "This property shall not be resold, leased, rented or occupied except to or by persons of the Aryan race." Why the Schneidlers used the term "Aryan race" is unclear. That racial concept usually meant northern Europeans as distinct from eastern and southern Europeans. The Aryans-only restriction thus would have excluded Italians, Greeks, Poles, Russians, and many other European ancestries as well as Jews and all non Europeans.

In response to the community's desire to control land use development such as lot size and commercial zoning, Clyde Hill was officially incorporated as a Town on March 31, 1953. On November 10, 1998, the Council voted to organize Clyde Hill as a non-charter Code City.

In 1953 area residents voted to become an incorporated Town by a vote of 145 to 117. Ken Day defeated Don Clark for the first Clyde Hill Mayors position, 91 to 58. All initial Councilmembers were elected on write-in votes.

The first elected Councilmembers were: F. Lee Campbell, - Robert W. Glueck, - P.A. Jacobsen, Leslie M. Rudy and A.C. Thompson Sr.

John Woodin became the Town's first Treasurer. Ken Day appointed Priscilla Alden Townsend as Police Judge and Roger Bryan as Marshall.

The 1975 Mayoral election in Clyde Hill brought with it suspense and the national media. The two candidates, the incumbent Liberino "Lib" Tufarolo and Miles Nelson finished the election in an even tie. The contest was ultimately decided by a coin toss, with Nelson unseating the incumbent as national and local media looked on.

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.		%±
1960	1,871		—
1970	2,987		59.6%
1980	3,229		8.1%
1990	2,972		−8.0%
2000	2,890		−2.8%
2010	2,984		3.3%
Est. 2014	3,198		7.2%
U.S. Decennial Census 2014 Estimate

2010 census

As of the census of 2010, there were 2,984 people, 1,028 households, and 887 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,815.1 inhabitants per square mile (1,086.9/km²). There were 1,099 housing units at an average density of 1,036.8 per square mile (400.3/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 84.3% White, 0.6% African American, 0.2% Native American, 12.1% Asian, 0.5% from other races, and 2.2% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.3% of the population.

There were 1,028 households of which 43.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 79.2% were married couples living together, 4.8% had a female householder with no husband present, 2.3% had a male householder with no wife present, and 13.7% were non-families. 12.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.90 and the average family size was 3.17.

The median age in the city was 44.8 years. 29.4% of residents were under the age of 18; 4.2% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 16.8% were from 25 to 44; 31.4% were from 45 to 64; and 18.4% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.9% male and 51.1% female.

2000 census

As of the census of 2000, there were 2,890 people, 1,054 households, and 893 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,732.2 people per square mile (1,052.7/km²). There were 1,076 housing units at an average density of 1,017.2 per square mile (391.9/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 89.62% White, 0.55% African American, 0.17% Native American, 7.30% Asian, 0.59% from other races, and 1.76% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.49% of the population.

There were 1,054 households out of which 34.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 78.3% were married couples living together, 5.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 15.2% were non-families. 12.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.74 and the average family size was 3.00.

In the city, the population was spread out with 26.1% under the age of 18, 3.8% from 18 to 24, 20.3% from 25 to 44, 30.8% from 45 to 64, and 19.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 45 years. For every 100 females there were 96.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.8 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $132,468, and the median income for a family was $150,237. Males had a median income of $100,000 versus $50,909 for females. The per capita income for the city was $78,252. About 0.8% of families and 0.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 0.4% of those under age 18 and none of those age 65 or over.

External links

• City of Clyde Hill Government