Kenmore is a city in King County, Washington, United States, along the northernmost shore of Lake Washington. It is a suburban commuter town at the mouth of the Sammamish River, 12 miles (19 km) northeast of downtown Seattle and 2 miles (3.2 km) west of Bothell. The population was 23,914 at the 2020 census. Kenmore Air Harbor is the largest seaplane-only passenger facility of its kind in the United States.

Kenmore is connected to nearby areas by State Route 522 and the Burke-Gilman Trail, which both run east–west along the lakeshore. The city limits stretch north to the Snohomish County line and south to a border with Kirkland south of Saint Edward State Park and Bastyr University. Kenmore's official flower is the dahlia, bird the great blue heron, and evergreen the rhododendron.

History
Geography
Demographics
- 2010 census
Economy
Education
Culture
Notable people
See also

History

Founded in 1901, Kenmore's name comes third-hand from the Scottish village of Kenmore, via town founder home town of Kenmore, Ontario. McMasters and his wife Annie arrived in Puget Sound circa 1889 from Canada, intending to establish themselves in the shingle-making trade. They opened a shingle mill on the northern shore of Lake Washington on land leased from Watson C. Squire. By 1903, Kenmore had established a school system and post office, but it did not formally incorporate as a city until August 31, 1998.

Country living: lumber and gardeners

Despite cargo railway service passing through the area as early as 1887 via the Seattle, Lake Shore and Eastern Railway, most access to the city in its early days was by boat, with regular ferry service to Seattle, Bothell, and Woodinville starting in 1906. The city later gained a passenger railroad stop. The first improved road connection to Seattle and Bothell—the Red Brick Road—opened between 1913 and 1914, with bus service following the laying of the bricks. As a result, Kenmore became a country retreat for weekend gardeners with local landowners selling off clear-cut "garden plots" to Seattlites with automobiles and green thumbs.

The archipelago of dining and entertainment - over 30 different restaurants, dance halls, bars, and clubs in a three-block area - remained a major part of Kenmore's identity through the 1940s.

Voucherville, the Cold War, and redevelopment

Once the Great Depression hit, Kenmore became home for a small settlement of workers under President Franklin D. Roosevelt's Back to the Land program. Paid by the Works Progress Administration, a small number of workers settled in an area of northwestern Kenmore which became known as "Voucherville", after the vouchers the WPA paid in lieu of a cash salary.

After the end of World War II, Kenmore became home to US Army Nike Hercules missile batteries as part of cold-war era defense plans. These nuclear-tipped anti-aircraft missiles were intended to protect Seattle and environs from Soviet bombers, should war break out. They were removed in 1974.

The post-war era largely transformed downtown. Kenmore Air Harbor, which today is one of the world's largest seaplane-only airports, opened not far from the old location of the Blind Pig; Kenmore Air itself today runs a fleet of seaplanes serving waterside destinations throughout Cascadia. At the same time, Kenmore's immediate proximity to Seattle—just two miles (3 km) north of modern Seattle city limits— made it an early target of post-war housing development. The first plaits in the new Uplake neighborhood were sold in 1954. Housing development continued throughout the Kenmore area for the next several decades, mostly following the postwar suburban model; industrial and commercial growth followed quickly behind, and within a few decades, most of the old Kenmore dining and drinking had vanished, replaced by shopping centers, industrial development, and housing. However, one part of this new development brought its own history along with it: the Jewel Box Building in downtown Kenmore is a Seattle World's Fair artifact, moved from Seattle Center to Kenmore after the end of the fair in October, 1962.

The city gained its first college in 1996, with the relocation of Bastyr University from Seattle onto the grounds of the former St. Edward Seminary.

Incorporation and rebuilding downtown

Kenmore residents considered incorporation many times since the town's founding; one such incorporation vote failed in 1954. The idea gained popular support through the 1990s, however, partly in response to the passage of the Washington State Growth Management Act of 1990. Formation of an exploration committee in 1995 led to a successful public vote shortly thereafter, and the city formally incorporated on August 31, 1998, 97 years after its original founding.

Following incorporation, the new government set about devising a local set of zoning codes and a downtown development plan with the intent of reviving and rebuilding the traditional core areas of the city. A significant component of this plan involves extensive use of land now owned by the city, in the area known within the plan as the Northwest Quadrant. An open invitation was extended to all architects and developers to submit development plans for this newly available area in December, 2005. The City Council chose to negotiate primarily with Kenmore Partners LLC in April 2006. Design plans were submitted to the city the following summer, with a conceptual overview made available to the public at the same time.

Kenmore's oldest roads, now known most often by their county-assigned number systems, originally had more traditional names such as Cat's Whiskers Road (61st Avenue NE), Squire Boulevard (later Red Brick Road, now Bothell Way/SR 522), and Remington Drive (NE 181st Street). These traditional names were reinstated in 2007 as secondary names in the downtown area.

Geography

Kenmore is located at 47°45′10″N 122°14′50″W / 47.75278°N 122.24722°W / 47.75278; -122.24722 (47.752870, -122.247360), with borders encompassing all of the north shore and a significant portion of the northeastern shore of Lake Washington. The local terrain is typical of the Puget Sound lowlands, consisting largely of rolling hills formed from glacial till, occasionally interrupted by flatlands typically found near substantial bodies of water. The largest river is the Sammamish, which connects Lake Sammamish to Lake Washington, and divides the city into northern and southern halves. Additionally, the northeastern corner of the city includes a narrow set of swamps and marshlands running north to south along Swamp Creek.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 6.26 square miles (16.21 km²), of which, 6.15 square miles (15.93 km²) is land and 0.11 square miles (0.28 km²) is water.

Surrounding cities & lake

Brier	Brier/Bothell	Bothell
Lake Forest Park		Bothell
	Kenmore

Lake Washington	Kirkland	Kirkland

Climate

The climate of Kenmore is substantially similar to that of nearby Seattle, being defined principally by its latitude, proximity to the Pacific Ocean and Puget Sound, and inclusion in the Puget Sound Convergence Zone. As such, it is usually considered Marine west coast in nature, with damp, cool winters, and mild, dry summers, despite being further north than cities such as Toronto and Montreal.

Neighborhoods

Kenmore has several distinct neighborhoods. These include:

Arrowhead, Kenmore, from across Lake Washington in Log Boom Park

Arrowhead, in southern Kenmore, on the west (or lake) side, saw its first house built in 1888. This was a small summer cabin; the oldest house still standing dates from 1929.
Inglewood, in southern Kenmore, was first platted in 1953, with large-scale suburban development appearing by 1962.
Lower Moorlands, in eastern Kenmore, saw its first house in 1904. The significant development occurring in this area after World War I included the 1927 landmark Charles and Elvera Thomsen House.
Upper Moorlands, also in eastern Kenmore, saw initial building in 1938-1939 but stayed quite rural due to the lack of a good water system until suburban development arrived in the mid-1950s.
Central (or downtown) Kenmore hugs Bothell Way and formed the original core of the city. Today it is Kenmore's commercial and industrial core.

Northern Kenmore and the Cascade Mountains as seen from Uplake Terrace, looking east

Northlake Terrace, an early residential neighborhood just north of town, is now a mix of commercial and residential development. Much of the eastern portion of this area is to be redeveloped as part of the new Downtown Plan.
Linwood Heights, in northwest Kenmore, was first founded as part of the "Back to the Land" movement during the Great Depression. Then derisively referred to as Voucherville, it has long since been redeveloped and is now largely suburban housing. Portions were annexed by Lake Forest Park in 1995, predating Kenmore's formal incorporation.
Kenlake Vista, in northern Kenmore, is post-war residential suburban housing.
Kenmore Terrace
Northshore Summit.

Since 2000, a significant number of developers have been converting former pastureland to high-end housing in the northern section of the city. As a result, the overall character of these sections of town has been rapidly changing, from run-down and semi-rural to affluent suburbia. This has also affected nearby Bothell, resulting in the creation of numerous commercial developments.

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.	%±
1980	7,281	—
1990	8,917	22.5%
2000	18,678	109.5%
2010	20,460	9.5%
2020	23,914	16.9%
2021 (est.)	23,502	14.9%
U.S. Decennial Census 2018 Estimate

In 2015 the median income for a household in the city was $90,588, and the median income for a family was $102,374. Males had a median income of $76,688 versus $58,281 for females. The per capita income for the city was $40,192. About 5.5% of families and 8.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 10.4% of those under age 18 and 7.5% of those age 65 or over.

2010 census

As of the census of 2010, there were 20,460 people, 7,984 households, and 5,487 families residing in the city. The population density was 3,326.8 inhabitants per square mile (1,284.5/km²). There were 8,569 housing units at an average density of 1,393.3 per square mile (538.0/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 79.9% White, 1.6% African American, 0.5% Native American, 10.5% Asian, 0.3% Pacific Islander, 2.5% from other races, and 4.5% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 7.0% of the population.

There were 7,984 households, of which 33.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.3% were married couples living together, 9.1% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.3% had a male householder with no wife present, and 31.3% were non-families. 23.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.55 and the average family size was 3.01.

The median age in the city was 39.5 years. 22.8% of residents were under the age of 18; 7.5% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 28.2% were from 25 to 44; 29.6% were from 45 to 64; and 11.9% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 49.6% male and 50.4% female.

Economy

Cranes in Kenmore harbor

Cement barge offloading at Kenmore Ready-Mix

A Kenmore Air Cessna 208 on the ground in Campbell River

While in large part now a bedroom community for workers commuting to nearby Seattle, Bothell, and Redmond, Kenmore retains a significant independent economic core centered around durable goods (construction materials, concrete, asphalt) and special trade contracting (construction, heavy construction, and highways).

Kenmore also hosts one of the last industrial ports on Lake Washington, at the mouth of the Sammamish River. Larger local businesses near the port include Rinker Materials's Kenmore plant, Kenmore Ready-Mix (cements and asphalts, a division of Glacier Northwest), Pacific Topsoils (topsoils and landscape construction materials), Michael Homchick Stoneworks (stone fabrication and installation), Plywood Supply (lumber, plywood, and millwork, wholesale, retail, and company headquarters), and several others. As home to the James G. Murphy Company, one of the ten largest commercial/industrial auction houses in the United States, the city is also an auction center. Significant non-durable-goods businesses include the headquarters of Kenmore Air, a large private seaplane-based airline; Alaska General Seafoods's company headquarters and processing plant; Bastyr University, a school of naturopathic medicine.

Education

Kenmore is part of the Northshore School District, and the local high school is Inglemoor High School. Inglemoor High School is known for its IB program. Kenmore originally had its own school district, Kenmore School District No. 141, which was established in 1903; it was consolidated into its Bothell counterpart in 1916, which in turn was consolidated with the Woodinville district to form Northshore in 1959.

The nonprofit group Saint Edward Environmental Learning Center provides quarterly environmental education classes to the public in conjunction with Washington State Parks and Saint Edward State Park. They also operate the ALEAFA Model Public High School. The Kenmore Library Association, a volunteer group affiliated with the local library, plans and sponsors library programming.

There is a portion of Kenmore extending into the Lake Washington School District, but it consists of portions of the Saint Edward State Park.

Kenmore is home to Bastyr University, a leading private school of naturopathic medicine founded in 1978 and accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU). The city is also situated between the University of Washington's main Seattle campus and UW Bothell and Cascadia College, both in nearby Bothell, Washington. Paved bike trails and bus service connect the city to all three schools. The city also has a bus connection directly to Shoreline Community College.

Culture

Civic events and festivals

Major annual civic events include:

The Kenmore Summer Concert Series, hosted at Saint Edward State Park
The annual Kenmore Art Show, a juried art exhibition sponsored by the Arts of Kenmore.
Fourth of July Fireworks, a fireworks display at Log Boom Park, a tradition which started in 2006.
Farmers Market at Town Square held every Wednesday from June to August; debuted in 2022 as a pilot program

Media

Kenmore is served by Seattle-area media, but town and neighborhood events are covered primarily by the Bothell/Kenmore Reporter, a weekly and online newspaper published by Sound Publishing. Once a month, a Kenmore city government update is printed within the newspaper as a two- to four-page supplement. For its part, the city also sends out a quarterly eight-page newsletter to all residents discussing government activities, development project status reports, budgetary summaries, and a community events calendar.

Family Circle Magazine selected Kenmore, Washington as one of the "10 Best Towns for families" in their August 2009 edition. Seattle Magazine also ranked Kenmore as the best Seattle-area neighborhood or surrounding city for 2008–2009.

Parks

Wallace Swamp Creek Park in 2017

Not all parks within city limits are operated by city government; the Burke-Gilman Trail is a King County park, and St. Edward State Park is operated by the Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission. Extant parks within city limits include:

Burke-Gilman Trail, a King County park which, combined with the Sammamish River Trail, connects Marymoor Park just outside downtown Redmond through the downtowns of Woodinville, Bothell, Kenmore, and Lake Forest Park to Gas Works Park in Seattle and points west. Several other trails and bike routes branch off of this trail backbone.
ƛ̕ax̌ʷadis Park (formerly known as Squire's Landing), a park along the Sammamish River named for a former Lushootseed village located near downtown Kenmore
Linwood Park, a small 3-acre (12,000 m²) park in northwest Kenmore with grass commons, playground, and picnic tables
Moorlands Park, a 5-acre (20,000 m²) park which includes baseball and basketball facilities in southeastern Kenmore
Rhododendron Park, formerly Kenmore Park, a 13-acre (53,000 m²) park with hundreds of Rhododendron plants and a public boathouse
Saint Edward State Park, the largest park in Kenmore at 365 acres (1.48 km²); it includes over half a mile of undeveloped Lake Washington shoreline, the historic Saint Edward Seminary (which is now used as a hotel) and gymnasium, and the largest playground in the state
Swamp Creek Park, along the Sammamish River, consists of city-purchased farmland currently left in an undeveloped state
Log Boom Park (Tracy Owen Station), includes 16 acres (65,000 m²) of shoreline and a large walking dock extending out into the lake
Wallace Swamp Creek Park, 17 acres (69,000 m²) a park that surrounds Swamp Creek in northeast Kenmore and features walking trails

Notable people

Anthony Arena (born 1990) – soccer player
Burke Fahling (born 1997) – soccer player
Steve Fossen (born 1949) – bassist and co-founder of the band Heart
Kirby Larson (born 1954) – author
Pete Schoening (1927–2004) – mountain climber
Charissa Thompson (born 1982) – television host and sportscaster

Kenmore, Washington facts for kids

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