Mountlake Terrace, Washington facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Mountlake Terrace, Washington
City
Welcome sign at Interstate 5 and 236th Street Southwest
Location of Mountlake Terrace, Washington
Country	United States
State	Washington
County	Snohomish
Incorporated	November 30, 1954
Government
• Type	Council–manager
Area
• Total	4.16 sq mi (10.78 km2)
• Land	4.06 sq mi (10.50 km2)
• Water	0.10 sq mi (0.27 km2)
Elevation	456 ft (139 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	21,286
• Estimate  (2022)	21,543
• Density	5,116.83/sq mi (1,974.58/km2)
Time zone	UTC-8 (Pacific Time Zone)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-7 (PDT)
ZIP code	98043
Area code(s)	425
FIPS code	53-47490
GNIS feature ID	1512488

Mountlake Terrace is a city in Snohomish County, Washington, United States. It is located on the southern edge of the county, right next to Shoreline and Lynnwood. The city is about 13 miles (21 km) north of Seattle. In 2010, the city had a population of nearly 20,000 people.

Mountlake Terrace was started in 1949 by real estate developers. They built homes on an old airfield, planning to offer affordable housing for soldiers returning from war. In just five years, over 5,000 people lived there. It officially became a city in 1954 so it could provide important services like roads and police. An area for businesses and factories was built in the northwest part of the city. This area became easily reachable when Interstate 5 opened in 1965.

Mountlake Terrace used to have several small shopping centers. However, these stores faced challenges due to changes in the local economy and two fires in 1990. In the 2000s, the city government began making plans to improve the downtown area. They hoped to build new mixed-use buildings (places with both homes and shops) to help the city grow. Mountlake Terrace station, a big bus hub, opened in 2009. It also got Link light rail service in 2024, connecting it to other major areas. The city has many parks, including access to Lake Ballinger, and hosts a fun summer festival each year as part of Seafair.

History of Mountlake Terrace

The area where Mountlake Terrace now stands was once covered in thick forests in the mid-1800s. It was a traditional hunting and gathering place for the Snohomish people. In 1862, the Puget Mill Company bought this land. By 1900, most of the trees in south Snohomish County had been cut down.

The company that took over, Pope & Talbot Company, divided the cleared land into 10-acre plots. They sold these as "chicken ranches" for people to raise chickens, mink, and chinchillas. An electric train line, called an interurban, was built in 1910. This line connected Tacoma, Washington and Everett, Washington, making it easier to reach the farms. However, many farms struggled during the Great Depression, and the train line was closed in 1939.

During World War II, the United States government used part of the area as a landing field for planes. After the war ended, the government stopped using the airfield. In 1949, two developers, Albert LaPierre and Jack Peterson, bought the abandoned airstrip. They started building houses made of cinder-blocks. They named their new community "Mountlake Terrace" because from some spots, you could see both Mount Rainier and Lake Washington, and the old runway looked like a flat "terrace."

Becoming a City

By 1954, more than 5,000 people lived in the area. The growth happened so fast that the existing services couldn't keep up. Some people had to wait a year to get a shared telephone line, streets were not paved, and homes used individual septic systems for waste. The closest police department was 15 miles away in Everett.

A resident named Patrick McMahan was unhappy with these conditions. He started the Mountlake Terrace Study Committee to help the community become an official city. An election was held on November 23, 1954, and people voted 517 to 483 in favor of becoming a city. Voters also chose five people to be on the first city council.

The council had its first meeting on November 24. They chose Gilbert "Gil" Geiser, a 35-year-old hardware store owner, as Mountlake Terrace's first mayor. Geiser even had to lend the new city $5 so they could file the official paperwork! On November 29, Mountlake Terrace officially became a "third-class city."

Early Growth and Changes

Mountlake Terrace's population grew very quickly, doubling between 1950 and 1960, and almost doubling again by 1970. Small businesses did well in two shopping centers that looked like strip malls, located in the middle of the city. The developers also gave land for several churches.

In 1959, the John Fluke Corporation, an electronics company, moved its main office from Seattle to Mountlake Terrace. In 1961, people voted to approve a bond issue, which is like a loan for the city. This money was used to build a new City Hall.

Slowing Down of Development

Mountlake Terrace was first planned as a "bedroom community" where people lived but mostly drove to other cities for work. However, later leaders wanted it to be a "stand-alone" city with a strong downtown area. The arrival of Fluke and the building of the shopping malls and City Hall helped this idea.

But in the 1980s, this growth slowed down. The Boeing company, a major employer, had a big business slowdown, and many workers lost their jobs. Also, the Alderwood Mall opened in Lynnwood, which attracted many shoppers away from downtown Mountlake Terrace. In 1990, two fires in the city center caused a lot of damage. In 1981, Fluke moved its facility to Everett. The 1980 census showed that Mountlake Terrace's population had dropped by almost 5 percent in 10 years.

Recent History

Intersection of 236th St SW and 56th Ave W in downtown Mountlake Terrace.

In the mid-2000s, new buildings started to appear on 56th Avenue. In 2006, the city created a plan to make the downtown area more lively and bring in more businesses. As of 2013, the biggest employer in town was Premera Blue Cross, which had about 3,000 employees.

A city plan approved in February 2007 allowed for taller buildings in the downtown area. New mixed-use buildings could be up to seven stories tall in the main block and five stories in nearby blocks. Before this, the limit was only three stories.

Geography and Nature

Mountlake Terrace is located at 47°47′27″N 122°18′24″W / 47.790969°N 122.306636°W / 47.790969; -122.306636. The city's height above sea level ranges from 262 to 530 feet (80 to 162 m), with an average height of 440 feet (134 m).

The city covers a total area of about 4.17 square miles (10.80 square km). Most of this area, about 4.06 square miles (10.52 square km), is land. The remaining 0.11 square miles (0.28 square km) is water. This means about 2.65% of the city's total area is water.

The southwestern part of the city includes Lake Ballinger Park. This park gives people access to Lake Ballinger and has a boat launch and a fishing pier. The lake itself is partly in Mountlake Terrace and partly in the nearby city of Edmonds.

Economy and Jobs

As of 2018, Mountlake Terrace had about 12,251 people who could work, and 11,753 of them had jobs. The biggest job areas were education and health services (26%), followed by professional services (12.9%) and retail (12.3%). Most workers in the city travel to other places for their jobs. For example, 37% go to Seattle, 6.9% to Lynnwood, 6% to Everett, and 5.8% to Bellevue. Only 3.2% of Mountlake Terrace residents work within the city limits.

More than 67% of workers drive to work alone in their cars. About 13% use public transportation, and 12% share rides in carpools.

In 2012, there were 1,404 registered businesses in the city, providing 6,993 jobs. Most of these jobs were in professional services. Mountlake Terrace's businesses also attract workers from nearby areas. The largest employer in the city is the health insurance company Premera Blue Cross, which has over 2,400 employees at its headquarters in Mountlake Terrace. Another important employer is Umpqua Bank.

In 2016, businesses in Mountlake Terrace had $223 million in total sales, which was a 46% increase over five years. The city has several shopping centers. The Town Center area is planned to become a mixed-use area with both homes and shops. It has major stores and restaurants, including Diamond Knot Brewpub and Double DD Meats, which are some of the oldest businesses in the city. There are also office parks and industrial buildings in the northwest part of the city, including the Premera headquarters.

Population and People

Mountlake Terrace is the seventh largest city in Snohomish County by population. In the 2020 U.S. census, it had 21,286 residents. The city grew to over 16,000 people within 15 years of becoming a city. Since then, its population has mostly stayed the same, with a small increase in the 1980s and a slight drop in the 2000s. The city was first built with mostly single-family homes, but newer buildings include multi-family housing and more homes packed into smaller areas.

Population in 2010

According to the 2010 U.S. census, there were 19,909 people living in Mountlake Terrace. There were 8,192 households and 4,891 families. The city had about 4,904 people per square mile (1,893 per square km).

The people living in the city were:

• 71.7% White
• 4.3% African American
• 1.1% Native American
• 11.2% Asian
• 0.8% Pacific Islander
• 4.9% from other races
• 6.1% from two or more races.

About 10.5% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

Of the 8,192 households, 30.8% had children under 18 living with them. About 41.2% were married couples living together. The average household had 2.42 people, and the average family had 3.04 people.

The average age in the city was 36.6 years. About 21.6% of residents were under 18. About 31.4% were between 25 and 44 years old.

Culture and Fun

Mountlake Terrace has an annual festival called Tour de Terrace. It happens during the last weekend of July as part of the larger regional Seafair celebration. The festival includes a parade, live music, a 5K run, car shows, a carnival, and fireworks. The city government started the festival in 1993 for a 40th anniversary celebration. It is now run by volunteers with help from the city. In 2017, the Tour de Terrace and its related events in July brought in 70,000 visitors.

Art in the City

In the 1980s, the city government started a "percent for art" program. This program uses a small part of money from city projects to fund art. The city's art collection is looked after by the Arts Advisory Commission. Mountlake Terrace has several bronze sculptures, including two black bears at the library and a firefighter statue at a fire station.

The Arts Advisory Commission and Friends of the Arts also put on an annual art show called Arts of the Terrace. This show started in 1978. It usually gets hundreds of art entries and gives out cash prizes. The city's only movie theater was built in 1994 for Regal Cinemas. In 2009, it changed its name to Cinebarre.

Parks and Recreation

Aerial image of Lake Ballinger in 2017, showing the city park and part of the Nile Shrine golf course

Mountlake Terrace has 18 public parks with 262 acres (106 ha) of open space. The city government takes care of these parks. The city also works with the Edmonds School District and private recreation places to offer events and activities for residents. The public and private parks together have 14 baseball fields, 13 soccer fields, 19 playgrounds, 15 tennis courts, and 4 indoor basketball courts.

The main community center in Mountlake Terrace is the Recreation Pavilion. It opened on November 26, 1968. It has several swimming pools, a lazy river, racquetball courts, and an indoor gymnasium. The building was updated in 2003.

Terrace Creek Park is the city's largest park, covering 60 acres (24 ha). It has hiking trails, open fields, and a disc golf course. It is next to the Recreation Pavilion. Veterans Memorial Park is a wooded area near Interstate 5 with hiking trails and a playground.

The city government's old golf course was turned into Ballinger Park in 2013. This park is 42 acres (17 ha) on the north side of Lake Ballinger. It has a boat launch, a fishing pier, swimming areas, sports fields, and Edmount Island. The Nile Shrine built their own golf course on the east side of the lake in 1968 and opened it to the public in 1996.

Ballinger Park is next to the Interurban Trail. This trail is for hiking and biking and connects Seattle and Everett. The privately owned Olympicview Ice Arena in Mountlake Terrace is home to the Washington Huskies college hockey team and other skating groups.

Local Media

The city library, operated by Sno-Isle Libraries and opened in 1988

Mountlake Terrace gets its news from regional newspapers and TV stations that serve the Seattle area. A local weekly newspaper called The Enterprise used to publish a special Mountlake Terrace edition from 1958 to 2009. It later stopped publishing in 2012. MLTnews, a local blog, started in 2009.

The city's public library has been managed by the regional Sno-Isle Libraries system since 1985. The old city library, which opened in 1976, was too small. The current library building, next to Veterans Memorial Park, opened on July 29, 1988.

Famous People

Mountlake Terrace has been home to several notable people, including:

• Seamus Boxley, a professional basketball player
• Maria Cantwell, a U.S. Senator
• Lily Gladstone, an actress
• Lil Mosey, a rapper
• Mark O'Connor, a fiddler

Education in Mountlake Terrace

The city's public schools are part of the Edmonds School District. This district serves most of South Snohomish County, including nearby cities like Edmonds and Lynnwood. The district has 41 schools and over 21,000 students.

Mountlake Terrace has five schools run by the district: one high school, one middle school, and three elementary schools. Mountlake Terrace High School opened in 1960 and was rebuilt in 1991 on the same campus. The old high school building had a unique round gymnasium called the "Hawk Dome," which had windows from the floor to the ceiling.

The closest colleges are Edmonds College, a community college in Lynnwood, and the University of Washington at Bothell. Mountlake Terrace also has three private schools: Brighton Evergreen School, Cedar Park Christian School, and St Pius X Catholic School.

City Infrastructure

Getting Around (Transportation)

Mountlake Terrace station, a major bus hub and light rail station

Mountlake Terrace is located about 13 miles (21 km) north of Downtown Seattle on Interstate 5. Interstate 5 has exits at State Route 104 (244th Street Southwest), 236th Street Southwest, and 220th Street Southwest. State Route 104 is a main highway that connects the city to Lake Forest Park and Edmonds. From Edmonds, you can take a state ferry to the Kitsap Peninsula. The city's western edge also touches State Route 99, which goes south to Seattle and north to Everett.

Public transportation in Mountlake Terrace is mainly provided by Community Transit and Sound Transit. Community Transit runs local bus routes that connect Mountlake Terrace's neighborhoods to Edmonds, Lynnwood, and Brier. The main transit center in the city is Mountlake Terrace station. It opened in 2009 and has 890 parking spots. This station is served by the 1 Line of Sound Transit's regional Link light rail system. The light rail was extended to Lynnwood in August 2024. It connects Mountlake Terrace to the University District, Downtown Seattle, and Seattle–Tacoma International Airport. King County Metro also runs local bus service to the station from Shoreline, Lake Forest Park, and Kenmore.

Utilities and Services

The city gets its electric power from the Snohomish County Public Utility District (PUD). This is a public company that serves all of Snohomish County. Puget Sound Energy provides natural gas service to homes and businesses in Mountlake Terrace. The city government works with Waste Management for curbside garbage, recycling, and yard waste collection. There is also a county transfer station in Mountlake Terrace where waste can be dropped off.

Mountlake Terrace is part of the Alderwood Water and Wastewater District. This district provides tap water and sewage treatment services to most of southern Snohomish County. The drinking water comes from the Spada Lake reservoir in the Cascade Mountains. It is treated and fluoridated by the City of Everett. The city government has a 2.5 million US gallon (9,500 kl) water tank at Jack Block Park. This tank holds extra water for fires and to help with water pressure. Sewage from Mountlake Terrace is mostly sent to the City of Edmonds for treatment.

Healthcare

The closest general hospital to Mountlake Terrace is the Edmonds branch of the Swedish Medical Center. While the city does not have general medical clinics, healthcare providers like The Everett Clinic have considered Mountlake Terrace as a place for future clinics.

Images for kids

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  Welcome sign at Interstate 5 and 236th Street Southwest

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  Location of Mountlake Terrace, Washington

See also

In Spanish: Mountlake Terrace (Washington) para niños