The town is about 30 miles (48 km) east of Seattle. It sits in the foothills of the Cascade Range of mountains, close to Snoqualmie Pass. Years ago, a large sawmill closed down. Since then, North Bend has become a popular place for people who work in Seattle or Bellevue to live.

Many people know North Bend from the TV show Twin Peaks. Parts of the show were filmed right here! It is also home to Nintendo North Bend. This is a big factory and shipping center for the video game company Nintendo in North America.

History of North Bend
Geography and Climate
- North Bend's Weather
People of North Bend
- How Diverse is North Bend?
Culture and Fun Things to Do
Getting Around North Bend
Parks and Outdoor Fun
Economy of North Bend
Landmarks to See
Images for kids
See also

History of North Bend

The Snoqualmie Indian Tribe has lived in the Snoqualmie Prairie for thousands of years. This area, including what is now North Bend, was their home. It was a place where they hunted and gathered food. This prairie is located near Snoqualmie Falls and Mount Si.

One of the first American explorers to visit the Snoqualmie Valley was Samuel Hancock in 1851. He traveled with Snoqualmie guides, looking for coal. They found a large, fertile prairie. This beautiful grassland became known as the Snoqualmie Prairie.

After 1862, more settlers came to the Snoqualmie Valley. The first families settled near Jeremiah Borst, who arrived in 1858. In 1865, Matts Peterson settled on the land that became North Bend. He later sold it to Borst.

Borst then offered the land to Will Taylor. Taylor returned to the area and helped develop the town. He built a trading post and a place for travelers to stay. On February 16, 1889, Taylor officially planned out the town. He called it "Snoqualmie Prairie."

Later that summer, other land developers named their nearby town "Snoqualmie Falls." To avoid confusion, Taylor reluctantly renamed his town "Mountain View." However, the U.S. Post Office said there was already a town with that name. So, Taylor agreed to permanently rename the community "North Bend." He chose this name because of its location near a large northward bend in the Snoqualmie River. North Bend officially became a town on March 12, 1909. It grew by focusing on logging, sawmills, and farming.

In 1999, the city stopped new construction for a while. This was because they did not have enough water rights. In 2009, this ban was lifted after North Bend made a deal with Seattle Public Utilities for water. By the late 1900s, North Bend became a place where people lived but worked elsewhere. In the 2010s, it started attracting businesses related to outdoor activities. The city also developed tourism around the 1990s TV series Twin Peaks, which was filmed there.

Geography and Climate

North Bend is located in the foothills of the Cascade Range. It is about 30 miles (48 km) east of Seattle. The city is in the upper valley of the Snoqualmie River. The city of Snoqualmie borders it to the northwest. Both towns are part of the Mountains to Sound Greenway.

Mount Si is a very tall mountain that stands over the town. To the south is Rattlesnake Ridge. Mount Si is 4,167 feet (1,270 meters) tall. The town itself is about 440 feet (134 meters) high. A 4-mile (6.4 km) trail goes up to the top of Mount Si. It climbs 3,500 feet (1,067 meters) in height.

According to the United States Census Bureau, North Bend covers 4.42 square miles (11.45 km²). Most of this area is land, with a small amount of water. In 2009, North Bend added some nearby neighborhoods to its city limits.

North Bend's Weather

North Bend has warm and generally dry summers. High temperatures are usually in the 70s °F (20s °C). Winters are mild to cold, with high temperatures in the 30s and 40s °F (0s to 10s °C). Because it is in the foothills, North Bend gets more rain and snow than other nearby towns.

The hottest temperature ever recorded was 115 °F (46 °C) during a heat wave in 2021. August is usually the warmest month, with an average high of 77 °F (25 °C). January is the coldest month, with an average low of 29 °F (-2 °C). North Bend gets about 59.1 inches (1,501 mm) of rain each year. It also gets about 14.7 inches (37 cm) of snow. Winter months are usually wetter than summer months.

Climate data for North Bend, Washington
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Record high °F (°C)	67 (19)	75 (24)	79 (26)	90 (32)	97 (36)	115 (46)	105 (41)	102 (39)	98 (37)	95 (35)	75 (24)	67 (19)	115 (46)
Mean daily maximum °F (°C)	40 (4)	44 (7)	52 (11)	59 (15)	65 (18)	71 (22)	76 (24)	77 (25)	70 (21)	59 (15)	48 (9)	42 (6)	59 (15)
Mean daily minimum °F (°C)	29 (−2)	32 (0)	36 (2)	40 (4)	44 (7)	49 (9)	51 (11)	51 (11)	47 (8)	42 (6)	37 (3)	30 (−1)	41 (5)
Record low °F (°C)	−11 (−24)	−9 (−23)	8 (−13)	24 (−4)	26 (−3)	31 (−1)	36 (2)	35 (2)	30 (−1)	23 (−5)	2 (−17)	−2 (−19)	−11 (−24)
Average precipitation inches (mm)	8.25 (210)	5.88 (149)	6.58 (167)	5.31 (135)	3.49 (89)	2.84 (72)	1.31 (33)	1.49 (38)	2.97 (75)	5.46 (139)	7.59 (193)	9.31 (236)	60.48 (1,536)
Average snowfall inches (cm)	4.0 (10)	4.8 (12)	1.3 (3.3)	0 (0)	0 (0)	0 (0)	0 (0)	0 (0)	0 (0)	0 (0)	1.6 (4.1)	3.8 (9.7)	15.5 (39.1)
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.05 in)	21	18	19	17	15	12	6	7	10	16	20	21	182
Source: http://www.wrcc.dri.edu/cgi-bin/cliMAIN.pl?wa7773

People of North Bend

Historical population
Census	Pop.	%±
1910	299	—
1920	387	29.4%
1930	548	41.6%
1940	646	17.9%
1950	787	21.8%
1960	945	20.1%
1970	1,625	72.0%
1980	1,701	4.7%
1990	2,578	51.6%
2000	4,746	84.1%
2010	5,731	20.8%
2020	7,461	30.2%
2023 (est.)	8,268	44.3%
U.S. Decennial Census 2020 Census

In 2022, there were about 2,797 homes in North Bend. Each home had about 2.67 people living in it. The average income for a household was $171,078. About 6.1% of the people in the city lived below the poverty line.

About 71.0% of the people in North Bend have jobs. Many people in North Bend are well-educated. About 56.0% have a bachelor's degree or higher. Also, 95.8% have a high school diploma.

How Diverse is North Bend?

**North Bend, Washington – racial and ethnic composition**
*Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.*
Race / ethnicity (NH = non-Hispanic)	Pop. 2000	Pop. 2010	Pop. 2020	% 2000	% 2010	% 2020
White alone (NH)	4,271	5,028	5,905	89.99%	87.73%	79.14%
Black or African American alone (NH)	32	24	51	0.67%	0.42%	0.68%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)	49	51	52	1.03%	0.89%	0.70%
Asian alone (NH)	106	88	303	2.23%	1.54%	4.06%
Pacific Islander alone (NH)	7	7	14	0.15%	0.12%	0.19%
Other race alone (NH)	3	6	23	0.06%	0.10%	0.31%
Mixed race or multiracial (NH)	98	160	501	2.06%	2.79%	6.71%
Hispanic or Latino (any race)	180	367	612	3.79%	6.40%	8.20%
Total	4,746	5,731	7,461	100.00%	100.00%	100.00%

In 2020, there were 7,461 people living in North Bend. There were 2,775 households and 2,031 families. The city had about 1,716 people per square mile (662 per km²).

The people living in North Bend were mostly White (81.2%). There were also African American (0.8%), Native American (0.8%), and Asian (4.1%) residents. About 0.2% were Pacific Islander. About 2.9% were from other races, and 10.1% were from two or more races. People of Hispanic or Latino background made up 8.2% of the population.

About 22.8% of residents were under 18 years old. About 6.5% were under 5 years old. And 13.0% were 65 years or older.

Culture and Fun Things to Do

North Bend has several interesting places and activities.

Historic McGrath Hotel

The McGrath Hotel is on the land where William Henry Taylor's cabin once stood. Taylor was the person who planned North Bend in 1889. In 1921, Jack and Caroline McGrath bought the site. They built a one-story restaurant called McGrath's Café in 1922. In 1926, they added more space and a second story to create the McGrath Hotel.

After some time, a local couple bought the McGrath in 2000. They spent two years fixing it up. Now, it is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The first floor is currently a popular restaurant called the Iron Duck Public House.

Historic North Bend Theatre

The North Bend Theatre first opened on April 9, 1941. It cost $12,000 to build and had 400 seats. Today, it can seat 265 people. This theater has been showing movies since it opened. It has been owned by seven different families.

In 1999, the theater was greatly improved. In 2013, people raised over $100,000 to save the theater again. This money helped change the movie system from old film to modern 4K digital video. During these changes, every part of the building was made better. But they kept the special look of this 1941 Art Deco theater. The theater even hosted the first showing of the David Lynch movie, Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me.

Valley Center Stage Community Theater

Valley Center Stage is a local theater in downtown North Bend. It helps promote performing arts. The theater often has shows, including classic plays and comedies. It also gives people in the valley a chance to act in its productions.

Snoqualmie Valley Historical Museum

The Snoqualmie Valley Historical Museum shares the history of the Snoqualmie Valley. It has been doing this for over 50 years. The museum is run by the Snoqualmie Valley Historical Society.

North Bend Visitor Center & Mountain View Art Gallery

The Visitors Information Center is run by the North Bend Downtown Foundation. It helps make downtown North Bend a better place. The Mountain View Gallery inside the center shows art from local artists. It also hosts special events for the community. The center has easy-to-use touchscreens for visitors. They can find information about local attractions and history.

Getting Around North Bend

North Bend is about 30 miles (48 km) east of Seattle on Interstate 90. This highway continues over Snoqualmie Pass to Spokane. The town also has bus service to Issaquah. This service is provided by King County Metro. Metro also has weekend shuttles from Seattle to North Bend for hikers.

North Bend has its own city trail system. This system connects to a larger network of trails. The Snoqualmie Valley Regional Trail is 31.5 miles (50.7 km) long. It goes through several towns, including North Bend, and ends at Rattlesnake Lake. This trail connects to the Palouse to Cascades State Park Trail. That trail goes all the way across Washington to the Idaho border. North Bend also has its own trails in downtown and along the Snoqualmie River.

Parks and Outdoor Fun

North Bend offers many outdoor activities. These include hiking, fishing, mountain biking, and climbing. You can also enjoy river sports and watch wildlife. All these activities are available within the town or very close by.

Current city parks include:

Dahlgren Family Park
E.J. Roberts Park
Future Tennant Trailhead Park
Gardiner-Weeks Memorial Park
Meadowbrook Farm
Riverfront Park
Si View Neighborhood Park
Si View Park and Community Center
Snoqualmie Valley Trail
Tanner Trail
Tannerwood Neighborhood Park
Tollgate Farm
Tollgate Farm Park
Torguson Park
William Henry Taylor Park

Economy of North Bend

For many years, North Bend grew steadily. Its early economy focused on logging, sawmills, and farming. Today, North Bend is mostly a "bedroom community." This means many people live there but travel to work in Bellevue and Seattle.

North Bend also has a growing tourism economy. This is centered around the North Bend Premium Outlet Mall. There are also train activities at the Northwest Railway Museum. Many people visit for outdoor fun at Snoqualmie Pass. These activities include hiking, backpacking, mountain biking, skiing, snowboarding, and cross-country skiing. About 400 people also work for Nintendo North Bend.

Landmarks to See

King County and the city of North Bend have named several important landmarks:

Landmark	Built	Listed	Address
Camp Waskowitz Named after Fritz Waskowitz	1935	1992	45509 SE 150th Street, North Bend
Si View Pool and Activity Center (WPA Park Building)	1938-40	1984	400 SE Orchard Dr., North Bend
North Bend Historic Commercial District	1889–1960	2000	Bendigo Blvd. & No. Bend Way
Tollgate Farmhouse	c.1890	2002	SR 202 (near Boalch Avenue)

Images for kids

Downtown North Bend with Mount Si in 1900
Jeremiah Borst (1830–1890), an early settler in the Snoqualmie Valley
William Taylor (1853–1941), who founded North Bend
Downtown North Bend in 1943
North Bend Ranger Station, 1936
Snoqualmie Valley Historical Museum - Downtown North Bend
Downtown North Bend as seen from the North Bend Way Bridge
Twede's Café (Mar-T Café) - founded 1941 "Twin Peaks: Double R Diner"
Historic McGrath Hotel - founded 1922, currently the Iron Duck Public House
Historic Si View Community Center & Park - founded 1938
Historic North Bend Theatre - founded 1941, Art Deco style- fully restored and updated
Northwest Railway Museum - North Bend Railroad Depot
William Henry Taylor Railroad Park & Community Open Space
Si View neighborhood, Rattlesnake Ridge in background
Historic Scott's Dairy Freeze - oldest Puget Sound fast food restaurant, founded 1951
North Bend City Hall
North Bend Community Church - founded 1898
North Bend Public Library - founded 1946
Historic Sunset Garage - under restoration
Historic Cook Building - restored
North Bend Visitor Center & Mountain View Art Gallery