Fall City is an
unincorporated community
An unincorporated area is a parcel of land that is not governed by a local general-purpose municipal corporation. (At p. 178.) They may be governed or serviced by an encompassing unit (such as a county) or another branch of the state (such as th ...
and
census-designated place
A census-designated place (CDP) is a Place (United States Census Bureau), concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only.
CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counte ...
(CDP) in
King County,
Washington, United States, east of
Seattle
Seattle ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the 18th-most populous city in the United States. The city is the cou ...
. The community lies along the
Snoqualmie River
The Snoqualmie River is a long river in King County, Washington, King County and Snohomish County, Washington, Snohomish County in the U.S. state of Washington (state), Washington. The river's three main tributaries are the North, Middle, and So ...
and
Raging River
The Raging River is a tributary of the Snoqualmie River in western Washington state in the United States. It is located in the western foothills of the Cascade Mountains in east central King County, Washington. It gets its name from the large ...
. The population was 2,032 at the
2020 census.
History
The first settlements in the area were two forts built in 1856 during the
Puget Sound War
The Puget Sound War was an armed conflict that took place in the Puget Sound area of the state of Washington in 1855–56, between the United States military, local militias and members of the Native American tribes of the Nisqually, Muck ...
to protect future settlers against possible uprisings by the native population. Fort Patterson, a few miles downstream, and Fort Tilton, a few miles upstream, were built with the help of Indians led by Chief
Patkanim,
and both were abandoned within two years after interactions with the local tribes remained peaceful. A historical marker can be found north of Fall City on the Fish Hatchery Road where Fort Tilton once stood.
A trading post was established near the present-day location of the Last Frontier Saloon in 1869 and became a hub of the local economy. Fall City was known at the time as "The Landing", as shallow water and rapids upstream on the Snoqualmie were impassable to the large
dugout canoe
A dugout canoe or simply dugout is a boat made from a hollowed-out tree. Other names for this type of boat are logboat and monoxylon. ''Monoxylon'' (''μονόξυλον'') (pl: ''monoxyla'') is Greek''mono-'' (single) + '' ξύλον xylon'' (tr ...
s used to transport goods. In the early 1870s, the first local mill in the
Snoqualmie Valley was opened at the mouth of Tokul Creek, just downstream from
Snoqualmie Falls and just upstream from where Fall City would be. The Fall City post office opened June 10, 1872.
Small steamboats started ferrying supplies up the river in 1875. In the late 1880s, a group of Puget Sound businessmen founded and started building the
Seattle, Lake Shore and Eastern Railway
The Seattle, Lake Shore and Eastern Railway (SLS&E) was a railroad founded in Seattle, Washington, on April 28, 1885, with three tiers of purposes: Build and run the initial line to the town of Ballard, Seattle, Ballard, bring immediate results ...
, including a line up into the upper Snoqualmie Valley, in an attempt to build a line over the
Cascade Range
The Cascade Range or Cascades is a major mountain range of western North America, extending from southern British Columbia through Washington (state), Washington and Oregon to Northern California. It includes both non-volcanic mountains, such as m ...
. The land claim holder at the time,
Jeremiah "Jerry" Borst, had Fall City surveyed and platted in anticipation of the people the railroad would bring, but was disappointed in 1889 when the railroad line was built a mile (1.6 km) away from the community.
But even a mile away, the railroad, combined with the first bridge over the Snoqualmie River, greatly improved the local lumber mills' and farmers' business, and made the area and its scenic features (such as
Snoqualmie Falls) accessible to tourists. Hundreds moved to the area over the next two decades.
When the Sunset Highway connecting Seattle with eastern Washington through Fall City was improved in the early 1910s, it further accelerated the area's economic and residential development. By the late 1920s, most of the population either worked in the burgeoning tourist trade or commuted to work west toward
Issaquah and
Seattle
Seattle ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the 18th-most populous city in the United States. The city is the cou ...
.
The
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...
, followed by gasoline rationing during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, hurt Fall City's tourist trade. Tourism was further hampered after the war as
U.S. Highway 10 (now
Interstate 90
Interstate 90 (I-90) is an east–west transcontinental freeway and the longest Interstate Highway in the United States at . It begins in Seattle, Washington, and travels through the Pacific Northwest, Mountain states, Mountain West, Great Pla ...
) was rerouted south directly from
Preston to
North Bend, bypassing Fall City and Snoqualmie. The local economy suffered further as local logging mills started closing.
Fall City is a
bedroom community
A commuter town is a populated area that is primarily residential rather than commercial or industrial. Routine travel from home to work and back is called commuting, which is where the term comes from. A commuter town may be called by many o ...
to the high-tech industry of the
Seattle metropolitan area
The Seattle metropolitan area is an urban conglomeration in the U.S. state of Washington (state), Washington that comprises Seattle, its surrounding Satellite city, satellites and suburbs. The United States Census Bureau defines the Seattle–T ...
, with large suburban estates just outside the community juxtaposed with the historical homes and farmsteads built in its heyday.
Geography
Fall City is in central King County at the confluence of the
Snoqualmie River
The Snoqualmie River is a long river in King County, Washington, King County and Snohomish County, Washington, Snohomish County in the U.S. state of Washington (state), Washington. The river's three main tributaries are the North, Middle, and So ...
and the
Raging River
The Raging River is a tributary of the Snoqualmie River in western Washington state in the United States. It is located in the western foothills of the Cascade Mountains in east central King County, Washington. It gets its name from the large ...
. The rivers are sometimes flooded during the autumn and winter. More typical is a strong east wind as
pressure gradient
In hydrodynamics and hydrostatics, the pressure gradient (typically of air but more generally of any fluid) is a physical quantity that describes in which direction and at what rate the pressure increases the most rapidly around a particular locat ...
s carry higher pressure air across
Snoqualmie Pass and down the Snoqualmie Valley.
According to the
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...
, the CDP has a total area of , of which is land and or 1.52%, are water.
Climate
The area's climate has mild differences between highs and lows, and there is adequate rainfall year-round. According to the
Köppen Climate Classification
The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...
system, Fall City has a
marine west coast climate
An oceanic climate, also known as a marine climate or maritime climate, is the temperate climate sub-type in Köppen classification represented as ''Cfb'', typical of west coasts in higher middle latitudes of continents, generally featuring co ...
, abbreviated "Cfb" on climate maps.
Demographics
2020 census
As of the
2020 census, there were 2,032 people, 752 households, and 550 families residing in the CDP. The
population density
Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...
was . There were 783 housing units of which 31, or 4.0%, were vacant. The racial makeup of the CDP was 82.3%
White
White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...
, 0.2%
African American
African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...
, 1.2%
Native American, 1.9%
Asian, 0.3%
Pacific Islander
Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...
, 2.5% from some other races and 11.5% from two or more races.
Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 8.96% of the population. 23.0% of residents were under the age of 18, % were under 5 years of age, and % were 65 and older.
2010 census
As of the
2010 census, there were 1,993 people, 762 households and 561 families residing in the CDP. The population density was . There were 812 housing units, of which 50, or 6.2%, were vacant. The racial makeup of the CDP was 91.9%
White
White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...
, 0.2%
African American
African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...
, 1.0%
Native American, 1.0%
Asian, 0.1%
Native Hawaiian
Native Hawaiians (also known as Indigenous Hawaiians, Kānaka Maoli, Aboriginal Hawaiians, or simply Hawaiians; , , , and ) are the Indigenous peoples of Oceania, Indigenous Polynesians, Polynesian people of the Hawaiian Islands.
Hawaiʻi was set ...
or
Pacific Islander
Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...
, 2.6%
some other race, and 3.3% from two or more races.
Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 5.72% of the population.
Of the 762 households, 36.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.8% were headed by
married couples
Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...
living together, 10.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.4% were non-families. 19.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.6% were someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.62, and the average family size was 2.94.
In the CDP, 24.4% of the population were under the age of 18, 6.8% were from 18 to 24, 23.0% were from 25 to 44, 33.2% were from 45 to 64, and 12.5% were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42.7 years. For every 100 females there were 103.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 100.4 males.
Education
Fall City residents attend schools from the
Snoqualmie Valley School District.
Two schools in the Snoqualmie Valley School District are in Fall City: Fall City Elementary School and
Chief Kanim Middle School.
Transportation
Fall City is bisected by
State Route 202, a highway that traverses part of the Snoqualmie Valley between
Woodinville and
North Bend. It intersects
State Route 203, which connects to
Duvall and
Monroe
Monroe or Monroes may refer to:
People and fictional characters
* Monroe (surname)
* Monroe (given name)
* James Monroe, 5th President of the United States
* Marilyn Monroe, actress and model
Places United States
* Monroe, Arkansas, an unincorp ...
. The community has limited
public transit
Public transport (also known as public transit, mass transit, or simply transit) are forms of transport available to the general public. It typically uses a fixed schedule, route and charges a fixed fare. There is no rigid definition of wh ...
service provided by Snoqualmie Valley Transportation, which operates a shuttle from North Bend to Duvall with funding from
King County Metro
King County Metro, officially the King County Metro Transit Department and often shortened to Metro, is the public transit authority of King County, Washington, which includes the city of Seattle. It is the eighth-largest transit bus agency in t ...
.
The
Fall City Airport is a small private
airport community east of Fall City. The airport is owned by the Fall City Airport Association and has no
air traffic control
Air traffic control (ATC) is a service provided by ground-based air traffic controllers who direct aircraft on the ground and through a given section of controlled airspace, and can provide advisory services to aircraft in non-controlled air ...
tower.
[Federal Aviation Administration. "Fall City", September 2014 ]
References
External links
CDP of Fall City – unofficial websiteHistory of Fall Cityat
HistoryLink
HistoryLink is an online encyclopedia of Washington (state), Washington state history. The site has more than 8,100 entries and attracts 23,000 weekly visitors. It has 500 biographies and more than 14,000 images.
The non-profit historical organi ...
{{Authority control
Census-designated places in King County, Washington
Landmarks in King County, Washington
Populated places established in 1856