North Bend is a

city A city is a human settlement of a substantial size. The term "city" has different meanings around the world and in some places the settlement can be very small. Even where the term is limited to larger settlements, there is no universally agree ...

in King County, Washington, United States, on the outskirts of the Seattle metropolitan area. The population was 7,461 at the 2020 census. The city is 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 ...

on Interstate 90 and lies in the foothills of 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 ...

near Snoqualmie Pass. Since the closure of Weyerhaeuser's Snoqualmie sawmill, North Bend has become a prosperous bedroom community for Seattle and Bellevue. The city was made famous by

David Lynch David Keith Lynch (January 20, 1946 – January 16, 2025) was an American filmmaker, visual artist, musician, and actor. Widely considered one of the greatest filmmakers of all time, Lynch was often called a "visionary" and received acclaim f ...

's television series ''

Twin Peaks ''Twin Peaks'' is an American Surrealist cinema, surrealist Mystery film, mystery-Horror film, horror Drama (film and television), drama television series created by Mark Frost and David Lynch. It Pilot (Twin Peaks), premiered on American Broad ...

'', which was partially filmed in North Bend. The community is also home to Nintendo North Bend, the main North American production facility and distribution center for the

video game console A video game console is an electronic device that Input/output, outputs a video signal or image to display a video game that can typically be played with a game controller. These may be home video game console, home consoles, which are generally ...

manufacturer

Nintendo is a Japanese Multinational corporation, multinational video game company headquartered in Kyoto. It develops, publishes, and releases both video games and video game consoles. The history of Nintendo began when craftsman Fusajiro Yamauchi ...

History

The Snoqualmie Indian Tribe has resided in the Snoqualmie Prairie, including the area now known as North Bend, for thousands of years. This prairie southeast of Snoqualmie Falls was the ancestral home, hunting and forage grounds for the Snoqualmie people and was located in the upper Snoqualmie Valley near the Snoqualmie River fork confluence, Mount Si, and the western foothills of the

. One of the first American explorers to the upper Snoqualmie Valley was Samuel Hancock, who arrived in 1851. Hancock traveled upriver with his Snoqualmie guides, fording canoes around the falls to reach Snoqualmie Prairie, searching for coal deposits. He was taken to a "very extensive and fertile prairie" about two miles above Snoqualmie Falls.Ada S. Hill, ''A History of the Snoqualmie Valley'' (North Bend: Snoqualmie Valley Historical Society, 1970, fifth printing, 1981) The beautiful open grassland came to be known as the Snoqualmie Prairie, the heart of which is now known as Tollgate and Meadowbrook farms. The Snoqualmies, led by Chief Patkanim, later sided with early settlers in the 1850s Indian Wars and were one of the signatory tribes of the Treaty of Point Elliott in 1855, which failed to designate an

Indian reservation An American Indian reservation is an area of land land tenure, held and governed by a List of federally recognized tribes in the contiguous United States#Description, U.S. federal government-recognized Native American tribal nation, whose gov ...

for the Snoqualmies. Some of the soldiers in those wars, such as the Kellogg brothers, established cabins near abandoned U.S. Army blockhouses; however, the most well known American resident in the valley was Jeremiah Borst, who arrived in 1858.* After the Homestead Act of 1862, more settlers ventured to the Snoqualmie Valley, with the first families settling near Borst on the easterly end of Snoqualmie Prairie. In 1865, Matts Peterson homesteaded the site that ultimately became North Bend. In 1879, Peterson sold the property to Borst and moved east of the Cascades. Borst wrote to Will Taylor, who had left the

Pacific Northwest The Pacific Northwest (PNW; ) is a geographic region in Western North America bounded by its coastal waters of the Pacific Ocean to the west and, loosely, by the Rocky Mountains to the east. Though no official boundary exists, the most common ...

to pursue mining in California, and offered him the Peterson homestead in exchange for labor. Taylor returned and became the driving force in developing the city while expanding his property to include a thriving trading post and boarding house for travelers over Snoqualmie Pass. On February 16, 1889, with the upcoming railroad boom, Taylor formally platted a city including his farm, upcoming street plans and building lots, giving it the name "Snoqualmie Prairie". Later that summer, competing Seattle land speculators subsequently platted nearby "Snoqualmie Falls", choosing a similar name. Pressured by demands of the Seattle, Lake Shore and Eastern Railway to avoid confusion, Taylor reluctantly renamed his city "Mountain View". However, the U.S. Post Office Department objected to "Mountain View", as a city with that name already existed in northern Whatcom County. To conclude the matter Taylor agreed to permanently rename the community "North Bend", after its prime location near the large northward bend of the South and Middle Fork of the Snoqualmie River. Taylor was proud of his new, thriving city, but by historical accounts, "He never got over having his city name taken away." North Bend was officially incorporated on March 12, 1909, and grew throughout the 20th century, with an early economic focus on logging, sawmill production, agricultural and dairy farming. The city government issued a moratorium on new construction in April 1999 after it exceeded the limits on its existing water rights to pump groundwater. It was lifted in 2009 after North Bend secured an agreement with Seattle Public Utilities to provide water and construction of a new pipeline from the Cedar River watershed. North Bend, which had transitioned into a bedroom community by the late 20th century, began attracting recreation and outdoors businesses in the 2010s. The city also developed tourist activities centered around the 1990s television series ''

'', which was partially filmed in North Bend, Snoqualmie, and Fall City.

Geography

North Bend is located in the foothills of the

, east of

in the upper valley of the Snoqualmie River. The city is bordered to the northwest by the city of Snoqualmie. Both communities lie near the center of the Mountains to Sound Greenway. North Bend is located near the geographic center of King County. Mount Si, the most prominent geological feature nearby, looms over the town. To the south is Rattlesnake Ridge. Mount Si stands at and towers above the town, itself at around . A trail zigzags up to the summit with a vertical climb of . 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 city has a total area of , of which are land and are water. North Bend annexed some neighborhoods near the Tanner and Stilson areas on July 6, 2009.

Climate

North Bend's climate (border between '' Cfb'' and '' Csb'' in 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 ...

) is warm and generally dry during the summer when high temperatures tend to be in the 70s and mild to cold during the winter when high temperatures tend to be in the 30s and 40s. The town's location in the foothills means that it receives significantly higher annual precipitation than other suburbs to the west, and also translates into heavier snowfall in the winter. The all-time record high temperature is set during the 2021 Western North America heat wave. The warmest month of the year is August with an average maximum temperature of , while the coldest month of the year is January with an average minimum temperature of . The annual average precipitation in North Bend is with of snowfall. Winter months tend to be wetter than summer months.

Demographics

As of the 2022

American Community Survey The American Community Survey (ACS) is an annual demographics survey program conducted by the United States Census Bureau. It regularly gathers information previously contained only in the long form of the United States census, decennial census ...

, there are 2,797 estimated households in North Bend with an average of 2.67 persons per household. The city has a median household income of $171,078. Approximately 6.1% of the city's population lives at or below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

. North Bend has an estimated 71.0% employment rate, with 56.0% of the population holding a bachelor's degree or higher and 95.8% holding a high school diploma.

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, there were 7,461 people, 2,775 households, and 2,031 families residing in the city. 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 2,951 housing units. The racial makeup of the city was 81.2%

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 ...

, 0.8%

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 ...

, 0.8% Native American, 4.1% Asian, 0.2%

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 ...

, 2.9% from some other races and 10.1% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 8.2% of the population. 22.8% of residents were under the age of 18, 6.5% were under 5 years of age, and 13.0% were 65 and older.

2010 census

As of the 2010 census, there were 5,731 people, 2,210 households, and 1,487 families residing in the city. The

was . There were 2,348 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 90.7% White, 0.5% African American, 0.9% Native American, 1.6% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 2.5% from other races, and 3.6% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 6.4% of the population. There were 2,210 households, of which 39.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.9% were

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, 10.0% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.4% had a male householder with no wife present, and 32.7% were non-families. 24.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.57 and the average family size was 3.10. The median age in the city was 38.7 years. 26.8% of residents were under the age of 18; 6.8% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 27.6% were from 25 to 44; 29.4% were from 45 to 64; and 9.4% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 49.3% male and 50.7% female.

2000 census

As of the 2000 census, there were 4,746 people, 1,841 households, and 1,286 families residing in the city. The

was . There were 1,889 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 92.01% White, 0.70% African American, 1.03% Native American, 2.23% Asian, 0.17% Pacific Islander, 1.45% from other races, and 2.40% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 3.79% of the population. There were 1,841 households, out of which 37.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.1% were

living together, 8.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.1% were non-families. 23.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.53 and the average family size was 3.01. In the city the population was 27.3% under the age of 18, 6.7% from 18 to 24, 37.1% from 25 to 44, 18.4% from 45 to 64, and 10.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.0 males. The median income for a household in the city was $61,534, and the median income for a family was $69,402. Males had a median income of $57,333 versus $38,401 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the city was $28,229. About 2.1% of families and 4.7% of the population were below the

, including 5.1% of those under age 18 and 3.0% of those age 65 or over.

Culture

Historic McGrath Hotel

The McGrath Hotel is located on the site of the cabin of William Henry Taylor, who platted North Bend in 1889. In October 1921, Jack McGrath and his wife Caroline purchased the site of their future venture, McGrath's Café; construction was completed as a one-story restaurant in 1922. In early 1926 the building was expanded two window bays westward, creating the hotel lobby (now the restaurant bar), and a second story was added to the entire structure to accommodate the hotel rooms of the new McGrath Hotel. After several years of deferred maintenance, the McGrath was purchased in 2000 by a local couple who spent two years rehabilitating the building. It is now listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

. The first floor currently houses a popular restaurant, the Iron Duck Public House.

Historic North Bend Theatre

On April 9, 1941, the North Bend Theatre opened its doors. Built at a cost of $12,000 with 400 seats, the 4,000 square foot theater's occupancy is now 265 and it has continued operating as an independent movie theater since its opening day through seven family ownerships. In 1999, the theatre underwent a major renovation. In 2013, the theater was once more saved from extinction by a successful $100,000+ fundraiser to convert the projection system from 35mm cellulose to 4K digital video. During this series of renovations every part of the building was improved without sacrificing the distinctive character of this 1941 Art Deco theater. The renovation was awarded a Spellman Award, a King County honor, for the efforts. The movie house hosted the opening premier of the

movie, '' Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me''.

Valley Center Stage Community Theater

Valley Center Stage is a downtown community theater that promotes the performing arts in all its aspects. The theater has regular shows featuring classics and comedy. In addition, the theater offers opportunities to valley residents to participate in the theater's productions.

Snoqualmie Valley Historical Museum

The Snoqualmie Valley Historical Museum, operated by the Snoqualmie Valley Historical Society, has been sharing the history of the Snoqualmie Valley for over 50 years.

North Bend Visitor Center & Mountain View Art Gallery

The Visitors Information Center is operated by the North Bend Downtown Foundation and represents a significant step towards downtown revitalization and growing community pride through volunteer efforts. The Mountain View Gallery features local artwork and hosts special events for the community throughout the year. The modern Northwest Regional style center features easy to use touchscreen computers for visitors to access a variety of information on local attractions and history.

Transportation

North Bend is located east of Seattle on Interstate 90, which continues over Snoqualmie Pass to Spokane. The town also has regular bus service to Issaquah provided by

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 ...

, which also has seasonal weekend shuttles from Seattle to North Bend and hiking areas in the Issaquah Alps. An express bus with service to Downtown Seattle was eliminated in September 2014. Metro also manages a number of

vanpool Vanpools or vanpooling is an element of the transit system that allow groups of people to share the ride similar to a carpool, but on a larger scale with concurrent savings in fuel and vehicle operating costs and thus usually a lower cost to the ...

s from North Bend. Snoqualmie Valley Transportation operates a community shuttle bus route between North Bend and Monroe with funding from Metro, the

Washington State Department of Transportation The Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT or WashDOT, both ) is a governmental agency that constructs, maintains, and regulates the use of transportation infrastructure in the U.S. state of Washington (state), Washington. Establi ...

, and the Snoqualmie Tribe. North Bend has a city trail system that also connects with the regional network. The Snoqualmie Valley Regional Trail stretches from Duvall through Carnation, Fall City, Snoqualmie, and North Bend to Rattlesnake Lake. This trail connects to the Palouse to Cascades State Park Trail (which goes clear across Washington to the

Idaho Idaho ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest and Mountain states, Mountain West subregions of the Western United States. It borders Montana and Wyoming to the east, Nevada and Utah to the south, and Washington (state), ...

border) and to the city of Snoqualmie's extensive trail network. North Bend also has its own city trail system in downtown, the Si View neighborhood and along the South Fork of the Snoqualmie River in several places.

Parks and recreation

Outdoor recreation opportunities include hiking, fishing, mountain biking, climbing, river sports, wildlife observation, and enjoying scenic areas, all within town limits, not to mention the vast recreational playground immediately surrounding the town. 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 and William Henry Taylor Park.

Gallery

File:North Bend Ranger Station 01.jpg, North Bend Ranger Station, 1936 File:Snoqualmie Valley Historical Museum.jpg, Snoqualmie Valley Historical Museum - Downtown North Bend File:North Bend, WA from the west.jpg, Downtown North Bend as seen from the North Bend Way Bridge File:2008-04-26, Twede's Cafe, North Bend, Washington.jpg, Twede's Café (Mar-T Café) - founded 1941 "Twin Peaks: Double R Diner" File:2004-09-05, McGrath Cafe and Hotel, North Bend, Washington.jpg, Historic McGrath Hotel - founded 1922, currently the Iron Duck Public House File:North Bend, WA - Si View Park 02.jpg, Historic Si View Community Center & Park - founded 1938 File:North Bend, WA - movie theater.jpg, Historic North Bend Theatre - founded 1941, Art Deco style- fully restored and updated File:North Bend railway station 2011.jpg, Northwest Railway Museum - North Bend Railroad Depot File:North Bend, WA - William Henry Taylor Railroad Park 03A.jpg, William Henry Taylor Railroad Park & Community Open Space Image:SiView Neighborhood Rattlesnake Ridge.JPG, Si View neighborhood, Rattlesnake Ridge in background File:Historic Scott's Dairy Freeze - Founded 1949.jpg, Historic Scott's Dairy Freeze - oldest Puget Sound fast food restaurant, founded 1951 File:North Bend City Hall.jpg, North Bend City Hall File:North Bend Community Church 02.jpg, North Bend Community Church - founded 1898 File:North Bend, WA public library 01A.jpg, North Bend Public Library - founded 1946 File:North Bend, WA 01.jpg, Historic Sunset Garage - under restoration File:North Bend, WA - Cook Building.jpg, Historic Cook Building - restored File:North Bend Visitor Information Center & Mountain View Art Gallery.jpg, North Bend Visitor Center & Mountain View Art Gallery

Economy

Throughout the 20th century North Bend has maintained gradual growth with an early economic focus on logging, sawmill production, agricultural and dairy farming. Currently, North Bend is for the largest part a bedroom community to Bellevue and

. In addition, North Bend has a growing tourism economy centered around the North Bend Premium Outlet Mall, Northwest Railway Museum train activities and Snoqualmie Pass recreational commerce related to hiking, backpacking, mountain biking, skiing, snowboarding and cross-country skiing. North Bend also has approximately 400 employees working for

North Bend.

Government and police

The town has a

mayor–council government A mayor–council government is a system of local government in which a mayor who is directly elected by the voters acts as chief executive, while a separately elected city council constitutes the legislative body. It is one of the two most comm ...

with a seven-member city council that meets twice a month. The mayor is a separate position with four-year terms. Mary Miller was elected mayor in 2023. North Bend leans Democratic much like the rest of King County, giving a majority of the vote to

Joe Biden Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. (born November 20, 1942) is an American politician who was the 46th president of the United States from 2021 to 2025. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he served as the 47th vice p ...

in the 2020 presidential election. Law enforcement services in North Bend have changed hands several times. From 1973 until March 8, 2014, the town contracted with the King County Sheriff's Office for law enforcement services within town limits. It was KCSO's longest standing contract at the time of its conclusion. Since March 8, 2014, the town has contracted for law enforcement services with the City of Snoqualmie Police Department.

Landmarks

King County and the city of North Bend have designated the following landmarks:

References

External links

City of North Bend – official website

Snoqualmie Valley Chamber of Commerce
{{Authority control Cities in King County, Washington Cities in the Seattle metropolitan area Cities in Washington (state)