Shoreline, Washington

Shoreline is a city in King County, Washington, United States. It is located between the city limits of Seattle and the Snohomish County border, approximately north of Downtown Seattle. As of the 2020 census, the population of Shoreline was 58,608, making it the 22nd largest city in the state. Based on per capita income, one of the more reliable measures of affluence, Shoreline ranks 91st of 522 areas in the state of Washington to be ranked.

History

Coast Salish

The modern-day Shoreline area is within the historic territory of local Coast Salish peoples, now considered subgroups of the Duwamish. A trail stretched from Salmon Bay (šilšul), where Shilshole (šilšulabš) villages were, to Green Lake, and then traveled north through bogs that housed Licton Springs and the headwaters of the south fork of Thornton Creek, and continued up to Haller Lake. From there it wound through the peat bogs where Twin Ponds and Ronald Bog Parks are now. Large quantities of cranberries were once gathered at these bogs, as well as salmonberries and skunk cabbage along the banks of Thornton Creek. The x̌ax̌čuʔabš from Lake Union (x̌ax̌čuʔ) traveled to this area to gather cranberries.

From there the trail continued north to Echo Lake. There was a large burned area from Echo Lake, through the Richmond Highlands, and south to Bitter Lake, likely a clearing intentionally burned to maintain the harvest of roots like bracken fern and camas, berries, and hunting grounds. The trail forked at Echo Lake, one trail heading west to Richmond Beach and one trail continued north to Lake Ballinger. The šilšulabš had seasonal camps at Richmond Beach and Boeing Creek, which were notable sources of kinnikinnick and is commemorated in a local park name, Kayu Kayu Ac. At Lake Ballinger, the trail forked into three trails: northeast to Hall Lake and Scriber Lake and the surrounding marshes, southeast along McAleer Creek to the current Town Center at Lake Forest Park, and northwest to a large marsh that is now downtown Edmonds. The people who lived in Lake Forest Park and other winter villages along Lake Washington (x̌ačuʔ) were called x̌ačuʔabš.

Modern settlement

Shoreline as is now known began in 1890 with the platting of the neighborhood of Richmond Beach, on Puget Sound, in anticipation of the arrival of the Great Northern Railway the next year. Over the next two decades, Shoreline was connected to Seattle via the Seattle– Everett Interurban streetcar line (1906) and North Trunk Road (now Aurora Avenue N., State Route 99) (1913), helping to increase its population.

The name "Shoreline" was applied to this stretch of unincorporated King County in 1944 when it was given to the school district, since the school district boundaries stretched from "Shore to Shore" (Puget Sound to Lake Washington) and "Line to Line" (the old Seattle city limit of 85th St to the Snohomish County Line). Though the modern borders of the city do not stretch to Lake Washington, the area has kept the "Shoreline" name. From 1950 to 1957, it was the fastest-growing area in the Seattle metropolitan area, with a 64 percent population increase.

After the incorporation of Lake Forest Park in 1961, the remainder of the Shoreline School District remained an unincorporated portion of King County. The school district remained the main identifier for the area for several decades; a set of welcome signs were installed in 1983 by the Shoreline Chamber of Commerce bearing the name. The City of Seattle began studying an annexation of the area in 1988, causing local residents to organize an incorporation measure to retain their separate school system. A half-century after it had been named, on August 31, 1995, Shoreline was officially incorporated as a code city, and it adopted the council–manager form of government. It was the fourth-largest city in King County and tenth-largest in the state at the time of its incorporation.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which, is land and is water. The city of Shoreline also contains a gated community, The Highlands, which manages its utilities separately from Shoreline. The Richmond Beach neighborhood occupies the northwest corner of the city.

Neighborhoods

Shoreline is divided into 14 neighborhoods, according to the city government's designation. The neighborhood boundaries have been laid out more-or-less rectangularly according to street maps, rather than following socioeconomic or natural boundaries.

The city maintains a council of neighborhoods, with the intent of bringing together community leaders from each of the neighborhoods for discussions and coordination of city programs that affect the neighborhoods.

If its offer to annex Point Wells is accepted by the developer, Shoreline will extend into south Snohomish County. As of 2020, The Shoreline city government and Woodway government have discussed plans for subarea policies and development regulations in the event of annexation of Point Wells by either Shoreline or Woodway. The governments of both of the urban areas have taken steps to update their plans in accordance to their joint committee.

Economy

Companies and organizations based in Shoreline include Crista Ministries.

Demographics

2010 census

As of the 2010 census, there were 53,007 people, 21,561 households, and 13,168 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 22,787 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 71.4% White, 5.0% African American, 0.8% Native American, 15.2% Asian, 0.3% Pacific Islander, 2.2% from other races, and 5.1% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 6.6% of the population.

There were 21,561 households, of which 27.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.4% were married couples living together, 10.3% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.4% had a male householder with no wife present, and 38.9% were non-families. 29.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.39 and the average family size was 2.96.

The median age in the city was 42.1 years. 19.1% of residents were under the age of 18; 8.2% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 26.7% were from 25 to 44; 30.9% were from 45 to 64; and 15.2% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.7% male and 51.3% female.

2000 census

As of the 2000 census, there were 53,025 people, 20,716 households, and 13,486 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 21,338 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 76.99% White, 2.77% African American, 0.91% Native American, 13.23% Asian, 0.32% Pacific Islander, 1.51% from other races, and 4.27% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.87% of the population.

There were 20,716 households, out of which 30.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.2% were married couples living together, 10.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.9% were non-families. 26.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.50 and the average family size was 3.03.

In the city, the population was spread out, with 22.5% under the age of 18, 7.7% from 18 to 24, 30.4% from 25 to 44, 24.8% from 45 to 64, and 14.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.1 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $51,658, and the median income for a family was $61,450. Males had a median income of $40,955 versus $33,165 for females. The per capita income for the city was $24,959. About 4.4% of families and 6.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.1% of those under age 18 and 7.3% of those age 65 or over.

Government and politics

As a close-in suburb of Seattle, Shoreline's politics lean to the left. In recent years, its voting habits - as well as those of neighboring Lake Forest Park - have become even more similar to those of Seattle, overwhelmingly in support of Democratic politicians.

Police

Shoreline contracts with the King County Sheriff's Office for police services. Deputies assigned to Shoreline wear city uniforms and drive patrol cars marked with the city logo. As of 2012, there are 52 full-time employees assigned to the Shoreline Police Department. The Shoreline Police Department has a burglary/larceny unit, traffic unit, and a street crimes unit.

City landmarks

The City of Shoreline has designated the following landmarks:

In addition, the city designates the following "community landmark":

Parks and recreation

Shoreline's 25 parks hold a total of of park land. Boeing Creek and Shoreview Park, which abuts Shoreline Community College, contains Boeing Creek, flowing on its way to Hidden Lake and Puget Sound. Echo Lake is located within city limits, and contains Echo Lake Park. Other parks include Hamlin Park and Kruckeberg Botanic Garden.

Education

School districts

* Shoreline School District
** Shorecrest High School
** Shorewood High School
** Some of the schools, including Kellogg Middle School participate in an exchange student program with junior high students from Nichinan, in Tottori Prefecture of Japan.

A third high school, Shoreline High School, closed in June 1986 due to a decline in enrollment; its 1,000 students were divided between Shorecrest and Shorewood. The campus was retained by the school district for use as their headquarters and later became the Spartan Campus, which includes a public gymnasium, theater, and stadium.

Private schools

* King's Schools
* Shoreline Christian School
* The Evergreen School

Colleges

* Shoreline Community College

Infrastructure

Transportation

Shoreline is bisected by two major north–south highways: Interstate 5, the main inter-city freeway in Western Washington; and State Route 99 (Aurora Avenue), which travels south to Seattle and north to Everett. State Route 523 (145th Street) forms the southern boundary of the city and connects Interstate 5, State Route 99, and State Route 522 (Lake City Way). The Interurban Trail runs along State Route 99 and follows the route of the former Seattle–Everett interurban railway. It was constructed in the 2000s to connect Seattle with Everett and was completed within Shoreline in September 2007.

The city has two Link light rail stations near Interstate 5 that are served by Sound Transit's 1 Line: Shoreline South/148th station near the State Route 523 interchange; and Shoreline North/185th station near North City. Both stations have park-and-ride garages with a combined 1,000 stalls and will become termini for bus rapid transit lines. The county's King County Metro provides local and commuter bus service within Shoreline, which includes the RapidRide E Line on Aurora Avenue. It debuted one of its first paratransit vans in the then-unincorporated area in 1979 to address a need for east–west connections. The agency has a bus base, named North Base, along I-5 in Shoreline that opened in 1991.

Shoreline began a bicycle-sharing and scooter-sharing pilot in August 2024 with Lime.

Healthcare

The city is home to the Fircrest School, a facility for people with developmental disabilities that is run by the Washington Department of Social and Health Services. Its campus was previously used as a naval hospital during World War II and sanitarium before being repurposed in 1951. The Washington State Department of Health also operates a public health laboratory on a portion of the campus that was opened in 1985 and designated as a COVID-19 quarantine site in early 2020.

Notable people

* Michelle Akers, professional soccer player and Olympian
* Joaquin Avila, voting rights activist and lawyer
* Lauren Davis, politician and state legislator
* Josh Hawkinson, professional basketball player and Olympian
* Lori Henry, soccer player and coach
* George John, professional soccer player
* Grant Jones, landscape architect and poet
* Lee Seung-jun, professional basketball player
* Sanjaya Malakar, singer and ''American Idol'' finalist
* Charlie Ostrem, professional soccer player
* Edwin T. Pratt, civil rights activist
* Cindy Ryu, politician and state legislator
* Jesse Salomon, politician and state legislator
* Sinatraa, professional e-sports player and streamer
* Rick Stevenson, documentary filmmaker
* Marc Wilson, professional American football player
* Rainn Wilson, actor, comedian, and writer
* Katrina Young, diver and Olympian

Sister city

* Boryeong, South Chungcheong, South Korea (since 2002)

References

External links

*

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Cities in Washington (state)
Cities in King County, Washington
Cities in the Seattle metropolitan area
Populated places established in 1890
1890 establishments in Washington (state)
Populated places on Puget Sound