Edmonds, Washington
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Edmonds is a city in Snohomish County, Washington, United States. Edmonds has a view of the Puget Sound and both the Olympic Mountains and Cascade Range.
As of the 2000 census, the city population was 39,515 (40,014 estimated in July 2002).
Based on per capita income, one of the more reliable measures of affluence, Edmonds ranks 37th of 522 areas in the state of Washington to be ranked.
Edmonds is a port in the Washington State Ferries system. Currently, the only ferry from Edmonds is a short run to Kingston, Washington; in the past, there have been much longer routes from Edmonds to Port Townsend, Washington. [7]
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[edit] History
Logger George Brackett founded Edmonds in 1890, naming the city after Vermont Sen. George Franklin Edmunds.[1] Edmonds was officially incorporated on August 14, 1890.
[edit] The Edmonds Fountain/Gazebo
One of the major landmarks of Edmonds, the fountain has been a source of major local contention over the past decades. The current Edmonds Fountain is located in the center of the roundabout at Main St. and 5th. Originally built as a plain, whitewashed wooden gazebo over a fountain in 1970, it was wrecked in 1998 from a car crash. The city council and subsquent "Gazebo" subcommittee decided to rebuild. The gazebo was rebuilt a year later, reinforced with stronger wood supports. In 2006, a drunk, Edmonds-Woodway High School teenage driver crashed into the gazebo at night.[2] The resulting discussion over to rebuild or simply landscape the center of the roundabout lasted over a year. Finally, a decision was made to rebuild the gazebo/fountain, this time with steel rods extending from the main pillars deep underground.
[edit] Geography
Edmonds resides at (47.807868, -122.360133).GR1
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 47.8 km² (18.4 mi²). 23.1 km² (8.9 mi²) of it is land and 24.7 km² (9.5 mi²) of it (51.68%) is water.
[edit] Demographics
As of the censusGR2 of 2000, there were 39,515 people, 16,904 households, and 10,818 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,714.3/km² (4,437.6/mi²). There were 17,508 housing units at an average density of 759.5/km² (1,966.2/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 87.73% White, 1.34% African American, 0.80% Native American, 5.56% Asian, 0.26% Pacific Islander, 1.26% from other races, and 3.05% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.32% of the population.
There were 16,904 households out of which 26.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.0% were married couples living together, 8.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.0% were non-families. 29.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.32 and the average family size was 2.85.
In the city the population was spread out with 20.6% under the age of 18, 7.0% from 18 to 24, 27.4% from 25 to 44, 28.3% from 45 to 64, and 16.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 89.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.3 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $53,522, and the median income for a family was $66,126. Males had a median income of $46,226 versus $33,863 for females. The per capita income for the city was $30,076. About 2.6% of families and 4.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.9% of those under age 18 and 3.3% of those age 65 or over.
[edit] Schools
High Schools: Edmonds-Woodway High School (EWHS)
Middle Schools: College Place Middle (CPM)
Elementary Schools: Chase Lake Elementary, College Place Elementary, Edmonds Elementary, Evergreen Elementary, Seaview Elementary, Sherwood Elementary, Westgate Elementary, and Woodway Elementary
K-8 Schools: Maplewood, Madrona K-8, and Terrace Park K-8
[edit] Parks
Due to its hill/coast topography, Edmonds boasts a variety of parks and recreational uses.[3]
[edit] Land Parks
- Yost Park
- City Park
- Sierra Park
- Seaview
[edit] Coastal Parks
- Brackett's Landing: major departure point for the Seattle area's scuba diving community.
- Underwater Park
- Edmonds Marsh
- Marina Beach: includes O.L.A (off-leash area)/Dog Park in southern region, one of Seattle-metro area's few off leash areas for dogs and their owners.[4]
[edit] The Arts
In 2006, the Edmonds Center for the Arts was opened.[5] This is one of two current theatres available for general performing arts, the other being the theatre at Edmonds-Woodway High School.
[edit] Drama
Edmonds has one permanent, privately-funded drama group, The Driftwood Players. Their theatre, the Wade James Theatre, is located at 950 Main St., adjacent to Yost Park. Usually, they have 4-5 main preformances per season, supplemented with short, one night plays. They have been present in the community since 1957.[6]
[edit] Periodicals
The Edmonds community is home to two weekly publications. The "Edmonds Enterprise" and the 'Edmonds Beacon'. The opinion pages of these two newspapers have had major influence on city council decisions, building code enforcement, dog park rule enforcement and local elections. Most notably, they provide a public forum for long and short heated debates.
[edit] Notable Locals
Birthplace of:
- Ken Jennings, popular Jeopardy! contestant
Hometown of:
- Rick Steves, the well-known travel writer
- Rosalynn Sumners, the Olympic figure skating medalist
- Steven Bailey, actor
- David Bazan, musician
- Anna Faris, actress
- Alex Mindt, author
- Martell Webster, guard for the Portland Trailblazers, as of 2007
[edit] Sister City
Edmonds has one sister city, according to [8] and [9]:
[edit] Transportation
[edit] References
- ^ Seattle PI (2007). [1] Retrieved February 13, 2007.
- ^ KOMO TV (2007). [2] Retrieved February 13, 2007.
- ^ City of Edmonds (2007). [3] Retrieved February 13, 2007.
- ^ O.L.A.E (2007). [4] Retrieved February 13, 2007.
- ^ Edmonds Center for the Arts (2007) [5] Retrieved February 13, 2007.
- ^ Driftwood Players History (2007). [6] Retrieved February 13, 2007.
[edit] External links
- City of Edmonds
- Maps and aerial photos
- Street map from Google Maps, or Yahoo! Maps, or Windows Live Local
- Satellite image from Google Maps, Windows Live Local, WikiMapia
- Topographic map from TopoZone
- Aerial image or topographic map from TerraServer-USA
- Nearby hiking trails on Hikipedia
 Edmonds Ferry Dock |
 Otter Chimera |
 Edmonds Fountain at 5th and Main |
 Water Street |
