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Real Estate & Homes in Bellevue - Washington - Bellevue, Washington homes and communities
Bellevue
 The Jewel in the Crown
What started as a summer vacation town for Seattle businesspeople in 1869 has become the crown jewel of the Pacific Northwest. Bellevue, located 12 miles east of Seattle, sits nestled in a rolling community of hills along Lake Washington. This lovely community may have started small, but in the last 50 years it has become the little town that could.
Bellevue, nestled around Lake Washington and Lake Sammamish, has grown into the fourth largest city in Washington State. Bellevue has been described as “The City in the Park” for its lush greenbelts and parks intertwined throughout the city. Once a bedroom community for busy Seattle commuters, Bellevue now boasts its own thriving center of industry. Bellevue is a prosperous community that appeals to young and old alike.
Mild winter temperatures, gracious parks, easy commuting distance to many metropolitan areas and a variety of recreational opportunities are some of the reasons Bellevue appeals to so many individuals.
Bellevue Fast Facts
Location: Located in King County, about 12 miles from Seattle
Total area: 33.9 miles total area; 3.15 miles is water
Population: 109,569
Housing units: 48,396
Average annual rainfall: 31.10 inches
Average temperatures: 67ºF in summer, 40ºF in winter
Median income: $62,338
Median resident age: 38.2 years
Mean travel time to work: 21.6 minutes
 Activities
Bellevue is spread out over nearly 34 square miles. The downtown area features an area called Old Bellevue. This town center, made up of small, charming business and restaurants, offers residents the opportunity to shop, dine and stroll.
If your interest lies in shopping indoors, Bellevue Square Mall is just for you. This mall offers a combination of exclusive department stores, high-end retails stores and family oriented department stores. The eclectic blend of stores will appeal to the most discerning shopper. It’s no wonder that Bellevue Square is the largest mall in the Puget Sound area.
For those who prefer a more active lifestyle, Bellevue offers some exciting opportunities. Surrounded by water, mountains and rain forests, it’s the perfect place to attract bikers, hikers, kayakers and mountain climbers. The city itself features many beautiful parks, such as Kelsey Creek Park. This charming park, laced with hiking trails, also includes a playground and a petting zoo for the children. A Japanese botanical garden pays homage to Bellevue’s sister city, Yao, Japan. The Bellevue Botanical Garden, built in Wilburton Hill Park, offers visitors a constantly changing display of native plants, annuals and perennials. A half-mile walking trail leads visitors through the park in an informational tour.
Bellevue’s cultural amenities are as vibrant as the rest of the city. During the warm, pleasant summer days, the Bellevue Arts and Crafts Festival is the perfect getaway. A regular feature of Washington summers, this 58-year-old annual arts festival attracts as many as 300,000 visitors to the downtown Bellevue area. Visitors will not be disappointed by the large selection of arts and crafts and the diversity of the offerings, the food vendors or the entertainment performances. Annual sales at the art festival exceed $1.4 million, with part of the proceeds going to support the Bellevue Art Museum.
Young visitors might not be as interested in the art fair, but are sure to be intrigued by the Rosalie Whyel Museum of Doll Art. This one-of-a-kind museum boasts an astonishing amount of dolls and doll accessories – more than 1,200 dolls on permanent display. The museum features a lovely English garden and offers children and adults alike the opportunity to be entranced by the world of dolls.
Bellevue affords visitors and residents a wealth of performing arts through out the community. If your interest is in music, the Bellevue Philharmonic and the Bellevue Chamber Chorus present a wonderful classical experience. Ballet Bellevue offers its audience an eclectic lend of classical ballet shows, contemporary interpretive dance and new work performed by local and international artists. Not only is the Seattle theater scene easily accessed, but Bellevue also offers residents a civic theater group with an interesting and entertaining yearly program.
 Economy & Education
Bellevue may certainly offer some intriguing entertainment options for young and old, but it also offers a unique and growing business industry. In the last 50 years, Bellevue’s business profile has changed dramatically. In the late 1940s, a series of floating bridges were built to connect Seattle and Bellevue. With the ease of access, business boomed. Bellevue is now the business hub for a variety of companies in the high-tech industry, retail business and financial industries. Businesses such as Expedia.com, Paccar and drugstore.com make their headquarters in Bellevue. In fact, Bellevue is home to the top seven fastest growing private companies in the state of Washington. While the Bellevue resident population numbers 110,000, according to 2000 Census, there are more than 120,000 people working in Bellevue alone.
As first rate as the business opportunities are in Bellevue, the educational opportunities are of equally high quality. The city public schools are among the top-rated schools in the nation. At the higher education level, Bellevue offers a dynamic community college, City University; vocational schools; and a hub campus for the University of Washington. Microsoft Corporation also offers a program for individuals at their Microsoft University campus in Bellevue.
Bellevue’s skyline has soared in the past 20 years. The downtown profile continues to change each year. The Meydenbauer Convention Center offers visitors a wonderful meeting place, whether for 300 or 30,000 people. One of the advantages of a soaring skyline is the number of hotels and restaurants that offer visitors and residents alike high quality lodging and dining experience with sweeping views of Lake Washington and the Seattle skyline as well as delicious food.
Housing
Like much of Western Washington, the real estate market in Bellevue is growing at an exponential rate. New homebuyers are attracted to Bellevue as one of the top-quality places to live in the Puget Sound area. Housing prices reflect the desirability of this community. The average price of a three-bedroom, two-bathroom home in Bellevue will start at around $400,000, with two-bedroom Bellevue condos starting at $160,000.
Whether looking for a place to visit or a place to live, Bellevue offers a wonderful, laid-back community. The diversity of businesses, activities, nightlife, and entertainment makes Bellevue an ideal destination for all.
Where is Bellevue?
Written by Elizabeth Westmore exclusively for HomesParadise.com.
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