Kirkland, Washington

Kirkland is a city in King County, Washington, United States. It is a suburb of Seattle. Its population was 92,175 at the 2020 census. It is on the coast of Lake Washington.

History
The land around Lake Washington was first settled by Native Americans. English settlers arrived in the late 1860s. More families settled the area in the 1870s. By the end of the 1880s, there were a small number of communities that logged, farmed and built boats.

In 1886, Peter Kirk, a businessman, wanted to start a steel mill in Washington near the water. Leigh S. J. Hunt, a newspaper owner, said that he would be Kirk's partner. They bought land in July 1888. They started building a steel mill shortly afterwards. Kirk started the city of Kirkland in 1888. The steel mill was completed in late 1892. The mill later closed because of financial problems. It had not made any steel.


Kirkland was finally incorporated in 1905. Its population was approximately 532.

In the early 1900s, the Curtis family had a business that made boats. In later years, wool milling and warship building were the major industries.

Annexations
Kirkland has consolidated with other towns and annexed land many times. The area of Kirkland is now approximately 12 times its area when it was incorporated in 1905.Community Profile: City of Kirkland

Landmarks
The city of Kirkland has said that three buildings are city landmarks.

LandmarkBuiltListedAddressPhotoHeritage Hall19222000NW corner of Market St. & Lake Ave. W.200pxHeritage Hall (historical First Church of Christ, Scientist - now home to Kirkland Heritage Society) in 2010Peter Kirk Building1890-922003620 Market Street200pxPeter Kirk Building in 2006Kirkland Woman's Club19252011407 First Street200pxWoman's Club building in 2009

Geography and climate
Kirkland is located at  (47.685821, -122.191729). Lake Washington is west of the city.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of .  of this is land and  is water.

Demographics

2020 census
In the 2020 census, there were 92,175 people, 38,037 households, and 23,835 families living in Kirkland. The population density was 5,176.6 people per square mile (1,998.7/km²). There were 40,019 housing units. The breakdown by race was 65.5% White, 17.9% Asian, 2.1% Black, 0.5% Native American, 0.2% Pacific Islander, 3.6% from one other race, and 10.3% from two or more races. Hispanics and Latinos made up 7.9% of the people.

The median (middle) age was 37.9 years. The age breakdown was 20.6% under age 18, 65.8% from 18 to 65, and 13.6% over 65. The gender breakdown was 49.4% male and 50.6% female.

Of the households, 29.2% had children under age 18, 51.1% had a married couple, 7.1% had an unmarried couple, 23.9% had a woman with no partner, 17.9% had a man with no partner, and 27.9% had one person living alone. The average household size was 2.39 people.

Government and politics
Kirkland has a council-manager form of government; there are seven council members. The city council selects one of their members to be the mayor from among its members. , the mayor is Kelli Curtis and the city manager is Kurt Triplett.

Sports
Kirkland was the original home of the Seattle Seahawks. Now, this team is based in Seattle.

Sister city
Kirkland has one sister city. It is Emmerich, Germany.

Notable people
 Layne Staley, lead singer of Alice in Chains (died 2002)

References

Other websites


 City of Kirkland Government 

 Kirkland Arts Center
 Kirkland Heritage Society

Category:1886 establishments in Washington (state)
Category:Cities in King County, Washington