America’s Backbone: How Redmond Continues to Drive Progress in the Northwest

There is a reason that Microsoft and Nintendo of America and numerous other prosperous businesses have called Redmond, WA home. It is without exception one of the best small cities in America to locate your business and here’s why:

A Little Bit of History

Having grown up in New England where my hometown was established in 1685, Redmond, WA seems to me to be in its adolescent stage as it continues to grow in its maturity and its desirability as a place to live and work.

The first inhabitants of the area in which Redmond is located were Native Americans who lived here for 10,000 years. The earliest European settlers arrived in the 1870’s.

One of the first to arrive was Luke McRedmond who filed a Homestead Act claim for land next to the Sammamish Slough on September 8, 1870. The next resident was Warren Perrigo who claimed land next to McRedmond’s claim.

Because of the numerous rivers and streams filled with salmon, the town was first named Salmondberg. More people came to Redmond seeking work and finding employment stayed In 1881 the first Post Office was established.

Around this time, the town’s name was changed to Melrose. The name was crafted from the moniker of Perrigo’s’ successful inn, the Melrose House. Luke McRedmond was upset by the name, so he ran for the office of Postmaster 1883 and was elected. He immediately petitioned to change the name of the town to Redmond. Politics played a role in the establishment of Redmond even in the early stages of its existence and Melrose became Redmond.

Redmond grew quickly in the next few years as logging and fishing became the center of its economy. In 1889 the railroad came to Redmond and its economic growth continued. Redmond was incorporated on December 31, 1912.

Redmond suffered economically through the Depression like so many other American cities and towns, but it was World War II that turned the economy around once again. With many new jobs in the shipyards the economy began to grow.

After World War II, Redmond’s economy exploded. The Downtown area expanded rapidly and the building of the Evergreen Point Floating Bridge across Lake Washington in 1963 enabled Redmond to become a very desirable bedroom town to Seattle.

Around Redmond

The Redmond area is made up of the town of Kirkland to the west of Redmond, Bellevue to the south west, Sammamish to the south east and unincorporated King County lies to the north and east.

The average temperature in the summer is 76 and the lowest winter temperature is 35. The largest amount of precipitation is in December.

The population, as of the 2015 census, shows that 60,598 people live in Redmond.
The 2012 figures for median income are estimated to be $98,088 per household. The median income per family is $116,774. The per capita income is $48,236. The median age of the population is 34 years of age. Can anyone say “up and coming”?

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