Bellevue

About Bellevue

Bellevue is a polished, fast-growing city on the eastern shore of Lake Washington, directly across the water from Seattle and linked to it by two long floating bridges. The Duwamish and Snoqualmie peoples lived along these lakes and forests, and early settlers in the late 1800s logged the land, farmed strawberries and ran ferries across the lake. After the first floating bridge opened in 1940, Bellevue grew rapidly as a suburb and then, from the 1980s onward, into a major city in its own right.

Today Bellevue has about 150,000 residents and a gleaming downtown skyline of glass towers, home to technology companies including Microsoft's neighbor campuses, T-Mobile and many startups. It is one of the most diverse cities in the Pacific Northwest, with excellent Asian restaurants and markets. Bellevue Square and The Bravern are major shopping destinations, and the downtown is designed to be walked, with Downtown Park and its waterfall at the center.

Despite its urban core, Bellevue is remarkably green. The Bellevue Botanical Garden is free to visit and famous for its winter Garden d'Lights display, the Mercer Slough Nature Park protects a large wetland with boardwalks and canoe trails, and Meydenbauer Bay Park and the Lake Washington shoreline offer beaches and views. The Bellevue Arts Museum, the historic Old Main Street district and Kelsey Creek Farm round out a visit, and the Cascade foothills, with hiking at Cougar Mountain and Snoqualmie Falls, are close by.