Eastside Towns, Then and Now

Then: Seattle’s blander reflection. A place full of office parks, glass buildings, and shopping centers serving women in pearl necklaces and men in khakis. 

Now: The same idea, but more diverse, more crowded with incredible food served in giant restaurants; and, yes, more parking spots than anywhere else on earth, most buried beneath enormous towers. 

Then: A sleepy waterfront town perfect for lunch with your grandmother or watching a parade. Hometown to a quaint retail chain called Costco. 

Now: Your dad’s Kirkland Signature T-shirt is ironically cool now, and after a few annexations, the town is that much bigger. Still a great place for lunch with Grandma—the tech presence draws a ton of restaurants.

Then: The affluence of Bellevue with the superiority complex of Seattle. At once an incredibly convenient and also weirdly inconvenient place to live.

Now: Overlooked amid the Eastside boom—and some residents like it that way. Even the public spaces, like Luther Burbank Park, feel kind of private—though the light-rail station opening here in spring will likely change that. You might also just come here to go to the eye doctor once a year.

Then: Microsoft. Microsoft. Microsoft.

Now: OK, yeah, Microsoft still. But also perhaps the Eastside’s most ideal balance between suburban space and urban amenities like a walkable downtown. Not to mention lots and lots of bike trails and more great food. It’s not just the Matador anymore.

Then: A cute little town where loggers, the descendants of loggers, and people who like logging lived. Also nurtured the band Modest Mouse.

Now: Dual-income tech families who want to send their kids to a nice public school, so they moved to the Highlands. No longer modest.

Then: A rural town with a smattering of wineries and a heck of a lot of trees. A quiet place for quiet people.

Now: A true suburb for those who own both a horse and an Apple Watch to track their rides. The wineries are no longer just a novelty but an industry.

Then: Not exactly part of the Eastside. But hey, there was a nascent UW campus and plenty of space to grow. 

Now: Microsoft employees totally live here. It turns out the McMenamins Anderson School campus is more fun than the UW one.

Then: An affordable town that the rest of the Eastside disavowed.

Now: A “relatively” affordable town with a newish waterfront shopping center and a Seahawks training facility that the rest of the Eastside still disavows.