The city of Kirkland, located on the Northeastern shore of Lake Washington, across the lake from Seattle, is named for early settler, Peter Kirk. The town grew slowly and steadily and by the time a second floating bridge was built in the 1960s, Kirkland, along with Bellevue and Redmond had become known as Seattle’s Eastside, a suburban community largely made up of middle-class families and commuters.
The city’s strong local economy is characterized by a healthy mix of small business, corporate headquarters, light industrial and manufacturing, and a growing base of high-tech and home-based businesses. There are five very different commercial areas. Downtown has galleries, restaurants, and professional services. Carillon Point is a first class office and retail development on the waterfront. Totem Lake is home to a retail mall and a concentration of medical and high tech firms. Neighborhood business districts in Juanita, Houghton and Bridle Trails serve local needs and provide support services to Kirkland regional businesses.

Surrounded on the north, west, and south by Lake Washington with hypnotic sunset views from the east through the Seattle skyline, Medina is one of the most sylvan residential communities in the Northwest Metroplex and one set apart from the whirling world of its frenetic neighbor, Bellevue. It began in 1891, when T.L. Dabney built the first landing in the Town on what later became known as Dabney Point on Lake Washington. Originally named Floridine by Dabney, three prominent local ladies preferred Medeena and persisted in their promotion of it until Dabney grudgingly agreed. Early pioneer, Miller Freeman, organized community support for an independent school district and was the early promoter of the idea of a bridge across Lake Washington. In 1940 that dream materialized and in 1963 a second “floating bridge” spanned the lake and Eastside growth bloomed.