Edmonds is a city in Snohomish County, Washington, United States. Edmonds has a view of Puget Sound and both the Olympic Mountains and Cascade Range. The population was 39,515 at the 2000 census; according to 2006 estimates, Edmonds was the second most populous city in Snohomish County, ranking only behind Everett. Based on per capita income, one of the more reliable measures of affluence, Edmonds ranks 37th of 522 areas in the state of Washington to be ranked.

Edmonds is a port in the Washington State Ferries system. Currently, the only ferry from Edmonds is a run to Kingston, Washington; in the past, there have been much longer routes from Edmonds to Port Townsend, Washington.

History

Edmonds is the oldest incorporated city in Snohomish County. Logger George Brackett founded Edmonds in 1890, naming the city either for Vermont Sen. George Franklin Edmunds or in association with the nearby Point Edmund, named by Charles Wilkes in 1841 and later changed to Point Edwards. Brackett came to the future site of Edmonds while paddling a canoe north of Seattle, searching for timber. When a gust of wind hit his canoe, Brackett beached in a location later called "Brackett's Landing".

The town was named Edmonds in 1884, but was not incorporated until 1890 as an official “village fourth class” of Snohomish County. In that same year, Brackett sold to the Minneapolis Realty and Investment Company. The town was plotted and a wharf was added along the waterfront. Modest houses and commercial structures sprouted up with a row of shingle millsdominating the cityscape.

In 1891, the Great Northern Railway came through and early settlers and investors grew hopeful that Edmonds would prosper. Unfortunately, the Panic of 1893 created business setbacks and the town owners foreclosed. Brackett reclaimed his town and along with other earlysettlers continued to develop its infrastructure. By 1900 there was regular passenger ferry service available by the steam-powered “mosquito fleet” of private ferryboats from Edmonds to Seattle.

Edmonds suffered major fires in 1909 and 1928, and many buildings were lost. The first car arrived in Edmonds in 1911. As more roads were established, Edmonds experienced steady growth along with commercial and residential development.

Historic Sites

The Edmonds South Snohomish Historical Society resides in the city's only National Historic Place - the old Carnegie Library of Edmonds. Located on 5th Ave, it was built in 1900 to serve as a library and education building. It now serves as the Edmonds Museum.

The Edmonds Fountain/Gazebo

The Edmonds fountain, a local landmark, has been a source of major local contention over the past decades. The current Edmonds Fountain is located in the center of the roundabout at Main St. and 5th. Originally built as an obscure twisted statue over a fountain in 1970, it was wrecked in 1998 by a drunk driver. The city council and subsequent "Gazebo" subcommittee decided to rebuild. The gazebo was rebuilt a year later, reinforced with stronger wood supports. In 2005, a driver crashed into the gazebo at night. After a long discussion over to rebuild or landscape the center of the roundabout, a decision was made to rebuild the gazebo/fountain, this time with steel rods extending from the main pillars deep underground. It was completed in the summer of 2006.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 39,515 people, 16,904 households, and 10,818 families residing in the city. The population density was 4,437.6 people per square mile (1,714.3/km²). There were 17,508 housing units at an average density of 1,966.2/sq mi (759.5/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 87.73% White, 1.34% African American, 0.80% Native American, 5.56% Asian, 0.26% Pacific Islander, 1.26% from other races, and 3.05% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.32% of the population.

There were 16,904 households out of which 26.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.0% were married couples living together, 8.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.0% were non-families. 29.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.32 and the average family size was 2.85.

In the city the population was spread out with 20.6% under the age of 18, 7.0% from 18 to 24, 27.4% from 25 to 44, 28.3% from 45 to 64, and 16.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 89.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.3 males.

According to a 2007 estimate, the median income for a household in the city was $61,105, and the median income for a family was $85,206. Males had a median income of $46,226 versus $33,863 for females. The per capita income for the city was $39,792. About 2.6% of families and 4.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.9% of those under age 18 and 3.3% of those age 65 or over.

Schools

Edmonds is served in its entirety by the Edmonds School District, which also serves Lynnwood, Mountlake Terrace, Brier, and Woodway. Within the city limits of Edmonds, there is one high school (Edmonds-Woodway) and six primary schools (Chase Lake, Edmonds, Seaview, Sherwood, Westgate, and Woodway). In addition, Edmonds is served by two K-8 schools; Maplewood and Madrona.

In 1990, Edmonds High School merged with Woodway High School to form Edmonds-Woodway High School, which is currently one of only eight schools in the state to host an IB Diploma Programme.

Recreation

Edmonds hosts a variety of parks, including a dog park, a small skate park, and the Edmonds Underwater Park.

In addition, Edmonds has one of the largest marine facilities in Snohomish County, the Port of Edmonds. The marina is partly artificial, being dredged to a depth of , and can house 948 craft (668 in the water, and 280 in dry storage).

The Arts

In 2006, the Edmonds Center for the Arts was opened. This is one of two current theaters available for general performing arts, the other being the theater at Edmonds-Woodway High School.

Drama

Edmonds has one permanent, privately-funded drama group, The Driftwood Players. Their theater, the Wade James Theatre, is located at 950 Main St., adjacent to Yost Park. Usually, they have 4-5 main performances per season, supplemented with short, one night plays. They have been present in the community since 1957.

Edmonds Arts Festival

Since 1957, Edmonds has annually hosted the Edmonds Arts Festival, a three-day art exhibit, on Father's Day weekend. The festival is especially noted for painting and drawing. The festival is heavily involved with local schools, devoting several galleries to student artwork.

Edmonds Jazz Connection

Every year the Edmonds Rotary sponsors the Edmonds Jazz Connection festival, on Memorial Day Weekend in May. During the day, the festival showcases the best of school-age and high school jazz groups, and the evening show features prominent, professional jazz musicians. The event is a large draw for both local and regional audiences.

Frances Anderson Center

The Frances Anderson Center, located on Main Street, serves as a central hub for many activities in the city. It contains sports facilities, child-care programs, art classes, and is directly adjacent to the Edmonds Library. The Edmonds Arts Festival is also held at the Frances Anderson Center.

Periodicals

The Edmonds community is home to two weekly news publications. The Edmonds Enterprise and the Edmonds Beacon. The opinion pages of these two newspapers have had major influence on city council decisions, building code enforcement, dog park rule enforcement and local elections. The mayor writes a column each week in both papers, usually responding to current issues, citizen concerns, and planned city projects. An archive of all articles written by the mayor is found on the city website.

Farmer's Market

The Edmonds Farmer's Market is held each Saturday, from May to September. Stretching from City Hall to the downtown area near the gazebo, the Farmer's Market is a large event attracting up to 2,000 people every Saturday. Mainstays of the market include cut flower stands, produce, handmade crafts and occasionally art.

Notable locals

Birthplace of:

• Ken Jennings, popular Jeopardy! contestant

Hometown of:

• Steven W. Bailey, actor
• David Bazan, musician
• Maria Cantwell, U.S. Senator
• Anna Faris, actress
• Bridget Hanley, actress
• Todd Linden, baseball player in the Cleveland Indians organization
• Rick Steves, the well-known travel writer
• Rosalynn Sumners, Olympic figure skating medalist
• Martell Webster, guard for the Portland Trail Blazers, as of 2008

Sister City

Edmonds has one sister city:

• Hekinan, Japan

Transportation

Edmonds is a minor rail and ferry hub.

• It has an Amtrak station, served by Amtrak Cascades and Empire Builder Trains, to Vancouver, British Columbia, Eugene, Oregon, and Chicago, Illinois.
• It is served by Sounder Commuter Rail to Seattle, Washington on weekdays.
• It is the terminus of the Edmonds-Kingston Ferry across Puget Sound.
• Bus transit service is provided by Community Transit, providing connections to locations in both Snohomish County and King County, Washington.

Surrounding Areas

References

1. Ferry service returns to Port Townsend after a 40-year absence on February 21, 1979
2. Seattle PI (2007)[1] Retrieved February 13, 2007.
3. George Brackett, HistoryLink
4. Historic Site - old Carnegie Library(2007).[2] Retrieved December 7, 2007.
5. KOMO TV (2007). [3] Retrieved February 13, 2007.
6. http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/ACSSAFFFacts?_event=Search&geo_id=&_geoContext=&_street=&_county=edmonds&_cityTown=edmonds&_state=04000US53&_zip=&_lang=en&_sse=on&pctxt=fph&pgsl=010
7. Edmonds School District
8. Edmonds School District Profile:Edmonds-Woodway
9. ED.GOV Archives
10. Edmonds Center for the Arts (2007) [4] Retrieved February 13, 2007.
11. Driftwood Players History (2007). [5] Retrieved February 13, 2007.
12. Student Art Exhibit Awards
13. Edmonds Sister City Commission

External links

• City of Edmonds