Sammamish, Washington

My town is Sammamish, WA. Sammamish is a little known suburb of Seattle nestled alongside a stunning namesake lake that is home to migrating salmon as well as hydroplane races. Although its feels as though I live in the wilderness, I am really only a few minutes from a major, cosmopolitan city with a professional team in every sport, and several smaller towns like Redmond, WA, the home of Microsoft world headquarters and self-proclaimed, “bicycle capital of the world.” Animals somehow co-exist with humans in this heavily treed area. We routinely have deer, squirrels, chipmunks, possum, raccoons and frogs inhabit our yard. Our airspace is equally interesting with float planes, bald eagles, hawks, jays and herons cruising by daily. Truly, there is really nothing quite as beautiful as a full moon rising over the hill in front of my house. It looks as though you can reach out and touch it.

In some ways, Sammamish is quite ordinary. There are shopping centers, schools and churches sprinkled among acres of residential areas. People are always busily rushing around working, shuffling kids to soccer and baseball, hauling a load of plants from Home Depot or jogging with a friend. On the extraordinary side, the area is thriving despite a poor economy, and even though it is a city of 35,000 people, there is a strong community feel that permeates the area. Sammamish feels alive with interesting, energetic people.

Surprisingly, Sammamish is only a few years old. The city was incorporated in 1999 after a group of citizens rallied the residents to vote for incorporation of sections of unincorporated county areas. They felt that the community would be better served by local decision making and control. Now that a few years have passed, I have to say the results are very positive. We now have our own police, many road improvements, and a new library. There are also several new parks in the planning process.

Of course, no place is without its problems, but on a global scale, the problems in Sammamish are relatively minor. Traffic congestion and local politics are usually the hottest issues. Perhaps, if anything, the people in Sammamish are a little too comfortable. They are somewhat insulated from many problems that plague communities today. Perhaps that is why they choose to live here. The town is much more diverse than ten years ago, but it would still benefit from a further influx of people from different cultures.

Finally, Sammamish is a terrific place to raise children. Parents are very involved in the high quality public schools and abundant after school programs. The city is filled with soccer moms and work-at-home dads all busily enjoying school activities with the kids, weekend recreation, friends and family. I sometimes wonder if the people in Sammamish realize how lucky they are to have such a high quality of life and such a great community within which to live.

Mary J

Submitted: Tuesday 30th March 2004, 5:18 PM

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