BELLEVUE WA BANK REPOS - BELLEVUE WA SHORT SALES - BELLEVUE WA FORECLOSURES

Bellevue is a rapidly growing city in King County, Washington, U.S., across Lake Washington from Seattle. Long known as a suburb or satellite city of Seattle, it is now categorized as an edge city or a boomburb. In 2003 the Census Bureau estimated the city had a total population of 112,344, making it the fifth largest city in the state and the largest on the Eastside of King County. According to the Washington State Office of Financial Management's April 1, 2006 estimate, the city has a population of 117,000. Downtown Bellevue is undergoing rapid change. Lincoln Square, which opened in 2005, and a recently-completed overhaul of the former Qwest building into a new City Hall appear to be the leading edge of a development boom. Over the next few years, the area will see the construction of several additional high-rises and other projects for office, residential, and retail space.

Bellevue was founded in 1869 by William Meydenbauer and was officially incorporated on March 21, 1953. Prior to the opening of the Lake Washington Floating Bridge in 1940, Bellevue was a rural area with little development. Once the bridge opened, access from Seattle improved, and the area gradually grew into a bedroom community.

The city lies between Lake Washington to the west and the smaller Lake Sammamish to the east. Much of Bellevue is drained by the Kelsey Creek watershed, whose source is located in the Larsen and Phantom Lake greenbelt and whose outlet is near where Interstate 90 meets Lake Washington's eastern shore. The city is bisected by Interstate 405 running north-south, and the southern portion is crossed from west to east by Interstate 90. The 520 freeway roughly delineates the upper reaches of Bellevue.

Bellevue is home to Bellevue Community College (BCC) and City University. The highly rated BCC is the largest community college in Washington and the third largest institution of higher education in the state. The city hosts the Bellevue School District. Its four main public high schools Bellevue High School, Interlake High School, Newport High School, and Sammamish High School were all included in Newsweek's listing of the Best High Schools in America (measured by the number of AP tests taken divided by the number of seniors). The Bellevue School District also has two alternative high schools, International School (which also made the list) and Robinswood High School. Four main high schools and International are the top-five ranked high schools in Washington State. Stevenson Elementary School, Odle Middle School, and Interlake High School offer the PRISM program, a program for gifted children. A full-day Spanish immersion program begins in elementary school at Puesta del Sol, and continues part-time through Tillicum Middle School and Newport High School. Sammamish High School is the designated Arts Magnet of the district, featuring a highly competitive choir and fine arts program with a professional hot glass studio.

Bellevue is home to the American Basketball Association team, the Bellevue Blackhawks. The Blackhawks in 2005, despite being ranked 13th in the league, made it to the championship game in front of 15,000 fans in Little Rock, Arkansas.