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Once considered a "bedroom" community to Seattle, Bellevue is now a major regional job center and the 5th largest city in Washington. With a population of over 120,000, it is the high tech and retail center of the Eastside offering more than 130,000 jobs. Bellevue city planners estimate by the year 2010 Bellevue will add an additional 7,000 residents (6% growth) and an additional 18,000 new jobs. Diversity is another attribute of Bellevue, almost 25% of Bellevue residents in 2000 were born outside the United States speaking 50 languages. Between 1990 and 2000 Bellevue's employment base grew by over 50%. Department stores, car dealerships and electonic/computer stores lead the retail sector, while a high concentration of real estate companies, engineering firms, financial institutions, accounting firms and computer software companies are based in Bellevue. Bellevue is home to several of the top 25 largest public companies in Washington.
The schools are consistently rated among the best in the country not just the state of Washington. Bellevue is home to almost 100 parks with a broad range of amenities and features, including swimming pools, lakefront beaches, community centers, golf courses, skate plazas, golf courses, nature trails, tennis courts and a boat launch.
Bellevue has also received national recognition as well, Money magazine named Bellevue one of the 100 Best Places to Live in 2008 & 2006. In March 2008, Fortune Small Business Magazine rated Bellevue "the best place in the United States to live and launch a new business." |
