Issaquah

Welcome to Issaquah

Fast-growing community with mountain and lake scenery. 

Issaquah is a fast-growing city off the southeastern shore of Lake Sammamish in King County to the southeast of Seattle. Interstate 90 runs through the center of Issaquah, making it a convenient location for those commuting into Downtown Seattle. The city is also a business hub in its own right, where it is the home of Costco’s global headquarters and numerous hi-tech companies. Several mountains to Issaquah’s south form an area known locally as the Issaquah Alps. Together with Lake Sammamish, Issaquah’s scenery provides plenty of opportunities for outdoor recreation. The community also has a lively historic downtown with a vibrant arts scene. Housing options within Issaquah include lakeshore condominiums, elegant single-family homes, and private hilltop estates.

Downtown shopping and dining are concentrated along the intersecting thoroughfares of Front Street and Gilman Boulevard. International dining highlights on Front Street include upscale Italian trattoria Montalcino, Mexican-style patio dining at the lively El 42 Cantina, authentic Indian cuisine at Bukhara, and modern farm-to-table American eats and craft beers at Levitate GastroPub. Along Gilman Boulevard is Gilman Village, which features over 40 shops and restaurants housed within historic mining and farming buildings. Standouts include The Flat Iron Grill for innovative South American-inspired twists on classic steak and seafood dishes. Gilman Boulevard also offers Northwest-style steaks and seafood at WildFin, specialty Indian groceries and comfort food at Maurya, and Hawaiian-Japanese fusion cooking and live music at Ohana Eastside.

Miles of hiking and mountain biking trails ascend through the 13,745-acre wilderness of Tiger Mountain State Forest to Issaquah’s south. Poo Poo Point on West Tiger Mountain is a popular paragliding spot. Lake Sammamish State Park on the lakeshore to Issaquah’s north has boat and kayak rentals, swimming beaches, and creeks for fishing. Miles of trails also run through the forests of Cougar Mountain Regional Park to Issaquah’s west and Grand Ridge Park to the east. Cougar Mountain Zoo is a conservation-focused zoo with animals including tigers, cougars, camels, lemurs, wallabies, and wolves. The Golf Club at Newcastle offers 36 holes over two championship golf courses with spectacular views over the Cascade Mountains and Lake Washington. The Golf Club is open to the public and has an English-style pub, a billiards lounge, and a breakfast café.

Issaquah operates its own Issaquah School District. Top-performing schools include Discovery and Endeavour Elementary schools, Pacific Cascade and Beaver Lake Middle schools, and Gibson Ek High School.