Issaquah was
officially incorporated on
April 29,
1892.
Initially a small
mining town, this town has changed noticeably both in its
appearance and economic focus. Issaquah was originally
developed to service the mining industry on nearby
Tiger Mountain, and began as the town of Gilman,
Washington. As the mining deposits neared depletion in the
late 1890s, other companies started to realize Issaquah's
potential to support a lucrative lumber business. These
companies exported timber from Issaquah and other small, local
towns to Seattle and larger, rapidly growing communities
throughout western Washington. These early boom industries,
however, faded into a period of relative quiet by the time of
the
Great Depression. The town remained fairly placid through
the succeeding decades, with
The Boeing Company providing the majority of employment in
the area.
Microsoft and other technological industries moved into
Redmond, Washington and other cities in the area, and
later established operations in Issaquah itself. Both Boeing
and Microsoft have significantly affected Issaquah's history,
cultural development, and diverse population through their
active community participation and attraction of outside
residents. In June 1996,
Costco moved their global headquarters to Issaquah from
neighboring
Kirkland, Washington (thus the origin of their Kirkland
Signature brand). An interesting fact: Boeing's first wooden
seaplane was built by employees from Issaquah and took off
from
Lake Sammamish (located at the northern edge of downtown
Issaquah).