Amen, I looked all over the Puget Sound when I moved here and Issaquah is an amazing city! They should have put in the triathlon community, amazing hiking at Tiger Mountain and the unbelievable views!

Amen, I looked all over the Puget Sound when I moved here and Issaquah is an amazing city! They should have put in the triathlon community, amazing hiking at Tiger Mountain and the unbelievable views!

I live on Vancouver Island but hike quite often in Washington state, and it has many great small towns. I like Packwood because I hike around Mt. Rainier a lot and I like Port Angeles too because I hike a lot in the Olympic Mountains.

Amen! We moved to Issaquah last year and absolutely love it. A great place to raise our kids, great schools and good people. Plus a thriving arts scene, great youth sports and much more. As your article says...you get the best of Seattle's urban amenities with the best of the great Northwest outdoors. Thanks for showcasing our town!

I love living in Issaquah, and love the recognition we are getting. I've emailed this article to all my friends.

Yeah, all that and more....rents and housing prices ridiculous even worse than the 20 minute away great city of Seattle.

Renee - Why do Seattle-ites think that there is nothing great outside of Seattle? Issaquah is an excellent place. Not all suburbs are created equal... the anti-suburb "hollier than thou" attitude from Seattle is getting really old. The irony too is that Seattle-ites deem themselves so open minded and accepting of different lifestyles..... unless of course it involves living outside of Seattle.

Renee - Why do Seattle-ites think that there is nothing great outside of Seattle? Issaquah is an excellent place. Not all suburbs are created equal... the anti-suburb "hollier than thou" attitude from Seattle is getting really old. The irony too is that Seattle-ites deem themselves so open minded and accepting of different lifestyles..... unless of course it involves living outside of Seattle.

I happen to be going there in about a week to check it out because I am scouting out places to relocate to. This article is a great sign! Cant wait to see it for myself. (And trying to forget about the OTHER article in this month's Outside…. the one about how the Pac NW may be due for a 9+ earthquake. Hmm…..)

Yeah, Issaquah totally rocks--if you're a fungus... Before the love-fest for Issy gets too carried away, I'd suggest to any potential residents to do a quick comparison between Seattle and Issaquah when it comes to yearly rainfall. Be prepared for a serious shock. Fortunately, I have some great indoor recreational activities in Issaquah; if you don't, you better bring your sun lamp, poncho and headlamp.

Issaquah is a great city with amenities, however housing is expensive. Try NEARBY areas for cheaper homes, i.e. Maple Valley, the older areas of towns in the Snoqualmie Valley, or anywhere else in unincorporated East King County. If you are a Democrat, keep in mind that the further out you go, it gets VERY conservative. Closer to Seattle, more liberal; King County would vote Republican, if not for the Democrat City of Seattle. Politically, the Seattle Metro is not like the Bay Area.

It is a great place, but funny no mention of the non-stop cluster of traffic. You can't get from one side of the highway to the other in less than 20 minutes. I love the place but it's WAY overcrowded.

Dave, are you referring to Front Street? Yes, during commute hours M-F, it's a mess. Since Issaquah is bordered by tall Cascade foothills on three sides, and has significant infill and shopping, then commute hours are a problem. Once you are out of the quaint downtown area, there are wider streets and rural roads that lead into the countryside. For mountain experiences, Issaquah is the best location in the Seattle metro, since it's near I-90 leading into the Cascades, SR-169 down to Mt. Rainier, and roads leading north to the Snoqualmie Valley and ultimately US-2 to Stevens Pass. Furthermore, it's on the Mountains to Sound Greenway, with bike and hiking trails. I'd rather live in Issaquah than Seattle or Bellevue, since it's easier to get to the mountains from Issaquah. Hopefully some of the roads that go outside of town will be widened to four lanes eventually, as this would decrease congestion and pollution. And, if you are cycling, please watch out for cars on narrow two lane roads that lead into the countryside, since unincorporated East King County outside of Issaquah is not necessarily tolerant of cyclists, and there are no bike lanes, since it's outside the Urban Growth Boundary.

Dave, are you referring to Front Street? Yes, during commute hours M-F, it's a mess. Since Issaquah is bordered by tall Cascade foothills on three sides, and has significant infill and shopping, then commute hours are a problem. Once you are out of the quaint downtown area, there are wider streets and rural roads that lead into the countryside. For mountain experiences, Issaquah is the best location in the Seattle metro, since it's near I-90 leading into the Cascades, SR-169 down to Mt. Rainier, and roads leading north to the Snoqualmie Valley and ultimately US-2 to Stevens Pass. Furthermore, it's on the Mountains to Sound Greenway, with bike and hiking trails. I'd rather live in Issaquah than Seattle or Bellevue, since it's easier to get to the mountains from Issaquah. Hopefully some of the roads that go outside of town will be widened to four lanes eventually, as this would decrease congestion and pollution.

Issaquah is conveniently located 15 miles east of Seattle, with access to hiking, biking, para-gliding, Lake Sammamish swimming, boating, skiing, rowing, Cascades Mtn. camping, hiking, trail biking, motor biking, alpine adventure, easy and difficult level skiing, an active Arts & Music scene in the historic district, a solid business base for large & small business, a new hospital, a new Bellevue College campus coming, high density new housing communities, larger lot resale housing, active community in government, and a community of diverse cultures and friendly faces that offer a smile. Thanks Outside for noticing. Find out more at "Just Talking" Issaquah on Facebook.

Issaquah is conveniently located 15 miles east of Seattle, with access to hiking, biking, para-gliding, Lake Sammamish swimming, boating, skiing, rowing, Cascades Mtn. camping, hiking, trail biking, motor biking, alpine adventure, easy and difficult level skiing, an active Arts & Music scene in the historic district, a solid business base for large & small business, a new hospital, a new Bellevue College campus coming, high density new housing communities, larger lot resale housing, active community in government, and a community of diverse cultures and friendly faces that offer a smile. Thanks Outside for noticing. Find out more at "Just Talking" Issaquah on Facebook.

We're seriously looking to settle in Issaquah. I know it's growing rapidly up in the Highlands, but I'm really attracted to the area near downtown, just before you start heading out on Issaquah-Hobart Rd. Seems like a great place to raise kids. Nice schools, etc. Seems much quieter (a good thing) on the weekends than during rush-hour, which appears to be all week. What is that area there called, and can anyone recommend options for a younger family looking to buy (neighborhoods, etc)?

@ Out of Towner ... I will try to post landmarks that you may be referring to without the post duplicating itself. Are you referring to Front Street, that eventually becomes the Issaquah-Hobart road? Or, are you referring to the neighborhood on the north slope of Squak Mountain, with views of Lake Sammamish? Or, are you referring to the Gilman Village retail area? What lot size would you prefer? That will determine whether you choose a new urbanist, "smart growth" community of townhomes such as Talus or the Issaquah Highlands. Or, a larger lot area such as areas just north of Squak Mtn, or the Klahanie area near Sammamish. For some of the largest lots of 1 to 5 acres, try unincorporated HOA's in unincoporated King County just south of Issaquah, such as Mirrormont (my favorite, the 1 acre yards are Old Growth trees!), High Valley, Sunset Valley Farms, and other HOA's in the May Valley area ... and also near Maple Valley. All of these are great neighborhoods. Watch out for fumes in areas near the Cedar River Landfill, but that's well SW of all these areas. As for schools, some of these neighborhoods are in the Issaquah Schools, others in the Tahoma School District, and both are the best in the area. As for trafffic, it is worse during commute hours, but if one does not have to drive on Front Street, then there are other roads. Front Street cannot be widened due to historic buildings and the Darigold Dairy. Roads outside of the City limits could be widened for bike lanes, indeed, part of SR-900 near Talus now has a bike lane, although not all the way to Newcastle. Also, nearby Sammamish also has good schools, and a very wide range of lot sizes and housing styles...

@Tom9 -- Thanks for the response. When I posted that, I was referring to the area where Front St becomes Issaquah-Hobart Rd. But we're certainly open-minded about these other areas you mention as well. I generally know which areas you're referring to, as we've done quite a bit of exploring out there, although I don't claim to know all there is. Thanks again for the tips!

Not totally yuppified?! I disagree and hope it never makes it to your definition of completely yuppified.

Not totally yuppified?! I disagree and hope it never makes it to your definition of completely yuppified.

To "Issaquah Proud:" I was being sarcastic when I said"......the great city of Seattle..." I quite like Issaquah but I feel that it is very expensive to live there and in the Puget Sound area in general. And I'm personally tired of living in a huge metropolitan area. I do however love my road trips OUT of Seattle......

We are coming up to your area in May to look at moving there. We are looking to buy a new home in the Issaquah area. We love walking our dogs, small sail boat just for 2. I am a artist and my husband is into model trains. All the information on this site has been very helpful. We want to live a little out of metropolitan, but still have access to it. Any help as to area's in Issaquah to look at when we come would be of great help.

I beg to differ on the 'hasn't been totally yuppified' aspect. As someone who has lived in Issaquah since 1987, the yuppie factor has grown at an astounding rate. Thankfully, there is still refuge from tract housing and strip malls in my neck of the woods.

issaquah has one of the most corrupt police departments in the nation....with officers jeff johnson, chris felstad right up to the chief of police taking bribes and falsifying crime against the citizens of issaquah. issaquah has some of the worst traffic you will ever see in athe biggest joke in western washingtonmerica and home prices that are not affordable......those salmon you see in the foto are hatchery raised and cannot spawn in the wild on their own......i am totally blown away that this yuppie bastion of traffic and criminal cops could actually be nomnated!!!! issaquah is known as

They also have a nice little brewery there that makes excellent beer. Issaquah brewhouse!