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Lake Stevens, Washington

Lake Stevens is a city in Snohomish County, Washington, United States. It is southeast of Marysville, north of the city of Snohomish, and east of Everett. The population was 6,361 at the 2000 census and has grown to over 14,500 as of July 2007.

History

Lake Stevens was officially incorporated on November 29, 1960.

Believed to be named after Governor Isaac I. Stevens, Lake Stevens was first settled in 1886 on a 160-acre homestead along the east shore. By 1890 the first town in the area, "Ferry," was established. Its name was later changed to "Hartford," and it served as the main link from the famed Monte Cristo timber and mining resources to the world.

In 1905 a railroad spur was built by the Rucker Brothers Timber Company, linking Hartford with Lake Stevens. Two years later Rucker Mill was opened, located along and in the north cove of the lake (original pilings can still be seen in the old lake outflow area just south of the boat launch). In 1919, the mill, which became known as the "world's largest sawmill," burned and was partially rebuilt. When it burned a second time in 1925 the mill was dismantled and Lake Stevens lost the very industry which caused its founding. However, by then a flourishing town was established and continued under its own momentum.

From the 1920s to the 50's Lake Stevens was primarily a resort community, with many public and private resort beaches scattered around the shore. In 1960 Lake Stevens incorporated as a City with a population of 900. Soon, its popularity and natural beauty, combined with changing commuter habits, attracted more and more residents, changing its character to that of a suburban community. By 2000 the City had grown to a population of 6,361 in approximately 1.8 square miles. The lake remains the focal point of the greater Lake Stevens community for recreation and as "a symbol of our need to provide for a sustainable existence that will protect our natural environment".

Geography

Lake Stevens is located at (48.019782, -122.066089).

According to the United States Census due to three major annexations occurring since 2006.

Demographics

As of the [[census of 2000, there were 6,361 people, 2,139 households, and 1,683 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,951.8 people per square mile (1,142.3/km²). There were 2,234 housing units at an average density of 1,036.7/sq mi (401.2/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 92.31% White, 0.60% African American, 0.91% Native American, 1.10% Asian, 0.31% Pacific Islander, 0.90% from other races, and 3.87% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.55% of the population.

There were 2,139 households out of which 49.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 65.5% were married couples living together, 9.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 21.3% were non-families. 15.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 5.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.96 and the average family size was 3.30.

In the city the population was spread out with 33.9% under the age of 18, 6.5% from 18 to 24, 36.3% from 25 to 44, 17.6% from 45 to 64, and 5.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females there were 101.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.0 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $65,231, and the median income for a family was $68,250. Males had a median income of $51,536 versus $30,239 for females. The per capita income for the city was $22,943. About 3.8% of families and 4.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.9% of those under age 18 and 9.0% of those age 65 or over.

City Government

Mayor and Council

Lake Stevens government operates under the mayor-council system. The mayor serves as the executive of the city, whereas the council serves as the legislative body of the city.

Voters elect a mayor and seven councilmembers to serve, each to four-year terms. All positions are non-partisan. Elections are staggered, meaning that not all positions are up for election in the same year. Currently, elections for the Mayor and Positions 3, 4, and 5 are held in the same year, whereas elections for Positions 1, 2, 6, and 7 are held two years after. In cases of vacancies or appointments, elections for those specific positions may be held for the unexpired portion of the term outside that position's normal election cycle, as was the case in the most recent election cycle (2007) for Position #6. The table shown below details the current make up:

Position	Name	Held Position Since	Current Term Ends	% Support in Last Election
Mayor	Vern Little	November 2006	December 2011	61.43% (2007)
Position 1	Heather Coleman	January 2006	December 2009	61.45% (2005)
Position 2	Neal Dooley	January 1991?	December 2009	67.34% (2005)
Position 3	John Spencer	January 2008	December 2011	56.64% (2007)
Position 4	Mark Somers	January 2008	December 2011	51.42% (2007)
Position 5	Suzanne Quigley	January 2007	December 2011	68.39% (2007)
Position 6	Kathy Holder	February 2007	December 2009	61.46% (2007)
Position 7	Tom Hartwell	January 2006	December 2009	63.66% (2005)

Non-elected Positions

Prominent (non-elected) positions for the city include: City Administrator, City Clerk, Police Chief, Planning Director, Public Works Director, and Community Programs Planner.

Boards and Commissions

The city has several boards and commissions whose role is to advise the Council on a variety of issues specific to that board or commission. Members of each board or commission are volunteers from the community, either as residents or property owners from within the Urban Growth Area. They are appointed by the Mayor with Council approval. The exception is with the Civil Service Commission, which all members, who must reside inside the city limits, are appointed by the Mayor exclusively. These boards and commissions include:

Arts Commission
Civil Service Commission
Design Review Board (made up of members of the Planning Commission)
Library Board
Parks Board
Planning Commission
Zoning Board (made up of City Council members)

More Information:

Lake Stevens City Government

Annexation and the Unincorporated “Urban Growth Area"

Since 2005, the population of the City of Lake Stevens has nearly doubled from around 7,400 to 14,500 currently. This has been primarily due to an effort called "One Community Around the Lake" to bring the unincorporated areas within the Urban Growth Area into the city limits. The table shown below details recent annexation efforts by the community:

Area Annexed	Month & Year	Acres	Population	New City Population
Northlake	January 2006	855	2,300	9,700
Frontier Village	December 2006	708	3,600	13,300
Soper Hill	May 2007	292	1,200	14,500

In addition, community information meetings have been taking place, hosted by the City with five additional neighborhoods: Chapel Hill, Hill Crest, Cavalero Hill, Southlake, and Eastlake. The purpose of these informal meetings is to assess annexation support and possibilities with these neighborhoods.

Over 20,000 people live in the remaining surrounding Urban Growth Area. By 2025, the total population of the Urban Growth Area is expected to exceed 46,000 residents (both within and outside the city limits).

City of Lake Stevens Annexation Page

School District

Lake Stevens consists of two high schools (Lake Stevens High School and PROVE alternative school), one mid-high school (Cavelero), two middle schools (Lake Stevens and North Lake) six elementary schools (Mt. Pilchuck, Sunnycrest, Hillcrest, Glenwood, Skyline, and Highland).