1950 Map of Kirkland

About this map

Lake Washington defines the western edge of this 1950 landscape, which documents a pivotal era of suburban expansion around Kirkland and Bellevue. While the interior remains largely wooded or agricultural, as evidenced by Bridle Trail State Park and the Sammamish River valley, the 1968 purple revisions reveal rapid residential growth pushing east from the shoreline. The map captures the infrastructure of the mid-century community, from the U S Naval Air Station at Sand Pt to established institutions like St Edwards Seminary and Northwest College. Transportation networks are in transition, featuring the Evergreen Point Bridge and the Northern Pacific railroad line through York and Willows. Smaller settlements such as Houghton, Juanita, and Redmond are shown before their eventual consolidation into the modern metropolitan landscape.