<body>
<h1><font face="Arial"><b>Mercer Island, WA Real Estate</b></font></h1>
<h2><font face="Arial"><b>Mercer Island and King County Washington real estate search</b></font></h2>
<h2><strong><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="1">Mercer Island in King County Real Estate<br>
Washington Real Estate<br>
Mercer Island WA Real Estate <br>
Mercer Island Washington<br>
King County Real Estate<br>
Search the Mercer Island property MLS</font></strong></h2>
<p>Search homes, condos, residential, multi-family, commercial and businessess. First time home buyers, fsbo, find a buying agent. We will help you find your Mercer Island WA home and help you search the Mercer Island Washington real estate market. </p>
<p>The source for King County Real Estate, King County Washington Real Estate, City of Mercer Island WA Real Estate, King County WA Homes for Sale, King County Condos, Mercer Island Waterfront Real Estate in Arlington, Brier, City of Snohomish, Kenmore, Lake Forest Park, Mill Creek, Monroe, Mukilteo, Stanwood, Woodway, Bothell,Everett, Lynnwood, Marysville, and Shoreline. WA. The Mercer Island Washington real estate search system. </p>
History
Mercer Island was first settled by non-Natives in the 1870s. It was named after early visitors, the Mercer brothers, who rowed from Seattle often for berry picking, hunting and fishing (Gellaty, 1977). The first large settlement was on the northwest side of Mercer Island, called "East Seattle." C.C. Calkins built a resort, the Calkins Hotel, in 1889 in East Seattle. This resort led to the development of a ferry dock (Calkins landing), which in turn led to a growing population. While the Calkins hotel burned to the ground in 1908, the ferry service continued, and a small business district prospered.
Mercer Island is connected to Seattle in the west by Interstate 90, carried by the Homer M. Hadley Memorial Bridge (the fifth longest floating bridge in the world) and the Lacey V. Murrow Memorial Bridge (the second longest in the world). I-90 also connects Mercer Island to Bellevue in the east.
The Mercer Island School District operates six schools on the island: three elementary schools (West Mercer Elementary, Island Park Elementary and Lakeridge Elementary) one middle school (Islander Middle School), one high school (Mercer Island High School), and one alternative high school (Crest Learning Center). The MIHS mascot is the islander, but is more commonly known as the snail for its shape.
Just over five miles long and two miles wide, Mercer Island lies in Lake Washington east of the City of Seattle and west of the City of Bellevue. About 21,000 people make it their home. Settlement of the island by non-Native Americans began in the late 1870's. The island was named after one of the three pioneering Mercer brothers from Illinois, all of whom had great influence in the Seattle area. Although none of the brothers lived on Mercer Island, they would often hunt and explore throughout the island's secluded forests. The early settlers traveled by rowboats to the neighboring community of Seattle to pick up necessities. An occasional tramp steamer would drop off items that were too large to transport by rowboat.
Because of the inconveniences of island living, settlement lagged until C.C. Calkins platted the town of East Seattle, having purchased 22,000 acres. That's nearly three percent of the island's total acreage. In 1891 he built a luxurious resort on the western side of the island. This spurred the building of a ferry dock and small streamers began to make regular trips. This availability of transportation attracted more residents. Ferry travel continued until July 2, 1940 when the floating bridge from Mercer Island to Seattle was opened.
Today eight lanes of Interstate 90 connect Mercer Island with Seattle and Bellevue. It includes two side-by-side floating bridges that link Seattle and Mercer Island, a boon for commuters and shoppers.
Mercer Island is primarily a single-family residential community. A commercial business district and multi-family dwellings are concentrated at the northern end. However, the northern end on the other side of Interstate 90 is also a single-family residential community as well as being the site of Luther Burbank Park, which is county-owned.
<br>
<font face="Verdana" size="1">| <a href="http://realestate.bellingham.net">Bellingham WA Real Estate</a> | <a href="http://www.olympiapowersearch.com">Olympia Real Estate</a> | <a href="http://www.tacomapowersearch.com">Tacoma Real Estate</a> | <a href="http://www.bellevuepowersearch.com">Bellevue Real Estate</a> | <a href="http://www.redmondpowersearch.com">Redmond Real Estate</a> | <a href="http://www.northwestpowersearch.com">Northwest MLS Search</a> | <a href="http://www.shorelinepowersearch.com">Shoreline Real Estate</a> | <a href="http://www.edmondspowersearch.com">Edmonds Homes for Sale</a> | <a href="http://www.snohomishpowersearch.com">Snohomish Homes for Sale</a> | <a href="http://www.everettpowersearch.com">Everett Washington</a> | <a href="http://www.lynnwoodpowersearch.com">Lynnwood WA</a> | <a href="http://www.bothellpowersearch.com">Bothell Washington</a> | <a href="http://www.marysvillepowersearch.com">Marysville WA</a> | <a href="http://www.snohomishpowersearch.com/city-of-snohomish/">City of Snohomish WA</a> | </font><font face="Verdana" size="1"><a href="http://www.seattlepowersearch.com">Seattle Real Estate</a> | <a href="http://www.portlandpowersearch.com">Portland Real Estate</a> | <a href="http://www.phoenixpowersearch.com">Phoenix Real Estate</a> | <a href="http://www.nashvillehomesurfing.com">Nashville Real Estate</a> | <a href="http://www.lasvegaswebofhomes.com">Las Vegas Real Estate</a> | <a href="http://www.searchonmaui.com">Maui Real Estate</a> |</font></p>
<script type="text/javascript">
var gaJsHost = (("https:" == document.location.protocol) ? "https://ssl." : "http://www.");
document.write("\<script src='" + gaJsHost + "google-analytics.com/ga.js' type='text/javascript'>\<\/script>" );
</script>
<script type="text/javascript">
var pageTracker = _gat._getTracker("UA-2932202-7");
pageTracker._initData();
pageTracker._trackPageview();
</script>
</body>