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About Issaquah Highlands

Deliberately Different, USA

Issaquah Highlands is more than a beautiful place; our community also has a purposeful urban village design and a unique organizational structure rooted in the idea that Issaquah Highlands is a special place. 

Today Issaquah Highlands boasts over 4,000 homes. We have our own community center, Blakely Hall, and our own community-owned fiber network, Highlands Fiber Network. We have our own hospital, fire station, elementary school, retail, restaurants, and services, plus thousands of preserved acres of open space, parks, trails, and athletic amenities. The community is close to complete, with some residential and commercial areas not yet developed.

Urban Village Design: Live, Work, and Play in a Walkable Community

Issaquah Highlands was developed in the style of new urbanism, modeled after the compact, mixed-use design of European cities. New urbanism is defined as a mostly walkable mix of diverse, vibrant communities that include housing, workplaces, shops, entertainment, schools, parks, and civic facilities essential to daily life.

Issaquah Highlands combines the convenience found in dense cities with the quality of life found in the suburbs. Built Green-certified with safe neighborhoods, excellent schools, and many recreational opportunities, our community provides an ideal place for you and your family to live, work, and play.

12,000

Residents

484

Acres of dense housing, retail, and commercial

1,540

Acres of dedicated open space

26

Parks

10+

Miles of walking, biking, hiking trails

130

Community garden patches

Community Management

Four separate organizations govern and serve the community to ensure a high-quality lifestyle for both Issaquah Highlands residents and merchants. These organizations are funded and managed independently but work closely together to benefit the entire community.

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History

In the early 1990s, master developer Port Blakely embarked on a 30-year journey to transform the way developers built communities. Their vision resulted in an award-winning urban village that emphasized walkability, sustainability, economic vitality, and community Issaquah Highlands.

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Guiding Principles

Sustainability and Stewardship: A thriving, efficient, sustainable community that cares for and preserves the natural environment for ourselves and for generations to come.

Diversity: Issaquah Highlands attracts a diversity of incomes, household make-ups, lifestyles, activities, ethnicities, and backgrounds. Diverse land uses, architecture, and amenities enrich people’s lives.

Community Values: Issaquah Highlands values individual privacy and provides opportunities for social interactivity and community life for adults, children, and seniors that promote common values and shared responsibilities.

Pedestrian-Friendly Design: Issaquah Highlands’ community plan, infrastructure, and amenities are designed to encourage walking, bicycling, and transit use.

Civic Celebration through Public Amenities: Issaquah Highlands provides high-quality common buildings and public spaces such as our community center Blakely Hall and numerous parks.

A Local Context: Issaquah Highlands has a unique and memorable identity as a neighborhood within the City of Issaquah. We commemorate and celebrate the rich history of the region.

Contribute to the Good of the Region: Issaquah Highlands is a complete community that accommodates living, working, learning, playing, and nurturing while contributing to the richness, opportunity, and quality of life of the region.

Vitality, Flexibility, and Collaboration: Issaquah Highlands is economically vital and a viable community where the collaboration of public and private interests offers positive responses to the changing needs of the future.

Stewardship: Issaquah Highlands provides public infrastructure that is high quality, efficiently maintained, and economically serviced.

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