Good morning all! I thought I'd take a couple minutes and blog on my new work town, Bellevue, WA. Suffice it to say, I've seen a lot of changes over the years.
Originally, Bellevue was a bedroom community to Seattle with a sleepy downtown. I remember when I was going to college and Bellevue Square Mall was a sleepy outdoor shopping center. Now it is world class with every important store a person could think of.
Bellevue used to shut down after dark. People worked on the eastside (think Microsoft) but went home. Restaurants used to open and 6-12 months later they would shutter for lack of business. Contrast that with now. Bellevue is home to 3 40+ story skyscrapers and a myriad of other new buildings. At one time last year, there were over a dozen construction cranes in the sky in downtown Bellevue.
The office workers have moved in and Bellevue today has grown to over 100,000 residents. From morning to night, the streets are full and the restaurants are thriving. The number of people living and working downtown has increased dramatically and the long-term trend is positive.
Like any city around the nation, Bellevue is experiencing a slowdown for the moment. With money being tight the construction projects have stopped and condo. sales have cooled. Still, the long-tem outlook is good and I expect Bellevue to one day be a big player in Washington State. If you find yourself out this way, be sure to visit Bellevue too. Alot of people head to Seattle and they miss a great little gem on the Eastside. Have a great day!
Paul McFadden
