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Now an upscale neighborhood of Beautiful and lavish waterfront and view properties.
A bit of Historical lore...by 1900 most of the land in “the Points Country” was being homesteaded. Many of these settlers maintained jobs in Seattle. They would commute by ferry boat or rowboat daily and in the evenings, and weekends, they would be free to work their farms and improve estates. Many vegetable plots, strawberry, blueberry patches, grapes and melon patches began to dot the countryside. By the early 1900’s, many of these local farmers began shipping their produce to Seattle’s Pike Place Market.
In 1910, Walter Hoggenstein, a Seattle grocer, decided to open a grocery store in Medina. He purchased a building for $2,200 and began the first and only grocery store on the Points. That same year a post office was established in the back of his store.
James Clapp, an early Medina pioneer, purchased a large dairy farm in 1920. He drained and developed the land into one of the finest golf courses in the state. Overlake Golf Course became a big attraction to the eastside. People from Seattle would take the ferry from Leschi to Medina, play a round of golf, purchase vegetables and berries, and return to Seattle by ferry that same day.
Several small schools were built on the Points during the early 1900’s. Miller Freeman, a local community activist, lead the drive to consolidate these schools into on district. It became known as the Overlake School District. Mr. Freeman continued to be an influential community leader and by 1930 he had begun a campaign to convince the State Legislature of the need and feasibility of a bridge from Seattle to the eastside.
During the 1920’s and 1930’s, automobiles increased on the eastside and more and more of the paths became roads. These roads were usually named after property owners that had developed them. NE 8th Street was originally named Downie Road and NE 24th Street was known as Bodie Road. Both were named after the Irish property owners who developed them. One legend has it that a local Scotsman resented these roads being named after Irishmen. Some neighbors encouraged him to select a Scottish name for this road. He chose Clyde’s Road, named after the Firth of Clyde in Scotland because of the green hillside overlooking the blue lake.
By 1940, many of the large home sites had been divided into smaller lots and a community club developed in the area around Clyde’s Road. In their search for a distinctive identity and boundary, they chose the name Clyde Hill Community Club. As this community club became more active, it began to take exception with the King County zoning ordinance, which provided for a relatively small minimum lot size. The club decided to examine the possibility of becoming a city to protect itself from the county zoning. In March of 1953, with boundaries drawn, the voters of Clyde Hill were given the choices of, incorporation as the Town of Clyde Hill, incorporation as part of Bellevue a new city, or remaining part of unincorporated King County. They chose to incorporate as the Town of Clyde Hill.
Shortly after Clyde Hill incorporated, the Medina Three Points Committee, together with Professor Edgar Horwood, compiled a 60- page survey on the pro’s and con’s of incorporation. This Committee then made the following recommendations:
“First preference was to incorporate with the Town of Clyde Hill. Second preference was to incorporate separately or collectively with any combination of the communities. Third preference was to incorporate with Bellevue.” In December of 1954, there was a public hearing on the three proposals and according to the Journal American;
“A capacity crowd including representatives from the community clubs of the Three Points, filled the Medina Clubhouse for the meeting. Members voted overwhelmingly against annexation to Bellevue and Clyde Hill.” On July 26, 1955, Medina and Hunts Point residents voted in favor of incorporation. Yarrow Point voters rejected it initially. However, a short time later, in June 1959, they voted in favor of incorporation.
On April 13, 1970, the Medina City Council adopted Resolution No. 100, which established the City’s classification as a non-charter code city with a council-manager form of government.
The City provides general governmental services, which are authorized by state law, including public safety, highways and streets, parks and recreation, planning and zoning, permits and inspections, general administration and storm drainage services.
The City is served by congressional district 1 and legislative district 48 |