Valley View Library 2009 Community Study
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Engage. Valley View Library 2009 Community Study Turn to us. The choices will surprise you. CONTENTS COMMUNITY OVERVIEW Executive Summary ......................................................................................... 1 History of the Valley View Library Service Area ..................................................... 2 History of the Valley View Library ....................................................................... 4 The Valley View Library Service Area Today ......................................................... 5 Geography ............................................................................................ 5 Demographics ....................................................................................... 5 Transportation ....................................................................................... 6 Housing ................................................................................................ 6 Business, Employment ........................................................................... 7 Community Organizations ....................................................................... 8 Parks & Recreation ................................................................................. 9 Education, Schools & Children .................................................................. 10 The Valley View Library Today & Tomorrow .......................................................... 10 Community Partnerships ......................................................................... 10 Current and Future Services for Children ................................................... 11 Current and Future Services for Teens ...................................................... 13 Current and Future Services for Adults ...................................................... 14 Patron Feedback & Survey Results ...................................................................... 15 COMMUNITY STUDY RECOMMENDATIONS ............................... 16 BOARD PRESENTATION SLIDES MAPS • Census Tracts with Schools • Aerial Overview APPENDICES • Demographic Summary • Population Trends & Growth • School Statistics & Test Scores • Race in Service Area • Age in Service Area • Languages Spoken at Home • Occupational Profile • Home Values in Service Area • Childcare Information • Survey Response Summary • Sources COMMUNITY OVERVIEW EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The greater SeaTac area is defined by the Highline Ridge, which separates the valley of the Duwamish and other rivers on the east from Puget Sound on the west. Like most of Puget Sound’s eastern ridges, Highline owes its elevation to the clay, sand and gravel left behind by glaciers at the end of the last ice age. The human history of the area begins with the Muckleshoot and Duwamish Indians who came to the area to camp, hunt and gather food. The first white settlers arrived in the mid-1850s, but settlement of the area increased significantly after Military Road was built in 1860. In 1928, Pacific Highway South cut its way through the area now known as the City of SeaTac. In addition to increasing access to the area, businesses sprang up to accommodate travelers. In the early 1940s, the population boomed due to the influx of jobs related to the defense industry. The airport also contributed to further growth in the area. Today, the area's business remains focused on transportation and hospitality. The airport continues to play a major role in the development of the community. The City of SeaTac strives to unite neighborhoods, match human services to needs, and balance business growth with the need to maintain livable neighborhoods. The area’s residents are becoming increasingly diverse ethnically and have education levels, incomes and home values considerably below the King County average. The City's Comprehensive Plan notes human services needs in the areas of drug and alcohol abuse, family conflict, health care, childcare, mental health and job training. Although the population has not increased significantly during the past decade, prevailing opinion is that there is great turnover in the population with new families and individuals constantly replacing previous temporary residents. This is a community proud of its history and its accomplishments. About 13 years ago, the City and the Valley View Library completed the SeaTac Oral History Project. From this came the video "SeaTac Chronicle: Voices from A City." 1 HISTORY OF THE VALLEY VIEW LIBRARY SERVICE AREA Throughout most of the 19th century, the SeaTac area was densely populated with trees. Duwamish Indians camped in the area during the summers to harvest fish from Angle Lake, as well as game, berries and other edible plants which grew naturally. In 1990, a canoe was discovered at the bottom of this lake and both the Duwamish and Muckleshoot tribes claimed it, asserting their people as indigenous to the area. Military Road, which winds across the ridge overlooking Kent Valley and brushes the east side of Angle Lake, was the first major road in the area. It was built to facilitate travel between Fort Steilacoom and Fort Bellingham for soldiers fighting in what is termed "The Indian Wars." Completed in 1860, the road was the first to connect Seattle to Tacoma and literally paved the way for settlers to come to the area. In 1871, Mike Kelly, a Seattle pioneer and explorer, came to the area looking for inexpensive farmland to homestead. He filed a claim for 160 acres in the area now called Sunnydale and soon built a road connecting his new home and that of his in-laws. Kelly Road was expanded by later settlers, until it eventually reached Des Moines. In 1916, this road was paved with bricks and given the name Des Moines Way Highway, which now defines the western border of the City of SeaTac. In 1922, the road was renamed Des Moines Way Memorial Drive and 1,800 elm trees were planted along the road to commemorate Washington State's World War I dead. By the early 1900s, many settlers had joined Mike Kelly and his in-laws and the town of Riverton (now a neighborhood in SeaTac) emerged. The land was still inexpensive and people farmed produce and dairy products, many of which were sold at the Pike Place Market. In 1928, Pacific Highway South cut its way through the area. In addition to increasing access to the area, the highway provided a new source of revenue for the area. Gas stations, hotels, restaurants and taverns were built to accommodate people passing through. As roads developed, the area became increasingly accessible to residents of Seattle, who built summer homes around Angle Lake. The Reeplog family, who lived at Angle Lake, took advantage of the growing interest in the lake's beauty and built a resort that featured a dance hall and a swimming area. The resort, called "The Angle Lake Plunge," finally burned down in 1957. Very soon afterwards, King County acquired the land and turned it into a public park. Angle Lake Park remains popular for SeaTac residents today. Population in the area tripled in the 1940s due to the influx of jobs related to the defense industry, particularly at Boeing. In the early 1940s, Seattle recognized the need for a major 2 airport in addition to Boeing Field, and soon after, the Port Commission voted to build and operate an airport serving the greater Puget Sound area. The airport underwent a major expansion and transformation in the late 1960s and early 1970s. The airport has been the largest contributor to the growth of population in SeaTac. In addition to creating jobs directly related to the airport and airlines, the industry has created additional need for hotels, convention facilities, restaurants, bus shuttles and other transportation companies, and places of entertainment, including — to the dismay of many residents — adult entertainment. This part of the Interstate 5 freeway also made national headlines in the 1980s as the hunting ground of the Green River Killer, who prowled the area in search of some 48 female victims. In 1989, residents who once depended on King County for services, decided they were ready to have local control of their government and services, and voted for incorporation. The new city scored early successes through tougher policing, public works and clever public relations. By patrolling and landscaping Highway 99 and changing its name within the city limits to “International Boulevard,” the amount of prostitution and related crimes thus fell dramatically. The City of SeaTac, and the airport it surrounds, is now the terminus for the entire Northwest. In the mid-1990s, to help foster a sense of community and an understanding of the history of the city and its neighborhoods, the Valley View Library and the City of SeaTac worked together for three years on the SeaTac Oral History Project. That project culminated in the release of a video titled "SeaTac Chronicle: Voices From a City." By 1995, Highline Times editor Rob Smith noted, “Burien, Des Moines and Federal Way were all a little envious of SeaTac’s wealth.” As Mayor Brennan then put it, “SeaTac can be described as very much a blue collar community with a champagne budget.” SeaTac refused to join its neighbors in opposing the third runway, which was approved in 1996 (and completed in 2008) as the only viable alternative to meet the region’s projected aviation needs. Even now, according to an October 2009 report, “ SeaTac Leads the State for Growth in Retail Sales,” with growth of nearly 20% during the past five years (Washington State Retail Survey). In 2003, the City of