King County history

The Reverend David Blaine established King County's first church (Methodist) in 1853.

Kitsap County was later formed from it in 1857.

Military Road, built in 1860 from Seattle to Pierce County, traveled south through settlements that would become Des Moines and Federal Way.

By 1875 coal superseded lumber as King County's first industry.

In 1881 Seattle surpassed Walla Walla as the largest town in the Territory.

In east King County, Enumclaw came into being in 1885, when the Northern Pacific Railroad built a depot there.

The town of Slaughter (renamed Auburn) incorporated in 1891.

Matters became more civilized after the town incorporated in 1901.

They were key players in the opening of Pike Place Market in August 1907 in Seattle.

The 1909 Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition, held on the University of Washington campus, drew nearly four million visitors and spurred further growth.

The Lake Washington Ship Canal, completed in 1917, opened Seattle's lakes to ocean-going commerce.

The firm pioneered international airmail, built aircraft for World War I, and founded United Airlines before federal regulators broke the company into its parts in 1934 and Boeing quit in disgust.

In 1940 the Lake Washington Floating Bridge provided easy access to Seattle and transformed Bellevue.

The era began in 1962, when Seattle's Century 21 World's Fair welcomed visitors from around the world, and left the legacy of the Seattle Center with its theaters, Opera House, science museum, and the innovative Monorail.

The National Organization for Women formed its Seattle chapter in 1970.

And in 1975 two young men founded a small computer firm that would come to equal Boeing in its impact on the county: Microsoft.

Farther south, Federal Way developed slowly for decades alongside Route 99, incorporating in 1990.

Development proceeds in accordance with the Comprehensive Growth Plan (1994) that favors urban density to preserve green space.

The Council's first African American member was Ron Sims, who became Executive after Locke was elected governor in 1996.

In 2005, resolutions were passed and signed into law by the governor of the state, which officially renamed the county after Martin Luther King Jr.

In 2006, King County's population of 1.8 million includes some 100,000 African Americans, 100,000 Hispanics (mostly Latinos), 180,000 Asians, 20,000 Sikhs, and more than 1.3 million whites from places as diverse as Ireland, Sweden, Russia, Italy, and India.

King County logo designed by Gable Design Group in 2007