Bellevue Fact Sheet

Safe, walkable and easily accessible from anywhere in the Pacific Northwest, Bellevue is a vibrant fusion of welcoming hotels, restaurants, nightclubs, arts & culture, outdoor recreation, and the Meydenbauer Convention Center.  Surrounded by pristine natural beauty with big-city amenities, Bellevue offers a world-class shopping and entertainment experience and is home to innovative global corporations. Major employers include Puget Sound Energy, Symetra Financial, Microsoft, The Pokémon Company International, Boeing, T-Mobile USA, Verizon, Nordstrom, Overlake Hospital, Group Health Medical Center and Bellevue College

Bellevue was named the Top 5 safest U.S. cities for solo female travelers by TripIt for CNBC Make It.

Data Resource: The City of Bellevue's Open Data Portal

Demographics

Bellevue is one of the largest cities in Washington State, with a population of more than 150,000. It is the high-tech and retail center of King County's Eastside, with more than 160,000 jobs and a skyline of gleaming high-rises.

Bellevue residents are some of the most highly educated in the state, with 71.1 percent of adults over age 25 having a bachelor's degree or higher.

The population is growing and becoming more diverse. According to the United States Census,

• 49.6% of Bellevue's residents speak a language other than English at home, 15.6% have limited English proficiency
• 43% of residents are born outside the US
• 58.5% of residents identify as minority populations in the US
• more than 50 different languages are now spoken by children in Bellevue public schools

See more in the City of Bellevue's Bellevue Demographic Profile.

Lodging

Bellevue has 5,596 hotel rooms located in three primary areas of the city, with the largest concentration of more than 3,500 hotel rooms located in the heart of downtown.  Most downtown hotels provide easy walking access to Downtown Bellevue's lively dining, shopping and nightlife.  Bellevue's hotel accommodations include 4-star downtown hotels and peaceful suburban retreats so there's lodging to meet every visitor's preference and boast exceptional hotel rates for weekend stays. Complete listing of Bellevue hotels here.

Shopping

Bellevue is the Pacific Northwest's premier resort shopping destination with hundreds of well-known department stores, specialty retailers and unique boutiques. 

• The Bellevue Collection: Explore local retail legends such as Nordstrom and Eddie Bauer at this shopping center boasting more than 200 stores including Aritzia, Camper, Chanel, Marine Layer, POP MART, Ted Baker, Timberland, The North Face, and dozens of unique shops not found anywhere else. 
• The Shops at the Bravern: A vibrant outdoor village featuring the largest collection of luxury brands in on stylish Pacific Northwest destination, with stores such as Hermès, Prada, Gucci, Louis Vuitton, and Moncler, along with celebrated restaurants.
• Old Bellevue: Just south of Bellevue Downtown Park by Meydenbauer Bay, Old Bellevue offers friendly shopping amongst upscale boutiques and gift shops, deli's and restaurants. The old-fashioned lampposts along Main Street between Bellevue Way and NE 100th street lend historical flavor.
• The Avenue Bellevue: Coming soon in 2024, The Avenue Bellevue is home to the Intercontinental Bellevue and shops such as Jo Malone, Salt & Straw, Forte Chocolate, and more.

Dining & Nightlife

Bellevue is a burgeoning culinary destination with over 400 multicultural restaurants and eateries, ranging from casual sandwich spots and well-known national chains to 4-star gourmet, chef-driven restaurants. Downtown Bellevue is abuzz at night with dozens of pubs, clubs and bars.

Global Cuisine

Bellevue is a global destination with multicultural restaurants abound serving a very diverse population, and is constantly making room for international culinary exports. Bellevue is lucky to be the first North American outpost for restaurants that exist around the world, like India's Michelin-honored Farzi Café, Bengaluru's Mavalli Tiffin Rooms, Canada's Sun Sui Wah (coming soon 2024), and more. Enjoy flavors from every corner of the world with popular restaurants such as Shanghai's The Dolar Shop, Taiwan's Din Tai Fung, and DaeHo Kallbijjim with South Korean roots. 

With an abundance of ingredients sourced from the bounty of the Pacific Northwest, many locally born restaurants have also made their mark. John Howie Steak, Ascend Prime Steak & Sushi, Duke's Seafood, and Bis on Main just to name a few. Recently, Bellevue has seen a boom in restaurant culture, demonstrated in our New Restaurants article.

Arts & Culture 

The Theatre at Meydenbauer Center plays host throughout the year to an array of productions by local, regional and national performing arts groups. It is the home stage for Bellevue Civic Theatre, Bellevue Philharmonic Orchestra, International Ballet, and Bellevue Youth Theatre, Bellevue Chamber Chorus and Ballet Bellevue. Bellevue Arts Museum is an innovative center for the exploration of art, craft and design. People of all ages can directly experience the work, ideas and creative process of artists from the Pacific Northwest and beyond.The Eastside Heritage Center is committed to preserving the past as it builds community and connects people with their heritage by maintaining and preserving the largest collection of artifacts, photos and archival material related to the area. A hands-on, interactive children's museum, KidsQuest encourages a love of learning through play with an emphasis on STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art and math). For the past 7 years KidsQuest has encouraged whole-family learning, with exhibits and programs geared toward children birth to age ten.

Bellevue is home to unique public art at the Bellevue City Hall. City Hall visitors will experience major works by Pacific Northwest artists helping to transform the building into a cultural legacy for the community. Their artworks celebrate the history, culture, and people of Bellevue. Bellevue has a diverse public art collection of more than 130 sculptures placed throughout the community including throughout the downtown park. The public art, along with the often daring biennial Sculpture Exhibition are visible signs of continuing efforts to nurture the arts in Bellevue.

Recreation

A Waterfront Paradise

Bellevue’s urban forest climbs from the shores of Lake Washington and Lake Sammamish up 1,500 feet in elevation to the top of Cougar Mountain. With 14 miles of waterfront between the two major lakes, the city is a waterfront community with opportunities for water-related recreation activities, such as kayaking, canoeing, stand up paddle boarding, electric boat cruises, whale watching excursions, seaplane adventures, jetski rentals, swim beaches, and so much more. 

A City in a Park

With over 2,800 acres of parks and open space owned and managed by the city, Bellevue Parks & Community Services helps to foster Bellevue’s identity as a “City in a Park” by offering both passive and active recreation opportunities. The forests in our parks help keep our waters healthy and provide homes for wildlife. It's the trees in our neighborhoods, though, that make this city truly special. Two-thirds of all trees in Bellevue are on residential land. Parks & Community Services manages 78 developed park sites and over 98 miles of multi-use trails. Facilities within developed parks and open space include 18 ballfields, 12 soccer (or multi-use) fields, 47 playgrounds, 26 basketball courts, 37 tennis courts (some lined for pickleball), 13 picnic shelters, three community farms and 100 community garden plots. Parks & Community Services maintains 100 buildings totaling 267,000 square feet. Parks & Community Services manages 78 developed park sites and over 98 miles of multi-use trails. Facilities within developed parks and open space include 18 ballfields, 12 soccer (or multi-use) fields, 47 playgrounds, 26 basketball courts, 37 tennis courts (some lined for pickleball), 13 picnic shelters, three community farms and 100 community garden plots. Parks & Community Services maintains 100 buildings totaling 267,000 square feet.

• At the Bellevue Downtown Park visitors can stroll the half-mile park loop promenade bordered by a row of shade trees and a canal that cascades into a reflecting pond. 
• Bellevue Botanical Gardens is comprised of 53 acres of display gardens, woodlands, meadows and wetlands.  

Beyond downtown, Bellevue is home to one of the best golf courses in the country at the Golf Club at Newcastle offering panoramic views of Mt. Rainer, the Olympic and Cascade Mountains and Lake Washington.  Argosy offers a breathtaking Lake Washington Cruise.  A 15-minute drive North, Woodinville Wine Country is home to more than 70 wineries, including pioneers Chateau Ste. Michelle and Columbia Winery, and smaller boutique wineries, such as the Betz Family Wineries, Januik Winery and Woodhouse Family Cellars.  A short drive East to Snoqualmie Falls, one of Washington state's most popular scenic attractions with more than 1.5 million visitors every year and access to a two-acre park, hiking trail, observation deck, gift shop, and the famous 270 foot waterfall. 

Meetings

Bellevue provides all of the essentials of a convention, conference or event of up to 3,000 attendees.

• More than 2,400 hotel rooms in downtown with over 1,500 guest rooms committable on peak.
• 160,000 square feet of meeting space at Meydenbauer Convention Center and downtown hotels and is a perfect fit for groups of up to 3,000.
• Meydenbauer Center features 54,000 square feet of meeting and exhibit space and nine breakout rooms, an Executive Conference Suite, and exceptional catering. Meydenbauer Center's 36,000 square foot Center Hall is the largest meeting space on the eastside.
• The recently expanded Hyatt Regency Bellevue presents 70,000 square feet of meeting space including an 18,000 square foot ballroom.
• Easy access to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (17 miles away). This is the same distance as downtown Seattle to the airport.
• Central location in the Puget Sound, just 10 miles to Seattle. Bellevue is close to wineries, golf-courses and other activities and destinations including Microsoft Campus, University of Washington, Seattle Center, Snoqualmie Falls, Tillicum Village and Pike Place Market.

Location

Nestled between two mountain ranges the city spans more than 31 square miles between Lake Washington and Lake Sammamish. Bellevue is just 17 miles from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport and 10 miles from Seattle, easily accessible via two floating bridges (Interstate 90 and State Route 520). The, and is a short drive from the Cascade Mountains to the east and Seattle is just 10 miles west across either the Interstate 90 bridge or the Highway 520 floating bridge.

The Cascade Mountains are less than a one-hour drive East on Interstate 90 with easy access to hiking, sightseeing and other outdoor pursuits. Woodinville Wine Country is a 15 minute drive from downtown Bellevue and home to more than 90 wineries and tasting rooms. 

Parking

Downtown Bellevue offers a number of parking options including pay parking in covered and surface parking lots and free and validated parking for patrons of retail, dining and entertainment venues. There is some on street parking on Main Street and in the Library district for short term parking.