Top 10 Best Hot Jobs in Hunts Point, Washington 2008 - 2012

The peninsula that forms Hunts Point was originally home to the Sammamish Nation of the Coast Salish Native Americans. Their lake was in English approximately D'Wamish, now Lake Washington; and related nations headquarter themselves on Mercer Island (see link below). These and other Pacific Northwest nations in USA and Canada were visited and studied by California journalist Lynn V. Andrews in the 1970s and 1980s, resulting in a series of now-controversial spiritual journey novels especially featuring Indigenous Women.

As European settlers entered the territory, they began to remove the giant evergreen trees and formed the rudiments of the Pacific Northwest logging industry that is still active today. Following sustainability initiatives, these industries replace harvested trees with new growth.

The Washington logging industry gave rise to small logging settlement around the state, much like mines in West Virginia created mining settlements. The western logging settlements grew eventually into towns and cities and became the foundation for genre literature and entertainment. This included the musical and film Seven Brides for Seven Brothers and the television series Here Come the Brides.

According to local historical archives in the town of Hunts Point, a Mr. Leigh Hunt owned the local Seattle newspaper and lived on an outcropping of land east of Hunts Point across Cozy Cove. The peninsula had become a sort of scenic vacation spot across the cove from his own Yarrow Point land. This region was one of giant evergreen trees, lakes, and bays near two or three mountain ranges.

Mr. Hunt purchsed his Hunts Point peninsula in 1870 from an old settler that had been among some of the first- or second-generation white homesteaders in the area living alongside the Coastal Salish groups and friendly with them. However, Hunt proceeded to have the giant evergreen trees removed from his peninsula in order to clear a better view of the surrounding Lake Washington. This action rather marred the envirponment, but boosted the beginnings of the logging industry in this part of the Pacific Northwest. Logging continues to this day around Lake Washington.

A few ferry boats ran from this area of the lake to Seattle until the first decades of the 20th Century before WWII, when two bridges were constructed. This infrastructure increased residential possibilities as well as commerce, becuase the new bridges significantly decreased travel time to Seattle.

In 1963, a four-lane Evergreen Point Floating Bridge was built across the lake to Seattle along Route 520, remaining the longest floating bridge in the world as of 2011. The Washington State Highway Department has placed a lifespan up to the year 2017 (54 years) on the bridge, recommending replacement at that time. A new 6-lane bridge will help to eliminate bottleneck traffic during rush hours to and from Microsoft, located off the east end of the bridge and northeast several miles around Rt. 520 in Redmond.

The traffic is thick enough in the 2010s to move most motorists to abandon Route 520 during rush hours, while the bridge itself needs to be closed during high winds, since it is old and losing stability. With the increase in Software Engineers at Microsoft and Amazon.com needed through 2050, the new bridge will become the key to increasing traffic to and from Redmond WA. The current bridge remains a big tourist attraction, because of all the landmarks one can see from it while crossing.

The view from the bridge is breathtaking and full of landmarks. These include Lake Washington, Union Bay, Fairweather Bay, Cozy Cove, the Olympic and Cascade Mountains, Mr. Ranier, Mount Baker, Mercer Island, University of Washington and UM Medical Center, Washington Park, Madison, Husky Stadium, and others. Locals speak about holiday lights during the Christmas and New Year's seasons and remark that Bill Gates' house is well lit and visible from the bridge.

The graph above illustrates enormous job growth (thousands of percent) in the years 2008, 2010, and 2011. In 2011 during mid-April, at least 95,525 job openings were available within a 25-mile radius around Hunts Point. The Number One job title amolng these positions is Software and Senior Software Engineer.

Hunts Point is the Number 18 Wealthiest Town in the US, according to BusinessWeek. Average residential income has increased by 12% from 2000 to 2008. Population increased to 456 in 170 households persons in 2010. Thr community enjoys the natural environment, promotes sustainability, and prevents crime with a strong Block Watch program and coverage by the local Medina Police Department..

• Average income 2008: $280,525
• Average net worth 2008: $1,598,379
• Home Price Range April 2011 (from Trulia and Zillow): $795,000 to $19,690,000
• Median Home Price April 2011: $4,800,000
• Median Home Value (Sperling's Best Places) for 2010: $958,120
  

1. Software Engineers and Sr. Software Engineers - Many 1,000s of positions open.
2. Physical Therapists and Assistants
3. Project Managers - Largely IT positions.
4. Occupational Therapists
5. Program Managers
6. Shift Supervisors
7. Administrative Assistants
8. Senior Software Engineers
9. Account Executives
10. Sales Representatives

1. Amazon.com -- approx. 17,000 jobs, mid-April 2011
2. Microsoft
3. University of Washington
4. Starbucks
5. Boeing
6. Virginia Mason Medical Center
7. Amazon Corporate Offices
8. Volt Information Sciences
9. Expedia
10. Overlake Hospital Medical Center
11. Evergreen Healthcare and Providence Health & Services (tie)

1. Senior Software and Software Development Engineers - Includes Kindle specialities.
2. Area Managers
3. Operations Managers
4. Program Managers
5. Technical Program Managers
6. Product Managers
7. Sr. Product Managers
8. Quality Assurance Engineers
9. Senior Financial Analysts
10. Executive Assistants
11. Business Analysts
12. Finance Managers

BELLEVUE WA

• T-Mobile - Telecommunciations/IT

KIRKLAND WA

• Evergreen Hospital Medical Center - Healthcare

REDMOND WA

• Microsoft Corp - IT/software, computing services and products.
• Genie Industries - Lift equipment for materials handling and logistics.

SEATTLE

• Amazon.com HQ - Online Retail; IT services and products.
• Seattle Cancer Care Alliance - Healthcare
• South Seattle Community College - Higher Education
• Swedish Medical Organ Transplant - Healthcare
• V A Puget Sound Healthcare System - Healthcare
• Liberty Mutual Surety - Insurance
• Regence Blue Shield of Washington - Healthcare/Insurance
• Virginia Mason Medical Center - Healthcare
• Children's Hospital & Regional Medical Center - Healthcare
• Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research - Healthcare
• Qwest Communications - Telecommunciations/IT
• Seattle City Light - Utilities
• Starbucks Corp - Food Service/Coffee
• Torrefazione Italia - Food Service/Coffee, retail gifts.
• Virginia Mason Hospital - Healthcare
• V A Medical Center - Healthcare

See the graph below for grouping by Industry..