We’ve all heard stories about the golden age when most Americans lived in small towns, along tree-lined streets, waved to the neighbors on their front porches, and walked to the store, school and diner. That’s the reality of today’s urban village style community at Issaquah Highlands. Only here, because we’ve clustered the homes in comfortable neighborhoods, we have been able to preserve over 1,500 acres in parks and open space. Plus, the stylish new homes have all the newest amenities and are 4-Star Built Green™, ENERGY STAR® Certified or higher. Also better than the “good old days,” the world comes right to your door at the high speeds and high volumes of a fiber-optic connection.

like a small town, is a very diverse community in many ways. We enjoy neighbors of all ages, lifestyles, and from all over the world. The Northwest’s most respected homebuilders are creating a wide range of choices — from high-style live/work lofts and condominiums, to townhomes and single-family homes, to luxury estates and view homes. There are always furnished model homes available to tour.

From the very first resident in 1998, Issaquah Highlands has been known for its community life. Blakely Hall serves as the center of many get-togethers and is the location of the very active Community Association. There are many ways to get involved with your neighbors — from serving on community advisory boards, trail and park improvement groups to social clubs, wine groups, home churches, investment clubs and children’s play groups. Several times each year, community-wide events, such as the Easter Egg hunt or summer park concerts, bring large groups of neighbors together to meet and make new friends. It’s easy to get involved. Ask for the latest edition of Connections, the Highlands community newspaper, to discover your many options.

Issaquah Highlands people are never more than a 1/4-mile walk from a neighborhood park or playground. Over 75% of the available land has been dedicated to parks and open space, starting with the 1,400-acre Grand Ridge Park — a permanently protected open space and one of the largest parks in King County. Some parks are quiet spots for contemplation. Others, like Ashland Park and Village Green, are neighborhood gathering places for concerts and community-wide celebrations. Firehouse Park, on Park Drive, is set up for basketball and other more action-packed activities. In the twenty planned parks, you will find five soccer fields, three baseball/softball fields, six tennis courts, five basketball/sport courts, ten play areas, four picnic areas, a community garden, bike trails, restrooms and our highly popular Bark Park and Mini-Mutt Park, the off-leash dog areas.

Issaquah Highlands neighborhoods are laced with sidewalks and a trail network that takes you into the 1,400-acre Grand Ridge Park and connects Issaquah Highlands with other major regional trails systems, such as the Preston Trail, throughout the foothills, Cascades, and the nearby Squak, Tiger and Cougar Mountain wilderness areas. Many of the regional trails are mountain-bike friendly. Issaquah Highlands people and others are hard at work designing, enlarging, improving and maintaining this trail system.

Issaquah Highlands offers some of the finest Internet connections in the Northwest. The community is wired with a fiber-optic backbone and each home meets a minimum standard for a Cat5 and cable home network, with connections to all major rooms. At Issaquah Highlands, you will have access to a community-owned Internet service provider, Highlands Fiber Network. When you move into your new home all you have to do is choose the speed of the connection you want, plug in an Ethernet cable or wireless hub and you’re up and running at blazing speeds. The high speed and high capacity available make Issaquah Highlands an ideal location for a home-based business.

Currently on High Street and at Starpoint near Village Green, you’ll find a wonderful and eclectic mix of restaurants, shops and services. Port Blakely Communities is proud to announce a 50,000 square foot Central Market grocery store, featuring exceptional produce, organic foods, fresh seafood, natural meats and a delicious selection of gourmet foods, which is scheduled to open in the near future. Surrounding Central Market, the High Streets shopping district will offer a highly desirable mix of internationally recognized retailers as well as distinct local favorites, and neighborhood retail services. In addition to the upscale grocer, there will be a selection of casual and sophisticated restaurants, a first-class hotel, a health club, and a multi-screen cinema to complement the office and commercial development.

The Microsoft Property is designed to be a sixty-three acre park-like campus setting, featuring office space for professional workers. Timing of development will be based on Microsoft’s growth needs. Microsoft has not yet determined what business units will be housed at this campus and when they will begin development.

In an urban village, the streets are designed to encourage walking and create a sense of neighborhood. Often they are narrow and tree-lined as in heritage small town America. In many neighborhoods, front porches face the sidewalk encouraging interaction between neighbors. They are also narrow to promote “slow” and “safe” traffic flow naturally, without the use of speed bumps.

Issaquah Highlands is a very pet-friendly community with responsible pet owners. Pet stations help keep the community clean and dogs are leashed. Many Issaquah Highlands residents and dog lovers worked hard to make off-leash dog parks, known as Bark Park and Mini-Mutt Park, very popular realities.

The practice of sustainable development and “smart growth” is a guiding principle of Port Blakely Communities. Issaquah Highlands’ leadership has attracted state, national and international attention, along with numerous awards (see www.issaquahhighlands.com). By clustering homes and leaving over 75% of the available land in parks and open space, Issaquah Highlands is an example of how to accommodate Puget Sound’s expanding population needs without sending suburban sprawl all the way to the Cascades. Planning and construction emphasize infrastructure improvements that protect water quality and reduce other environmental impacts. All new homes are required to meet a minimum Built Green™ 4-star standard with ENERGY STAR® certification. Public and commercial buildings, including the firehouse, Blakely Hall and shopping areas are designed to meet LEED® (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification for sustainability and energy efficiency. Issaquah Highlands residents have adopted a Living Green™ lifestyle, encouraging each other to find ways to live more lightly on the planet.

Grand Ridge Elementary School, with over 650 students grades K-5, opened within Issaquah Highlands in 2006. This brand new facility features over 22,000 square feet of covered play area and is adjacent to Central Park. Some neighborhood students are attending Clark Elementary as well. The Issaquah School District is one of the most highly acclaimed in the state, for more information visit www.issaquah.wednet.edu. An Issaquah Highlands campus of Lakeside Montessori School also serves neighborhood children. A map of all local private and public schools is available at the Info Center.

Two neighborhoods offer the opportunity to purchase property for a custom home. The Harrison Street neighborhood offers views overlooking the Eastside all the way to the downtown Seattle skyline and Olympic Mountains. Harrison Street reflects the character of Seattle’s legacy view neighborhoods like Magnolia, Mt. Baker, Laurelhurst and Madison Park. The Grand Ridge Drive neighborhood is nestled on a quiet lane with a wooded setting, featuring the last remaining 2+ acre parcels within an urban village setting and just five minutes from I-90. A limited number of completed custom Showcase homes are available from $1,500,000 to $3,500,000. For more information contact the Harrison Street Presentation Center at 425-392-5460.

The Issaquah Highlands community is designed to be pedestrian and bicycle friendly with a special emphasis on public transportation. Sound Transit has regular and express bus service to downtown Seattle, Bellevue, Redmond and surrounding communities. A 1,000-car Park & Ride makes regional connections a breeze.

Highlands Community Association with reasonable homeowner assessments, which cover maintenance of common areas and parks. In addition, some neighborhoods within Issaquah Highlands have additional assessments that help maintain common areas, and of course, condominiums have associations that maintain funds for common area maintenance and regular replacement items, such as roofs. Your homebuilder representative is your best source for up-to-date information about neighborhood or condominium association dues.