Midnight Unveiling of "Welcome to Kirkland" Signs to Launch Annexation Celebrations

Kirkland City Council members and local residents will mark the annexation of three northern neighborhoods just after midnight tonight by unveiling "Welcome to Kirkland” signs at two locations.

After years of discussion, debate and controversy, Finn Hill, north Juanita and Kingsgate will officially become part of Kirkland at 12:01 a.m. Wednesday, June 1. The move will boost the city’s population from 49,000 to almost 80,000.

Mayor Joan McBride said the idea for unfurling the signs came from residents, not the city council or staff.

“Just kind of organically, we started hearing that neighbors were going to do this, and they came to the council,” she said Tuesday. “I think it is going to be major exciting. We’ve been working so long on this -- it was hard-fought -- and it is happening at midnight.

"We won’t actually be changing that much, but symbolically it’s beautiful. We’re going from little town to big town.”

The unveilings will occur at the following locations:

• The southwest corner of 100th Avenue NE/NE 145th Street, north of Simonds Road in the Juanita Neighborhood.
• The southwest corner of 124th Avenue NE at the Tolt Pipe Line south of Woodmoor Elementary School (12225 NE 160th Street, Bothell) in the Kingsgate Neighborhood.

The events will launch three days of annexation celebrations, including an open house at Wednesday (4-7 p.m.), a business breakfast Thursday (7:30-9:30 a.m.) at and a community function at on Friday (starting at 3 p.m.). For details, see the cty’s annexation web pages.