Upscale Bellevue has long been known for its exciting shopping, and it's no wonder! Everywhere you look in downtown Bellevue, you will find nationally-recognized stores, elegant boutiques and galleries offering the usual and the unusual for sale. But in recent years, Bellevue has grown into something much more. As Washington's fifth-largest city, it is the center of the Seattle area's growing Eastside communities, with a reputation for quality neighborhoods, strong businesses, low crime and schools that rank among the best in the nation. Bellevue’s downtown is becoming more and more vibrant with a mix of retail, residential, commercial and cultural space, and the rising skyline of office space is projected to double over the next few years.

Bellevue sits between Lake Washington and Lake Sammamish, about ten miles west of the foothills of the Cascade Mountains. There are over 1,700 acres of parkland within city limits offering everything from a comfortable bench for a break from shopping to kayaking to exploration of wetland habitats. The award-winning Bellevue Botanical Garden is certainly not to be missed for a breath of fragrant Northwest air and stunning floral beauty.

Old Bellevue, with quaint downtown charm, is developing into an increasingly popular spot for shopping, dining and entertainment. Jazz is definitely the sound of Bellevue and it’s easy to find during the summer at Bellevue Downtown Park, the center of outdoor events and activities. Other music, dance, theater and film, featuring Bellevue’s accomplished performing arts groups as well as big-name entertainment, fill the schedule at the Theatre at Meydenbauer Center. And if all that isn’t enough, Seattle and beyond is just over the bridge.