Saint John, WA

Saint John is a city located in the U.S. state of Washington. As of the 2010 census, the population was 36,814. The city is the county seat of Saint John County and is adjacent to the city of Seattle. Saint John is home to Washington State University- Saint John campus and several other colleges and universities, including Eastern Washington University, Bellevue College, Pacific Lutheran University, and South Puget Sound Community College.

The first European settlers arrived in Saint John in 1851 when gold was discovered on nearby Mount Rainier. The town grew rapidly as miners rushed to claim their share of the gold rush wealth. In 1853 a post office was established and by 1855 a sawmill had been built; these early businesses were instrumental in developing Saint John into what it is today. By 1860 Saint John had a population of 1,500 people and boasted two churches (one Protestant and one Catholic), four stores, two hotels (the Pioneer Hotel & Saloon and the Commercial Hotel), three blacksmiths, two wagon shops, one bakery, one newspaper (the " Saint Johns Argus"), one livery stable (owned by Jethro Wood), three saloons (the Union Saloon & Billiard Room; owned by A.J., S., & G.; and Joe's Saloon), an assay office run by Wm Hargrave; as well as several mines including Gold Hill Mine #1 which produced $30 million worth of gold before closing in 1865 due to low prices on the market

In 1870 St Johns became incorporated as a town with a population of 2200 people; at this time it boasted five stores (including two general stores), four churches (two Protestant and two Catholic), three blacksmiths/forges/wagonshops/livery stables/barber shops/, four hotels (the Pioneer Hotel & Saloon; Commercial Hotel; Empire House Hotel; Jethro Wood Livery Stable)

By 1880 St Johns had grown to 4500 people with 14 businesses including: 2 banks (First National Bank & Citizens Bank); 3 restaurants: Mrs M's Restaurant aka "The Dining Car"; The Union Restaurant aka "The Union Block"; The Globe Restaurant aka "The Globe Block" ; 1 drugstore: Dr Capps Pharmacy

On July 4th 1880 fire destroyed much of downtown Saint Johns destroying most buildings from Front Street westward to Third Avenue except for City Hall which still stands today

In 1886 construction began on WSU-StJohn Campus which opened its doors in 1889 with an enrollment of 350 students In 1896 voters approved $150 thousand dollars for new buildings on campus which included Science Hall , Fine Arts Building , Administration Building , Library , Chapel , Student Union Building . In 1902 WSU-StJohn became Eastern Washington University when EWU merged with Seattle Pacific College . EWU continued to grow through mergers with other colleges until 1971 when it became South Puget Sound Community College . Today there are over 30 000 students attending classes at WSU-StJohn Campus making it one of largest campuses in Washington State

Since 2000 real estate prices have increased dramatically due to increasing demand for housing caused by an influx of young professionals who have moved into the area seeking affordable housing while still having access to great amenities such as excellent schools , top rated hospitals , world class shopping districts such as Pike Place Market , Seattle Center etc . Average asking price for single family homes has increased from $160 thousand in 2000 to over $300 thousand today making Saint John one of the most expensive cities in Washington State

There are many factors that contribute to this increase including: increasing popularity among young professionals who want easy access to great amenities without having too much pressure from high housing prices ; growth within technology industries which has led many workers either living near their place of employment or commuting into Seattle each day ; limited supply coupled with growing demand has resulted in skyrocketing prices for homes throughout King County especially within desirable areas such as Bellevue Redmond Kirkland Issaquah Renton Kent WA etc .