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(; ) is a city in King County, Washington, United States. The population was 11,212 at the 2000 census.
Based on per capita income, Issaquah ranks 25th of 522 areas in the state of Washington to be ranked.
According to the Washington State Office of Financial Management, Issaquah ranked 6th of 279 eligible incorporated communities in population growth between 2000 and 2005. Forbes.com ranked Issaquah the 2nd fastest-growing suburb in the state, and the 89th in the nation.
Issaquah is an anglicized word for a local Native American name, meaning "the sound of birds".
Another version of the name is said to have come from the pioneers, who, being impressed with the multitude of wetland birds, called the area Squak Valley. When the next wave of settlers came and asked for the name of area the Natives told them, "Is Squak."
The city was officially incorporated on April 29, 1892. Initially a small mining town, this town has changed noticeably both in its appearance and economic focus. Issaquah was originally developed to service the mining industry on nearby Tiger Mountain, and began as the town of Gilman, Washington. As the mining deposits neared depletion in the late 1890s, other companies started to realize Issaquah's potential to support a lucrative lumber business. These companies exported timber from Issaquah and other small, local towns to Seattle and larger, rapidly growing communities throughout western Washington. These early boom industries, however, faded into a period of relative quiet by the time of the Great Depression. The town remained fairly placid through the succeeding decades, with The Boeing Company providing the majority of employment in the area. Microsoft and other technological industries moved into Redmond, Washington and other cities in the area, and later established operations in Issaquah itself. Both Boeing and Microsoft have significantly affected Issaquah's history, cultural development, and diverse population through their active community participation and attraction of outside residents. In June 1996, Costco moved its global headquarters to Issaquah from neighboring Kirkland, Washington (thus the origin of its Kirkland Signature brand).
An interesting fact: Boeing's first wooden seaplane was built by employees from Issaquah and took off from Lake Sammamish (located at the northern edge of downtown Issaquah).
Other Issaquah employers include Siemens Medical Solutions' Ultrasound Group, GoldSim Technology Group, Costco Wholesale, Overtime Technologies, Boehm's Candies, and Darigold.