Sandpoint

Sandpoint was originally christened “Mud Lake”. It was muddy and swampy but still attracted pioneers. However, when the Lake Washington Ship Canal opened it lowered the lake by 8 feet and it dried out the swamps. Thus, “Mud Lake” became Sandpoint. The Sandpoint peninsula was an ideal location for a landing strip and the former swampland served as a U.S. Naval Air Station until 1991. Other Sandpoint airplane facts include the fact that Bill Boeing flew his first airplane off the strip and the first flight around the world landed on the peninsula in 1921.

Sandpoint is home to Children’s Hospital—a hospital consistently rated among the best children’s hospitals in the U.S. Sandpoint is also home to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Center (NOAA). The neighborhood is home to a strong Jewish community, including three synagogues.

Wedgewood, is a smaller neighborhood located between Sand Point Way and a small business district on Northeast 75th Street and 35th Avenue Northeast. Rents are slightly cheaper there then in Sandpoint and it has attracted many University of Washington students and staff.

In 2000, a transitional housing project opened in the former Sand Point Naval Station. The low-income-housing complex serves people who were previously homeless and they may stay no more than two years.