Editing Lake Forest Park, Washington (section)

==History==
Lake Forest Park was founded in 1912 by [[Ole Hanson]] as one of the Seattle area's first planned communities. Envisioned as a picturesque retreat for professionals, the developers planned roads and lots in strict consideration for natural landmarks.<ref>Stein, A., "[http://www.historylink.org/essays/output.cfm?file_id=419 Lake Forest Park -- Thumbnail History]", HistoryLink.org, December 5, 1998. Online as of April 19, 2007.</ref> The original prospectus for lot sales declared:<blockquote>
…the strict fiat has gone forth that all the natural beauty must be preserved; that no tree must unwittingly be cut down; that the natural wild flowers must remain; that the streams, the springs, the lake front, the nodding willows, the stately cedar, the majestic fir, the quivering cypress and the homelike maple and all the flora and fauna with which Nature has blessed this lakeshore, must not be defiled by the hand of man.<ref>Alan J. Stein transcribing Ole Hanson, "[http://www.historylink.org/essays/output.cfm?file_id=420 Lake Forest Park brochure]", Seattle, Washington, 1912, held by Shoreline Historical Museum, Shoreline, Washington, 1998.</ref></blockquote>
Until 1914 and completion of the Red Brick Road (now Bothell Way, part of [[Washington State Route 522|State Route 522]]) to nearby [[Kenmore, Washington|Kenmore]] and [[Bothell, Washington|Bothell]], it also marked the literal end of improved roads heading north from Seattle, with the best access to points further north and east being by boat across [[Lake Washington]] or the [[Seattle, Lake Shore and Eastern Railway]].

Lake Forest Park officially incorporated on June 20, 1961, in large part to help maintain its specific identity.<ref>{{cite news|title=Once a refuge from 'disagreeable things'|url=http://www.seattlepi.com/news/article/Once-a-refuge-from-disagreeable-things-1106089.php|website=Seattle Post-Intelligencer|access-date=June 17, 2016|date=October 31, 2002}}</ref> The town remained small - under 5,000 in population - until the 1990s, when a series of annexations expanded city borders significantly and more than doubled the official population.

The 3/4 acre Lyon Creek Park was created in the late 1990s on land purchased by the city in 1998. For the prior fifty years, the lot had belonged to Marcia and Robert Morris, who had built a modernist home and a horse stable on the property. Both buildings were torn down as part of the park conversion, which also included replanting the park with 5,000 native shrubs and plants. The replanting portion of the project involved the labor of hundreds of citizen volunteers.<ref>Informational signs in Lyon Creek Park, City of Lake Forest Park, March 2007.</ref>

[[Lake Forest Park Town Center]], the city's commercial core, was built in 1964 and hugs Bothell Way, not far from the lakeshore. In late 2005, city government began holding public meetings to discuss the future of the town center. The decision was made to renovate Lake Forest Park Town Center and it now spans 18 acres and offers many shopping and dining options along with entertainment. Lake Forest Park Town Center is also home to a branch of the [[King County Library System]], Third Place Books, and Third Place Commons community center.<ref>{{cite web|title=City Center|url=http://www.cityoflfp.com/index.aspx?NID=248|website=Lake Forest Park Washington|access-date=June 20, 2016}}</ref><ref>Madison Marquette, http://www.madisonmarquette.com/portfolio/property/property:69 {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110714020051/http://www.madisonmarquette.com/portfolio/property/property:69 |date=July 14, 2011 }}, Retrieved December 1, 2010.</ref>