Editing Maple Valley, Washington (section)

==History==
The area was settled in 1879 by three men who were improving a trail and brought their families in. When a name for a future community was proposed, the names Vine Maple Valley and Maple Ridge were suggested. A vote was taken by writing the names on slips of paper and placing them in a hat. Vine Maple Valley won by 2/3, but the word "Vine" was later cut by the post office because it made the name too long.<ref name="HistoryLink">{{cite web|last=Stein |first=Alan J. |date=November 23, 1999 |title=Maple Valley — Thumbnail History |url=https://www.historylink.org/File/1922 |work=[[HistoryLink]] |access-date=May 14, 2019}}</ref>

The town's early history mainly had to do with coal, lumber milling to build homes, and a railroad that ran through town. Coal was brought in from [[Black Diamond, Washington|Black Diamond]] to the south, but the town itself also mined coal from Cedar Mountain. The mine was used as late as 1947.
Rail workers for lines like the Northern Pacific Railroad and the Cedar River Watershed, closed off by the City of Seattle, meant more workers for those things. More residents meant more lumber milling. More lumber milling meant more workers. [[Suquamish tribe]] chairperson [[Martha George]] was born near Maple Valley in [[Sheridan, Washington|Sheridan]] in 1892, at a logging camp where her mother and grandmother worked as cooks.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Notable Native American Women|access-date=April 20, 2013|url=http://harisingh.com/newsNative3.htm}}</ref>

The town grew inward. Blacksmith shops, hotels, saloons and stores took up the town in the 1910s and 1920s. Schools went up as well. Early schools were shacks at best. A two-room school went up in 1910, and a larger high school was built in 1929 as the first school in the [[Tahoma School District]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=District Overview Home Page |url=http://www.tahomasd.us/pages/Tahoma_School_District_409/About_Us/District_Overview |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20131011224402/http://www.tahomasd.us/pages/Tahoma_School_District_409/About_Us/District_Overview |archive-date=October 11, 2013}}</ref> The school, after extensive renovations, still stands today as an elementary school. Much of this early development actually did not take place in the modern-day city, but rather in [[Hobart, Washington|Hobart]], northeast of incorporated Maple Valley.

More residents meant farming and fishing became staples in the area, with milk, poultry and berry farming becoming the main grown food staples in the area. Fishing out of the Cedar River also became popular. Maple Valley also saw resorts beginning in the 1920s. Lake Wilderness, once the site of a county lumber mill, quickly became a resort lake with the opening of [[Gaffney's Lake Wilderness Lodge|Gaffney's Grove]], which opened with a ballroom, restaurant and roller rink. Later, the resort grew to include an airstrip, lodge, rental cabins, a nine-hole golf course and a bowling alley. It remained in operation until 1964.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.maplevalleywa.gov/departments-services/parks-recreation/lake-wilderness-lodge/history-of-the-lodge|title=History of the Lake Wilderness Lodge|publisher=The City of Maple Valley, Washington|access-date=May 14, 2019}}</ref>

Increasing automobile use in the area gave rise to new roads being built. In the early 1960s, the construction of [[Washington State Route 18|State Route 18]] between [[Auburn, Washington|Auburn]] and [[North Bend, Washington|North Bend]] ran through the city, requiring many landmarks to be either demolished or moved.<ref name="HistoryLink"/> The Maple Valley Historical Society keeps records on the city's past, with two historical museums holding artifacts such as the city's first fire engine and photographs of old places in and around the city like Gaffney's Grove.{{citation needed|date=May 2019}}

===Incorporation and recent development===
The city of Maple Valley was officially incorporated on August 31, 1997. The Green to Cedar River trail runs through the city, along [[Washington State Route 169|SR 169]] and Witte Road while passing through the former Gaffney's Grove site, now the Lake Wilderness City Park. The park includes a swimming beach and sprawling grass fields, and sees the annual Maple Valley Days Parade each year in June. The [[Lake Wilderness Arboretum]] is also located here.{{citation needed|date=May 2019}}

Due to the urban growth boundaries of [[King County, Washington|King County]], the city is uniquely split into different sectors along Maple Valley Black Diamond Road (SR 169), the main thoroughfare through the city. At the northern and southern boundaries of the city lie two large commercial areas, while central Maple Valley is predominantly residential.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Urban Growth Areas for King County |url=https://www5.kingcounty.gov/sdc/Metadata.aspx?Layer=urban_growth |access-date=June 13, 2023 |website=King County GIS Center}}</ref>

The south side's Four Corners district is the main commercial area of the city. It is located along Maple Valley Black Diamond Road and is bisected by Kent Kangley Road ([[Washington State Route 516|SR 516]]) to create four distinct areas of development.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.maplevalleyreporter.com/news/construction-projects-update-in-maple-valley/|title=Construction projects update in Maple Valley|first=Kayse|last=Angel|date=August 11, 2017|work=Covington-Maple Valley Reporter|access-date=May 14, 2019}}</ref> The northwestern corner underwent massive reconstruction in the early 2010s and now features several large retailers, apartments, and a strip mall.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.sierraind.com/maple-valley-retail-center-expanding/|title=Maple Valley retail center expanding|website=Sierra Construction}}</ref> The northeastern corner was completely constructed in the 2010s; it formerly was a large lumberyard and is now home to several retailers.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.riley-group.com/Projects/maple-valley-town-center-redevelopment/|title=Maple Valley Town Center Redevelopment|access-date=May 14, 2019}}</ref> The southern corners feature strip malls, retailers, an apartment complex, and a housing development.