'Pride in home ownership' is city's motto

By DEBERA CARLTON HARRELL
SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER REPORTER

"Pride in home ownership" is a heartfelt motto in a city with a median income of $50,000 and an average age of 35. Members of the Mill Creek Community Association, which includes 80 percent of the population, must abide by strict conditions, covenants and restrictions ranging from speed limits and noise abatement to aesthetics.

"You go through the Mill Creek community and it always looks really nice," said Sandy Martin, who moved here with her husband 10 years ago to escape the "hustle and bustle" of Seattle.

"You want your kids to grow up in a nice area," Martin said. "Some people think people in Mill Creek are stuck-up, but it can be a close-knit community. There's a level of trust."

Yasuo Miyazawa, president of the Japanese-owned United Development Corp., which created Mill Creek, characterizes the community this way: "It has a feeling of peace."

Continued:

• Clean, tidy community a 'suburban nirvana'
• Even paradise has growing pains
• It began with a clear vision
• A 'master plan' guides the city
• Safety and schools top list of concerns