Medical Lake

History

The city of Medical Lake was incorporated in 1890. The city took its name from the nearby eponymous lake. The Spokane people, a Native American tribe which had long inhabited the area, believed the water and mud of the lake to possess curative properties. White settlers such as Andrew Lefevre and Stanley Hallett, who moved to the area in the 1870s, promoted this belief and marketed the lake salts for medicinal uses. A salt and soap industry developed here, followed by the construction of commercial bath houses in the 1880s. This was a period when springs and spas were popular developments across the country. Several resort hotels were constructed along the lake shore. In 1891, the state constructed Eastern State Hospital, and this further stimulated economic growth in the city. Such growth continued until the 1920s, when the lake declined in popularity as a tourist destination. A period of stagnation was interrupted in the 1940s with the construction of nearby Fairchild Air Force Base to support the US effort in World War II. This brought a surge of population to the city. Medical Lake's economy continues to depend upon the institutional presence of Eastern State Hospital and Fairchild AFB. Many residents of the city commute to work in nearby Spokane, which has a more varied economy. In 1957, the U.S. Army established a Nike missile silo and command site near the town, designated F-45. It was decommissioned in 1966 and the site was later redeveloped into a residential area. Several parts of the city were destroyed by the Gray Fire, a wildfire that began on August 18, 2023, and burned over and 185 structures in the area. Medical Lake and Eastern State Hospital were evacuated and portions of nearby highways were closed to traffic for several days.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which, is land and is water. The city lies to the east of the lake of the same name. There are many other lakes within a few miles of the city, including West Medical Lake, Silver Lake, Clear Lake, and numerous smaller lakes and ponds south of the city. Driving distance from downtown Spokane is 16 miles via Interstate 90 and Washington State Route 902, the latter of which runs through the city. Eastern State Hospital is situated across the lake to the west. Fairchild Air Force Base is located immediately north of the city. Geologically, the city lies on basalt flows that were heavily eroded by catastrophic flooding at the end of the last Ice Age, making the city and its environs a part of the Channeled Scablands terrain.

Race & ethnicity

Largest nearby schools

• Cheney High School
  High · CHENEY · 1,476 students · 19.4:1 ratio
• Cheney Middle School
  Middle · CHENEY · 626 students · 17.4:1 ratio
• Windsor Elementary
  Elementary · SPOKANE · 592 students · 15.6:1 ratio
• Sunset Elementary
  Elementary · AIRWAY HEIGHTS · 588 students · 14.3:1 ratio
• Westwood Middle School
  Middle · Spokane · 585 students · 17.7:1 ratio
• Phil Snowdon Elementary
  Elementary · Cheney · 549 students · 17.2:1 ratio
• Betz Elementary
  Elementary · CHENEY · 534 students · 17.2:1 ratio
• Medical Lake High School
  High · Medical Lake · 520 students · 19.3:1 ratio