Medical Lake is a city in Spokane County, Washington. As of the 2010 census, the population was 5,060. The city is the site of a psychiatric hospital, Eastern State Hospital, and of Fairchild Air Force Base, two major employers.
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.
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.
On August 18th, a Friday, a wildfire named the Gray Fire started west of the city. By August 19th, the fire had burned through southern residential parts of the city as well as threatening many unincorporated communities such as Lakeland Villages, Silver Lake, and Clear Lake. The entire city was to evacuate as the fire continued to burn through the city. Medical Lake and Eastern State Hospital were evacuated and portions of nearby highways were closed to traffic for several days including Interstate 90. After crews had gotten the upper hand over the fire, over 9,500 acres had burned and 185 structures burned. By September 1st, the fire had reached 97% contained.
Geography[]
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 3.64 square miles (9.43 km2), of which, 3.40 square miles (8.81 km2) is land and 0.24 square miles (0.62 km2) 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.
Medical Lake is located at 47°34′17″N 117°41′00″WCoordinates: 47°34′17″N 117°41′00″W (47.571384, -117.683333).
Climate[]
The coldest average temperates are in December and January when highs range from the mid 30s to low 40s, and lows are in the 20s or cooler on occasion. The highest temperatures happen in July, which narrowly edges out August. The average temperatures in summer are in the mid 80s as the high and 50s as the low at night.
The hottest record temperature was 103F degrees while the coldest was -19F degrees.