Laurelhurst is a residential neighborhood in Seattle, Washington, USA. It is bounded on the northeast by Ivanhoe Place N.E., beyond which is Windermere; on the northwest by Sand Point Way N.E. and N.E. 45th Street, beyond which are Hawthorne Hills, Ravenna, and University Village; on the west by Mary Gates Memorial Drive N.E., beyond which is the East Campus of the University of Washington; on the southwest by Union Bay; and on the east by Lake Washington. Seattle Children's Hospital is located in its northwest corner. The area has been a part of Seattle since 1910.
The community center is an official city landmark.[1] The Laurelhurst Beach Club, Laurelhurst Park, and its Laurelhurst Community Center serve as gathering places.
Laurelhurst has had several famous residents, including Melanie Griffith and Antonio Banderas, who rented a house on the waterfront one summer while filming a movie; Gary Larson, creator of The Far Side, who lived in Laurelhurst before moving to Windermere; musician Duff McKagan, bassist for Guns N' Roses; and Bill Gates, who was born in Laurelhurst and lived in a waterfront house in the neighborhood until about 1994.
The median home price in the neighborhood is $785,000, over double the regional figure of $325,000.
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The name Laurelhurst dates from between 1906 and 1909, when Joseph McLaughlin and R.F. Booth, incoroprated under the name McLaughlin Realty Company, acquired property from several owners in the already established areas of Scottish Heights and Yesler Village. They established a new plat, introduced the new name, brought in water, electricity, and sewer services, but failed to attract a streetcar line.[2]
Laurelhust is home to Laurelhurst Elementary School, Villa Academy, an independent grade school, the Wu Hsing Tao School, and the Seattle Midwifery School.
The community is served by the North Seattle Herald-Outlook, which prints a weekly edition, and the Laurelhurst Blog, an online neighborhood news source with daily updates.