Best Web Design in Kirkland, WA (2026)

Web Design for Kirkland, Washington

Kirkland is a lakeside Eastside city on the shores of Lake Washington, conceived in the 1880s by British steel tycoon Peter Kirk as a 'Pittsburgh of the West' that never actually made any steel. Today it blends a walkable, art-filled waterfront downtown with a tech-driven economy anchored by one of Google's largest offices. Its most famous global export is a name, because Costco's Kirkland Signature brand is named for the city that once held the retailer's headquarters.

AppWT works with Kirkland, WA businesses from Livonia, Michigan, mostly online and travelling as needed.

About Kirkland

Also known as. Pittsburgh of the West (founder Peter Kirk's original vision). Big Heart, Little City.

History. Named for British-born steel industrialist Peter Kirk, who arrived in the Pacific Northwest in the 1880s. Kirk and partner Leigh S. J. Hunt bought thousands of acres of what is now downtown Kirkland in July 1888 to build a steel-making town. The Panic of 1893 stock-market crash closed the mill before it produced any steel, ending the 'Pittsburgh of the West' dream. The first wool mill in Washington State was established in Kirkland in 1892. Kirkland incorporated in 1905 with a population of about 400. During World War II, the Lake Washington Shipyard (on what is now Carillon Point) built more than 25 warships for the U.S. Navy.

Local economy. Early economy diversified into wool milling and shipbuilding after the steel plan collapsed. Google operates one of its largest offices in Kirkland; the Washington campus is one of the company's biggest engineering hubs outside the Bay Area. Costco's corporate headquarters were located in Kirkland (moved there in 1987, relocated to Issaquah in 1996). Modern economy is heavily tech- and services-driven, alongside waterfront retail, dining, and tourism.

Culture and community. Kirkland Oktoberfest on the downtown waterfront is billed as the Seattle area's largest and oldest authentic Munich-style Oktoberfest, featuring a Festhalle biergarten, stein-hoisting, and wiener dog races. Kirkland Uncorked, a summer wine and food festival at Marina Park, benefits Motley Zoo Animal Rescue. The downtown lakefront hosts a Summer Concert Series and a winter Winterfest lights celebration. Kirkland's compact, gallery-lined downtown gives it a reputation as an arts-and-waterfront town.

What makes Kirkland distinct. Costco's Kirkland Signature private label, launched in 1995, is named after the city where the retailer was then headquartered; the brand reportedly generated tens of billions in annual sales, rivaling major national brands. Kirkland was designed to be a steel town but never smelted a single batch of commercial steel. Google's Washington office in Kirkland is one of its largest engineering centers outside California.

Kirkland Landmarks and Local Life

• The Peter Kirk Building - the only surviving structure directly linked to founder Peter Kirk and a well-preserved example of Victorian-era commercial design
• Carillon Point - an upscale waterfront development on the site of the former Lake Washington Shipyard
• Marina Park - the downtown Lake Washington waterfront park that hosts the city's major festivals
• A public shoreline and lakefront trail system along Lake Washington.