A strip of shoreline that went from strawberry fields to summer cottages to some of the most valuable residential real estate in the country — Medina's waterfront has been rewritten by every generation that's settled here.
Medina occupies a small, almost improbably valuable stretch of shoreline on the eastern edge of Lake Washington — bordered by water on three sides, just over a mile and a half across, and home to fewer than 3,500 people. Its present-day reputation as one of the most exclusive residential addresses in the Pacific Northwest sits on top of a history that began, like much of the Eastside, with farmland.
Medina's earliest development dates to the 1870s and 1880s, when the area was settled as strawberry farms and fruit orchards. Thomas Dabney, who arrived in 1886, is generally credited as the city's first permanent settler — he built Medina's first ferry dock and began laying down the infrastructure that would let the area grow. A pivotal moment came in 1916, when Lake Washington's water level was lowered by nearly nine feet as part of the Lake Washington Ship Canal project, exposing new shoreline and opening fresh real estate directly on the water.
It was in the 1920s that the character of the area began to shift decisively. Affluent Seattle professionals, drawn by the shoreline and the relative seclusion, began building substantial homes along the water — many initially conceived as weekend or summer retreats rather than full-time residences. Those early estates set a precedent that's held for a century: as each subsequent generation of wealth arrived in the region, Medina's waterfront absorbed it.
Medina officially incorporated as a city on August 19, 1955, formalising a community that had already taken on much of its present character. Today's Medina is a mix of architectural eras — vintage early-20th-century lake houses sit alongside substantial contemporary estates, with lot sizes ranging from a minimum of roughly 16,000 square feet up to multi-acre waterfront parcels. The city connects to Seattle directly via the SR 520 Evergreen Point Floating Bridge, one of the longest floating bridges in the world, and sits a five-minute drive from downtown Bellevue — proximity that has only added to its desirability as the regional tech economy has grown.
Strawberry farms and fruit orchards settled by early pioneers including Thomas Dabney.
Lake Washington lowered nearly 9 feet for the ship canal, exposing valuable new shoreline.
Seattle professionals begin building substantial lakeside homes along the shore.
Medina becomes an official city, formalising its quiet, residential-only character.
A note on this gallery: Medina is a private residential community, and many of its most notable properties — including homes belonging to prominent technology executives — are private residences. This gallery focuses on the architecture, landscaping, and waterfront character of the area generally, rather than identifying or focusing on any specific resident's property.
Medina's history dates to the 1870s-80s as strawberry farmland, with Thomas Dabney arriving in 1886 as the first permanent settler. It was officially incorporated as a city on August 19, 1955.
The nickname reflects Medina's concentration of valuable waterfront estates. Beginning in the 1920s, affluent Seattle professionals built substantial lakeside homes along the shoreline, a trend that has continued for a century.
Medina connects to Seattle via the SR 520 Evergreen Point Floating Bridge, and is roughly a five-minute drive from downtown Bellevue.
Medina features a mix of waterfront homes, family estates, and view properties, with lot sizes from roughly 16,000 sq ft up to multi-acre parcels, spanning vintage lake houses to contemporary residences.
Medina covers about 1.4-1.5 square miles with just over 3,200 residents. It's known as a quiet, low-traffic, residential-only community with a strong emphasis on privacy.
All 30 photographs were taken by Prashant Dhingra in the Medina area. More Pacific Northwest travel photography is at prashant.dhingra.website/travel/usa, including a guide to nearby Bellevue.