Map of Black Diamond city, Washington

Black Diamond is a city in King County, Washington, United States. The population was 4,697 at the 2020 census. In 2021, with a 21% growth rate, Black Diamond was the fastest growing small city in King County.

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History

Founding

Black Diamond was originally inhabited by the Bəqəlšuł, which is Lushootseed for “from a high point from which you can see”, part of Coast Salish people. The area was home to a grill trap and smokehouse, and the tribe fished from Lake Sawyer.

Black Diamond was officially incorporated on February 19, 1959. The town’s late 20th century population growth has been mostly as a commuter community for people with jobs in Seattle, Bellevue, and suburban centers within the Seattle Metropolitan Area.

Coal mining

Beginning in the 1880s Black Diamond was a rural coal mining area, developed by the Black Diamond Coal Mining Company of California, which owned and operated the mine. The original residents were largely composed of former workers, from the company’s previous coal mining operation in Nortonville, California, which primarily sold coal to the thriving new metropolis of San Francisco. A combination of low quality coal from the Nortonville mines, water intrusion into the workings there, and the discovery and economical transport of higher-quality Washington coal to San Francisco spelled the demise of Nortonville in the early 1880s. The town was home to around 3,500 people by the early 1900s, many of them European immigrants; most of the working men were involved in producing coal. This coal was transported to Seattle via the Pacific Coast Coal train. Before 1911, the miners were affiliated with the United Mine Workers of America (UMWA), but by March 1911 had left en masse to join the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW).

After World War I, the town shut down the mine as it was no longer viable. However a second mining boom spurred growth in the town in the early 1930s on the strength of multiple mining operations promoted by the Morris brothers through the Palmer Coking Coal Company. Mining has continued until recently through the Pacific Coast Coal Company, formerly of San Francisco. The prospect of future mining operations remains strong.

The main building of the Black Diamond Historical Museum is the former train station, which served the Columbia & Puget Sound Railway 1884–1916 and the Pacific Coast Railway 1916–1951. Regular passenger service ended in 1925, but a train still brought men to the mine until 1931, and trains continued to haul coal and freight into the 1940s.

Planned growth via master planned developments (MPDs)

In the 1990’s, the first Black Diamond city planner (Jason Paulsen), seized an opportunity to create a comprehensive development plan for the City of Black Diamond that when completed, would fundamentally change what and how the City of Black Diamond would evolve into — the first set of plans being the Growth Management Act (GMA) Comprehensive Plan, which included the concept of Master Planned Developments (MPDs).

In 2008 156 acres are purchased for the first MPD. In 2010 the first MPDs applications are filed with the City of Black Diamond.

From 2010 through 2018 legal battles were fought delaying development of the first MPDs:

• In 2010 Toward Responsible Development filed a land use petition (LUPA) against the first two MPDs.
• In 2012 King County Superior Court denied the LUPA Toward Responsible Development filed with the Court of Appeals.
• In 2014 appeals Court Commissioner Masako Kanazawa ordered Toward Responsible Development to pay a total of $162,798, for attorney fees and costs, to YarrowBay and the City of Black Diamond.
• In 2016 Oakpointe (formerly YarrowBay) sued three City of Black Diamond Council members who opposed the MPDs.
• In 2017 Black Diamond council files suit against the mayor.
• In 2018 Black Diamond / Oakpointe settle lawsuit.

The first two MPDs comprised 6,050 single and multi-family residences, 1.1 million square feet of commercial/office/retail space and were estimated to 15,000 new residents to the City of Black Diamond; which would increase the population of the city by 3.6 times its size at the time (2010 population estimate of 4,151).

In Dec of 2013 development started on the first MPD; now known as Ten Trails. In 2019 the first family moves into Ten Trails.

In 2021, with a 21% growth rate, Black Diamond was the fastest growing small city in King County.

In March of 2022, 845 households were occupied in Ten Trails (722 residential homes, 76 apartment units, and 47 rental homes).

Using King County‘s 2020 Person’s per house hold rate of 2.43, 845 households being occupied in Ten Trails in March of 2022, the estimated population of Black Diamond in 2021 being 5,839, concludes the estimated population living in Ten Trails in March of 2022 being 2,053 (845 * 2.43); which roughly equates to 35% ( 2,053 / 5,839) of the population of Black Diamond living in the first MPD (Ten Trails) during March of 2022.

Black Diamond Road Map

Black Diamond city Satellite Map

Geography

Black Diamond is located at 47°19′4″N 122°0′53″W / 47.31778°N 122.01472°W / 47.31778; -122.01472 (47.317802, -122.014793).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 6.66 square miles (17.25 km), of which 6.02 square miles (15.59 km) is land and 0.64 square miles (1.66 km) is water.

See also