Factoria, Bellevue

"[2] In the late 1890s, the Northern Pacific Railway laid tracks through the largely uninhabited area along the shores of Lake Washington near Mercer Island.

By 1911, development of the community was at a standstill and the company, now run by a Sarah Kendall with Skeel as secretary, filed a new plat featuring more blocks and public space.

In 1927, an abandoned local factory was converted into a processing plant for canned rabbit meat and fur as well as a marketing headquarters for the industry.

In 1950, the 900-car Sunset Outdoor Theatre was constructed near the intersection by Sterling Theatres, Inc.[5] Factoria remained largely undeveloped up until the 1960s, when freeway construction put the area at the intersection of two major arterials, Interstate 405 and Interstate 90, which would replace most of the original town-site and create a major suburban retail center.

[1] Public transportation in Factoria is served by King County Metro buses, primarily routes 240, 241, 245 (frequent), and 246, with service to much of the Eastside.

As of 2023[update], the Marketplace at Factoria has 69 retail spaces anchored by Amazon Fresh, Rite Aid, Old Navy, Target, TJ Maxx, DSW, and Nordstrom Rack.

[14][15] Walmart, which opened in the former Mervyn's space in 2012, closed its Factoria store on April 22, 2022, due to poor financial performance partly induced by competition with the neighboring Target.