Carnation () is a city in King County, Washington, United States. It was historically known as Tolt and lies at the confluence of the Snoqualmie and Tolt rivers.
The city is located east of Redmond and south of Duvall on State Route 203. The population was 2,158 at the 2020 census. Prior to American settlement, the area was occupied by a large village of the Snoqualmie. It was the center of Snoqualmie society in the 19th century. After the removal of the Snoqualmie to reservations, the city was resettled by Americans, who founded the city of Tolt in 1865. It became a thriving dairy town in the 20th century, eventually being renamed to Carnation in honor of the Carnation Evaporated Milk Company. After being renamed again back and forth twice, the name Carnation stuck. In the 1990s, the city became a bedroom community for the Eastside of Seattle.
History
Snoqualmie settlement
The Snoqualmie people have inhabited the Carnation area for more than 10,000 years. Prior to American settement, the Snoqualmie had a large village spanning the Tolt River () at its confluence with the Snoqualmie. This village was highly important as it was the second-largest village in the Snoqualmie river valley. The village also had the best natural defenses in the Snoqualmie river valley.
The most important building in the village was the (lit. "marked house"). The was a giant longhouse which served as a sort of capitol building, where council was held by both local elders and visiting leaders. It also was an education center for all the people living in the Snoqualmie valley. Elders taught valuable skills and knowledge, such as Snoqualmie language, customs, and laws.
In the 19th century, the prominent Snoqualmie leader Patkanim () was born in this village. At this time, Snoqualmie society began to centralize into a chiefdom. During the colonial period, the village served as the de-facto capital of the Snoqualmie chiefdom under Patkanim.
American settlement
The Snoqualmie Valley was resettled by Americans in the 1850s and 1860s following the signing of the 1855 Treaty of Point Elliot and the relocation of many of the Snoqualmie people to reservations like Tulalip. The community of Tolt was founded in 1865 and platted in 1902. The name of the community was derived from an Anglicization of the Lushootseed name for the Tolt River and the Snoqualmie village (variously spelled as , , or in Lushootseed). Tolt was incorporated as a town on December 30, 1912, shortly after the arrival of the Milwaukee Road, which provided train connections to Monroe in the north.
The valley was home to several dairy farms established in the 1900s, including a research farm for the Carnation Evaporated Milk Company. Following lobbying from the company and the approval of the state legislature, Tolt was renamed to "Carnation" in 1917. The renaming of the town was opposed by local residents and members of the Snoqualmie Indian Tribe, and later changed back to Tolt on May 3, 1928. The "Carnation" name remained on the post office and train depot, and continued to be used by outsiders. Tolt was then renamed back to "Carnation" on October 29, 1951. During the late 20th century, Carnation moved away from dairy farming and became a community for job centers in the Eastside, growing to a population of 2,158 by 2020.
Geography
Carnation lies in the Snoqualmie Valley between Duvall and Fall City. It is on the east bank of the Snoqualmie River just north of its junction with the Tolt River.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which, is land and is water.
Climate
Carnation has a oceanic climate (Köppen Cfb).
Attractions
Camlann Medieval Village, a living history museum of a medieval English village, is located approximately north of Carnation. Founded in the early 1980s, Camlann is devoted to teaching and entertaining schools, clubs, families, and individuals about what life in England in 1376 would have been like.
Remlinger Farms is a functioning farm located less than outside of the town center where families can spend time around crops, eat locally raised and grown food, and go on park rides.
Demographics
2010 census
At the census of 2010, there were 1,786 people in 631 households, including 474 families, in the city. The population density was . There were 665 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 85.8% White, 0.9% African American, 1.0% Native American, 3.1% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 7.1% from other races, and 2.1% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 12.7%.