Where is Novelty Hill?

This may get people scratching their heads.  I went to the library and read through the historical books on Duvall and the Snoqualmie Valley.  It appears that when Novelty lost most of its residents, people forgot where Novelty Hill was located. - Susan Wilkins

WHERE IS NOVELTY HILL?

By Susan Wilkins

Redmond, WA. 

In east Redmond, take Avondale Road north about a mile then merge right and follow Novelty Hill Road up to the top of the hill.  You’ll be in the Redmond Ridge/Trilogy area.  What hill are you on?  Most residents of Redmond Ridge will tell you that they live on Novelty Hill.  Google Maps says that Redmond Ridge is on “Novelty Hill/Union Hill”.  Longtime residents will tell you that you’re on Union Hill.  So which is it?  The correct answer is that Redmond Ridge is on Union Hill.  The confusion over the location started more than 20 years ago when planners and developers started referring to the Redmond Ridge area as Novelty Hill.  After all, they followed Novelty Hill Road to the top of the hill, so it made sense that they were on Novelty Hill.  The area was mostly forest and swampland so there was nobody around to ask. 

Where is Novelty Hill?  It’s up the hill from the town of Novelty – way over on the east side of the Snoqualmie Valley.  From the top of the hill at Redmond Ridge keep heading east, down the winding road.  At the stoplight at the bottom of the hill, turn left onto West Snoqualmie Valley Road, then right at NE 124th Street.  The bridge across the Snoqualmie River is called the Novelty Hill Bridge. What used to be the town of Novelty is on the other side of the roundabout.  Most maps still show Novelty as a dot located on SR203, a few miles south of the town of Duvall.  Novelty was once a little logging town with a long bunkhouse for loggers and a little store and post office.   The few old houses uphill to the east of the roundabout are all that remain of the town of Novelty. It still has its own zip code - 98019.  The real Novelty Hill is up the hill from the town.  If you have time, drive up the road to take a look.  There are a few houses here and there, and the Novelty Hill Cemetery is near the top, but all the narrow roads eventually dead-end.

If you’re not convinced, look at the accompanying maps. (USGS Carnation, WA 1993 -7.5 Minute series and USGS Seattle, WA 1992 - 30x60 Minute series)