Mill Creek Overview

    The Mill Creek Neighborhood began simply enough with across the fence talk among neighbors about the ages of their homes. They discovered that many of their homes were over 100 years old.  

     The timing was perfect – the City of Kent had just established its Neighborhood Program. A group of neighbors took action to form a recognized council, and the Mill Creek Neighborhood officially  joined Kent's Neighborhood Program in 2007. 

     In 2009, the Mill Creek Neighborhood Council Officers applied for and received a grant from the City’s newly-created Neighborhood  Grant Program, which funds neighborhood improvement projects.  The Mill Creek Neighborhood grant showcases the neighborhood’s identity through plaques and the creation of this book, which features photos and stories from the neighborhood. Through the plaque program, participating homes install attractive metal plaques identifying the year the house was built and the house’s original owner or builder. In 2011 and 2015, the neighborhood received additional grants to add more plaques and expand the number of houses. 

     The homes of the Mill Creek Neighborhood reflect the history and times of early Kent. Through research, we found that four past mayors of Kent as well as three past Greater Kent Historical Society Presidents once lived in the neighborhood. The neighborhood is home to the Kent Historical Museum and is a well-preserved concentration of historic dwellings that reflect the growth and development of the city during the first half of the 20th century. 

     Pictured to the right is the Alexander House. 

     Scroll down to read a virtual copy of a book about the homes in Mill Creek. This book is available for purchase at the museum for $35.