Union Hill-Novelty Hill, WA

Union Hill-Novelty Hill offers two completely different styles of Pacific Northwest living on the plateau just east of Redmond. Novelty Hill and Redmond Ridge feel like classic master-planned neighborhoods, complete with sidewalk-lined subdivisions, pocket parks, and neighborhood shopping plazas. Right next door, Union Hill maintains a peaceful rural character, featuring wooded multi-acre lots, private equestrian properties, and quiet country lanes. Because the area is unincorporated King County rather than an independent city, county agencies manage local roads, zoning, and parks.

Redmond Ridge serves as the main commercial hub for the plateau, making daily errands quick and convenient. Between the Village at Redmond Ridge and the Redmond Ridge Marketplace, you have easy access to grocery stores, local dining, coffee shops, and essential health clinics right down the street. Nearby office parks house professional services and major employers like SpaceX, giving some residents the rare perk of working minutes from home. Having these retail centers nearby means you rarely need to drive down the hill for quick errands or weeknight dinners.

Getting around the plateau revolves around two primary east-west routes: Novelty Hill Road and Union Hill Road. Most residents commute by car down toward Redmond, Bellevue, or the Microsoft campus, but public transit options are available. King County Metro runs weekday connector buses linking Redmond Ridge directly to Duvall and the Downtown Redmond light rail station. While daily life on the plateau is easiest with a car, the direct bus connections give commuters a straightforward path into the regional transit network.

Outdoor recreation and community spaces are woven throughout both neighborhoods. Redmond Ridge Park features lighted turf fields for youth sports leagues, while book lovers appreciate the automated King County Library hold-pickup location inside the local community center. Nature lovers also benefit from the neighboring 800-acre Redmond Watershed Preserve. Its dense evergreen forest is laced with miles of shaded trails for hiking, trail running, mountain biking, and horseback riding, giving residents a peaceful forest escape right in their backyard.