Kenmore Recognized as 2017 Playful City USA Community

Kenmore Recognized as 2017 Playful City USA Community

258 communities exhibiting Playability to be recognized as part of 2017 Playful City USA Program 

Kenmore is being honored with a 2017 Playful City USA designation for the eighth year in a row. Celebrating its 11th anniversary, the national recognition program honors cities and towns across the country for making their cities more playable. Kenmore is one of our cities in the state of Washington along with Auburn, Mercer Island and Mountlake Terrace recognized as a Playful City in 2017.

The 2017 Playful City USA recognition includes 258 communities from Richmond, Virginia to Richmond, California that make it as easy as possible for kids to play. In total, these communities feature more than 14,000 safe and engaging playspaces that serve more than 4 million kids.

“This designation recognizes the City's continuing commitment to providing a safe and fun environment for people to live a healthy and active lifestyle,” said Mayor David Baker. “Kenmore has been working hard to provide active programming, create places of play, and improve ways of getting around town. We measure our success in seeing happy community members and families enjoying the great outdoors in our great City.”

Recently, Kenmore residents gained significant safety and waterfront related investments with the passage of Kenmore’s Walkways & Waterways Improvements bond measure, a pedestrian and bicycle safety and waterfront park improvement bond measure that will pay for new sidewalks and buffered bike lanes on Juanita Drive and 68th Ave NE and waterfront access improvements and natural open space restoration at Log Boom, Rhododendron and Squire’s Landing parks.

Kenmore also hosts several organized events including the annual Kenmore Play Day, a day dedicated to the kids in the community to enjoy the outdoors. The event features play stations, education booths, fitness stations, crafts, and more. Last year, Kenmore also partnered with Skyhawks and Skate Like a Girl to host sports camps designed for any skill level, which has become very popular among Kenmore residents.

Now more than ever, families want homes that are close to safe streets to walk, trails to ride and places to play. There is growing momentum to make cities more playable and family-friendly, as more people seek active and environmentally-conscious lifestyles. Supporting a thriving environment for kids, families, and communities helps heal and unite, is critical to kids' development, and allows cities to prosper. 

“We are thrilled to recognize Kenmore, WA for putting kids first,” said KaBOOM! CEO James Siegal. “The well-being of our communities starts with the well-being of our kids, and play is critical for them to thrive. It is our collective responsibility to ensure that all kids get the childhood they deserve filled with play.”

To see the full list of Playful City USA communities and to learn more about making play the easy choice for kids, visit kaboom.org/playfulcityusa. You can also take part in the conversation with leaders across the country using #PLAYceforkids on Twitter and Facebook.

Kenmore is also proud to be recognized as a Let’s Move! Cities, Towns and Counties (LMCTC) “All-Star” community by the National League of Cities Kenmore joins McAllen, Texas as the only two All-Star designated communities in the nation.

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About Kenmore, Washington

Located at the northern tip of Lake Washington, Kenmore is an economically vibrant city attracting innovative businesses. Kenmore has many benefits: family-friendly neighborhoods; abundant parks and natural spaces; a variety of cultural activities; award-winning public school system; access to higher education; and the finest close-in medical care. The city’s central location and ease of access by highway, regional trail, seaplane or boat, make it an easy place to live and work. For more information, visit www.kenmorewa.gov.

About KaBOOM!

KaBOOM! is the national non-profit dedicated to giving all kids – particularly those growing up in poverty in America – the childhood they deserve filled with balanced and active play, so they can thrive. Since 1996, KaBOOM! has collaborated with partners to build, open or improve nearly 16,300 playgrounds, engaged more than one million volunteers and served 8.1 million kids. KaBOOM! creates great places to play, inspires communities to promote and support play, and works to drive the national discussion about the importance of play in fostering healthy and productive lives. To learn why #playmatters and why cities are embracing #playability, visit kaboom.org or join the conversation on Twitter and Facebook.