Des Moines History Timeline 1960s

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April 1 - The 1960 Federal Census counted 1,987 residents in Des Moines.
May 16 - Des Moines Ordinance 47 annexed the Heartland Homes subdivision around 13th Avenue South, roughly around South 218th and 219th Streets.
May 23 - Des Moines Ordinance 48 annexed a small area south of the Kent-Des Moines Road near 24th Avenue South.
The first Des Moines Waterland Festival was held. Established in conjunction with other community activities shortly after the city's incorporation, the festival celebrated Des Moines''s identity as "The Waterland City" and became an annual community tradition.

October 10 - The I-5 freeway opened from the Puyallup River to Midway. The opening ceremony was attended by Governor Albert D. Rosellini and included a parade of U.S. Army vehicles from Fort Lewis. The project cost approximately $14.5 million and included a major cloverleaf interchange at the Auburn Cutoff, later designated as SR 18.
October 12 — The Columbus Day Storm, also known as Typhoon Freda, was the most destructive windstorm in Pacific Northwest history. It struck King County and the Puget Sound region. Hurricane-force winds toppled trees, damaged buildings, disrupted transportation and communications, and caused widespread power outages. Nine Washington residents died and damage exceeded $20 million statewide. Meteorologists still regard it as the strongest windstorm in recorded Pacific Northwest history.

January 31 - The permanent campus of Highline Community College opened in Des Moines. Founded in 1961 as the first community college in King County, the new 80-acre campus became a major educational institution serving South King County. Community College District 9 included Federal Way, Highline and South Central (Tukwila) School Districts. The college held its first classes at Glacier High School in 1961.
February — Judson Park retirement community opened in Zenith (now Des Moines). Developed by the Washington Baptist Convention on property acquired in 1959, the complex included a four-story retirement residence and a convalescent care facility overlooking Puget Sound.

April 29 — At 8:28 a.m. local time, a magnitude 6.5–6.7 earthquake centered between Seattle and Tacoma shook Des Moines and all of King County. The earthquake killed seven people, damaged thousands of chimneys and buildings, closed schools for inspections, and caused millions of dollars in damage throughout Western Washington. Because most Des Moines homes were wood-frame construction, structural damage was generally less severe than in older brick buildings elsewhere in the region.
December 12 - The Des Moinens Library building on 24th Avenue South was completed and the collection was moved from the Des Moines Field House. In 1988, this building was sold to the Grace Lutheran Church and is now used as a daycare facility.

February 15 - Des Moines Ordinance 196 annexed the Rink Estate, a small area west of Marine View Drive South adjacent to the southern city boundary.
May 15 - Des Moines Ordinance 197 annexed the Soden Estate.

January 31 — Interstate 5 between Midway (near today's Kent–Des Moines Road/SR 516 interchange area) north to Dearborn Street and downtown Seattle was opened to traffic. The new freeway segment completed the continuous Tacoma–Seattle–Everett freeway system, significantly reducing travel times and diverting through traffic from U.S. Highway 99 (Pacific Highway South) through Midway, Des Moines, and Federal Way.
April 4 — A new Des Moines Post Office was dedicated at South 222nd Street and 7th Avenue South. The facility replaced the earlier downtown post office and served the community until postal operations were consolidated at the current South 216th Street location. Mabel Rayback was Postmaster from 1953-1966 when it became a branch of the Seattle Post Office.
April 29 — At 8:28 a.m. local time, a magnitude 6.5–6.7 earthquake centered between Seattle and Tacoma shook Des Moines and all of King County. The earthquake killed seven people, damaged thousands of chimneys and buildings, closed schools for inspections, and caused millions of dollars in damage throughout Western Washington. Because most Des Moines homes were wood-frame construction, structural damage was generally less severe than in older brick buildings elsewhere in the region.

February 13 — King County voters approved seven Forward Thrust bond propositions, authorizing more than $333 million for parks, highways, public safety facilities, and other public improvements. Led by civic leader James R. Ellis, the Forward Thrust Program became one of the largest public works initiatives in county history and contributed to the development of parks and recreational facilities serving the Des Moines community. The Mt. Rainer Swimming Pool was later constructed as part of this program.

The largest failure was the proposed regional rapid-transit system where the Federal Government would pay 90% of the cost. Although it received 50.8 percent voter approval, Washington law required a 60 percent supermajority for bond measures, so it failed. A second attempt in 1970 also failed.

December 12 - A waterspout formed over Puget Sound and came ashore near Saltwater State Park, becoming an F3 tornado as it crossed central Des Moines, Mount Rainier High School at approximately 2:25 p.m. local time, Midway, and western Kent. In Kent it passed between the Boeing Company buildings 18026 and 18-28. Trees were uprooted, homes and businesses were damaged, and vehicles were overturned, but no fatalities occurred. The storm remains the strongest tornado ever recorded in King County.