In 1980, Anne McGill moved to Issaquah.

She lived in a 1910 vintage farmhouse on the Mull property. Herb Mull was her landlord.

There was only about 4,000 people in Issaquah city proper at the time, she said. And her parents, who had moved the family to Bellevue from Portland, Oregon in the ’60s, thought she was living in the boonies.

More than 35 years later, that property is now the site of the Gateway project where apartment construction is underway along Newport Way Northwest.

A lot’s changed since the ’80s.

The long-time resident retired as the city of Issaquah’s park and recreation director this year. Her last day was March 31, after more than 10 years in the position.

McGill, now 58, sits at the Issaquah Coffee Company on a sunny April day recounting her time in the city.

“It’s a beautiful day to be retired,” she said.

She first joined the city staff as the recreation specialist in 1988. Before that she worked part time with the department in the early ’80s.

Between then and the mid-1990s she became the recreation coordinator before jumping up to recreation manager in 1996, the same time the Issaquah Community Center opened.

Though, recreation activities in the city were a boom before that — people were literally on waiting lists, she said. This was in part accomplished through an interlocal agreement, first established through goodwill, with the Issaquah School District. The agreement was later made official at the end of the 1990s or early 2000s.

The agreement, she said, was the best way to give tax payers the most out of facilities within the city.

The most significant growth in the city was in the ’90s when the Highlands development went in, she said.

“Having the Highlands come into the city was a big leap for Issaquah,” she said.

City development expanded the city’s parks system and increased enrollment in recreational programs; in turn the city provided an increase in service, she said.

She spoke of the city’s park bond successes, which helped buy artificial turf, play grounds and more green spaces throughout Issaquah.

The city’s park bonds pass with striking voter approval, more than 70 percent.

She said other cities call Issaquah up to ask how they do it.

Her answer: We listen to the voter’s wants and to what they’re willing to spend in property taxes.

“You have to find the sweet spot,” she said.

She speaks highly of the acquired park in Olde Town Issaquah, Confluence Park, which is the combination of three continuous parks totaling 15.5 acres.

It’s located at 595 Rainier Blvd. N. with Issaquah Creek flowing through it.

Voters signed off on the project as part of a 2006 park bond measure, which saw 74.36 percent approval.

It’s these spaces that will be the backyards for residents living in those new developments, she said. And she says it’s only going to get better.

“We’ve got a place for them,” she said. “Just to have that nearby, I think will be wonderful for who is coming to Issaquah.”

Daniel Nash contributed to this report.