Newcastle is an Eastside city in King County, Washington, United States. Its population was 10,380 at the 2010 census.Although Newcastle was not incorporated until 1994, it has been an important settlement and town since the late 19th century and played a major role in the development of Seattle and the Seattle region. Newcastle was one of the region's earliest coal mining areas and its railroad link to Seattle was the first in King County. Timber also played a role in the early history of Newcastle. Coal delivered by rail from Newcastle's mines to Seattle fueled the growth of the Port of Seattle and attracted railroads, most notably the Great Northern Railway.The Newcastle coal mine began producing coal by the 1870s. More than 13 million tons of coal had been extracted by the time the mine closed in 1963. The history of Newcastle's coal mining industry and the legacy of the mines' many Chinese laborers are memorialized in place names such as Coal Creek, Coal Creek Parkway, and the Coal Creek and China Creek Golf Courses.Based on per capita income Newcastle ranks 11th of 522 areas in the state of Washington to be ranked. In CNN Money's 2011 rankings of best places to live in the United States, Newcastle was in the top 20, along with nearby Sammamish. In Newsweek's 2009 rankings of best places to live in the United States, Newcastle was honored with the 17th spot.