After being named one of
Good Housekeeping's "50 Most Eligible Bachelors" in 1985,
[70] Gates married
Melinda French on January 1, 1994.
They have three children: daughters Jennifer Katharine (b. 1996) and Phoebe Adele (b. 2002), and son Rory John (b. 1999). The family resides in
the Gates's home, an
earth-sheltered house in the side of a hill overlooking
Lake Washington in Medina. According to
King County public records, as of 2006 the total assessed value of the property (land and house) is $125 million, and the annual property tax is $991,000.