Puyallup, Washington
Encyclopedia
Puyallup, Washington is a city in Pierce County, Washington
about five miles (8 km) east of Tacoma. The population was 37,022 at the 2010 Census. Named after the Puyallup Tribe
of Native Americans, Puyallup means "the generous people."
plat
ted a townsite and named it Puyallup after the local Puyallup Indian tribes. By the 1880s Puyallup had become a major hop growing region and more people flocked to the area. The town grew rapidly throughout the 1880s and the town was incorporated in 1890, the first mayor being Ezra Meeker
. The turn of the 20th century brought change to the valley with the growth of nearby Tacoma and the interurban rail lines. The Western Washington Fairgrounds were developed giving local farmers a place to exhibit their crops and livestock. During the early part of World War II, the fairgrounds were part of Camp Harmony
, a temporary Japanese American internment
camp for more than 7,000 so-called Japanese detainees, most of whom were American citizens. Subsequently, they were moved to the Minidoka relocation center near Twin Falls, Idaho.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the city has a total area of 12.2 square miles (31.6 km²), of which 12.1 square miles (31.4 km²) is land and 0.1 square miles (0.2 km²) (1.65%) is water, mainly consisting of the Puyallup River
estuary.
Puyallup is bordered largely by unincorporated Pierce County. The closest neighbors include the town of Sumner
to the northeast, Fife and Edgewood
to the north, Tacoma
to the northwest, Summit and Midland to the west, Graham
and Frederickson to the south, McMillin and Orting
to the southeast, and Alderton to the east.
Puyallup would likely be destroyed in moderate or large eruption of Mount Rainier
.
of 2000, there were 33,011 people, 12,870 households, and 8,519 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,719.2 people per square mile (1,049.9/km²). There were 13,467 housing units at an average density of 1,109.3 per square mile (428.3/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 87.88% White, 1.50% African American, 1.01% Native American, 3.27% Asian, 0.34% Pacific Islander, 1.94% from other races
, and 4.06% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.67% of the population.
There were 12,870 households out of which 36.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.7% were married couples living together, 11.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.8% were non-families. 26.9% of all households were made up of individuals, 9.5% of which were 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.53 and the average family size was 3.08.
In the city the age distribution of the population shows 27.3% under the age of 18, 10.2% from 18 to 24, 30.8% from 25 to 44, 20.8% from 45 to 64, and 10.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 93.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.9 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $47,269, and the median income for a family was $57,322. Males had a median income of $43,562 versus $27,281 for females. The per capita income
for the city was $22,401. About 4.7% of families and 6.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.2% of those under age 18 and 6.5% of those age 65 or over.
Downtown Puyallup has several notable landmarks, including Ezra Meeker
's mansion, which was built and inhabited by one of the town's founding families, who made their way to Puyallup via the Oregon trail. The downtown shopping district is made up of historic buildings, which date to the town's origin. Pioneer Park is a community focal point, which boasts a public library, a park with a playground, and walking paths. As the focal point of the park, there is a bronze statue honoring Ezra Meeker. A new element is the public stage by the public library. At the public stage local musicians put on a free show for the public. Southeast Puyallup is also where the Pierce County Foothills Trail
begins.
. The fair traditionally runs for two weeks in September and one weekend in April (i.e., the "Spring Fair"). The fair serves as an anchor for unique local businesses and restaurants. "Do The Puyallup" has been a longstanding promotional slogan
.
During World War II, the Puyallup Fairgrounds (i.e., The Puyallup Assembly Area) were used as an internment camp for United States citizens or residents of Japanese descent or origin that was called "Camp Harmony
".
, which takes place every year in Tacoma
, Puyallup, Sumner
, and Orting
.
The parade includes many groups and has many floats, most of which are covered in daffodils, or are themed in the daffodil season. Most of the local junior high and high school marching bands also march. Car clubs, veteran groups and also some businesses are a part of the parade.
stores, many of which are located next to each other on the main north-south street of Meridian. Puyallup is one of many cities and towns in Washington that contains an 'old-fashioned' downtown
shopping area.
is the only K-12 teaching museum owned and operated by a school district West of the Mississippi. The essential education and curriculum-based program serves the Puyallup School District's 20,000 K-12 student population. Since 1930, the Karshner Museum has provided hands-on and curriculum-based learning experiences to thousands of students through the museum visit program. The education trunk or "Discovery Kit" program has been serving students, teachers and community members since the 1970s. These Kits utilize real or replica artifacts for the purposes of bringing history, art and culture to life in the school classroom.
located in Pioneer Park in downtown Puyallup where many locals gather to sell home-grown produce and plants as well as baked goods and crafts. It is located at Pioneer Park, in the modern pavilion building next to the library.
is the city's major shopping center. It features JCPenney, Sears, Macy's
, Sephora
, Target
and Dick's Sporting Goods
.
is home to over 30 schools. 20,000+ students attend the district. The district is the ninth largest in Washington state, and extends to neighboring South Hill
, some of Tacoma
, and the Edgewood
area.
Puyallup is also home to Pierce College Puyallup
and the nearby Pierce College at South Hill Park
.
. It is published once a week on Wednesdays. The paper is distributed by The News Tribune.
Pierce County, Washington
right|thumb|[[Tacoma, Washington|Tacoma]] - Seat of Pierce CountyPierce County is the second most populous county in the U.S. state of Washington. Formed out of Thurston County on December 22, 1852, by the legislature of Oregon Territory...
about five miles (8 km) east of Tacoma. The population was 37,022 at the 2010 Census. Named after the Puyallup Tribe
Puyallup (tribe)
The Puyallup are a Coast Salish Native American tribe from western Washington state, U.S.A. They were forcibly relocated onto reservation lands in what is today Tacoma, Washington, in late 1854, after signing the Treaty of Medicine Creek. The Puyallup Indian Reservation today is one of the most...
of Native Americans, Puyallup means "the generous people."
History
Native Americans numbered about 2,000 in what is now the Puyallup Valley in the 1830s and 1840s. The first European settlers arrived in the 1850s. In 1877, Ezra MeekerEzra Meeker
Ezra Meeker was an early pioneer who traveled the Oregon Trail by ox cart as a young man. Beginning in his 70s, he worked tirelessly to memorialize the trail, repeatedly retracing the trip of his youth...
plat
Plat
A plat in the U.S. is a map, drawn to scale, showing the divisions of a piece of land. Other English-speaking countries generally call such documents a cadastral map or plan....
ted a townsite and named it Puyallup after the local Puyallup Indian tribes. By the 1880s Puyallup had become a major hop growing region and more people flocked to the area. The town grew rapidly throughout the 1880s and the town was incorporated in 1890, the first mayor being Ezra Meeker
Ezra Meeker
Ezra Meeker was an early pioneer who traveled the Oregon Trail by ox cart as a young man. Beginning in his 70s, he worked tirelessly to memorialize the trail, repeatedly retracing the trip of his youth...
. The turn of the 20th century brought change to the valley with the growth of nearby Tacoma and the interurban rail lines. The Western Washington Fairgrounds were developed giving local farmers a place to exhibit their crops and livestock. During the early part of World War II, the fairgrounds were part of Camp Harmony
Camp Harmony
Camp Harmony was the unofficial name of the Puyallup Assembly Center, a temporary facility within the system of internment camps set up for Japanese Americans during World War II...
, a temporary Japanese American internment
Japanese American internment
Japanese-American internment was the relocation and internment by the United States government in 1942 of approximately 110,000 Japanese Americans and Japanese who lived along the Pacific coast of the United States to camps called "War Relocation Camps," in the wake of Imperial Japan's attack on...
camp for more than 7,000 so-called Japanese detainees, most of whom were American citizens. Subsequently, they were moved to the Minidoka relocation center near Twin Falls, Idaho.
Population
| 1870 | 1880 | 1890 | 1900 | 1910 | 1920 | 1930 | 1940 | 1960 | 1970 | 1980 | 1990 | 2000 | 2010 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 312 | 297 | 868 | 1,884 | 4,554 | 6,323 | 7,094 | 7,889 | 12,063 | 14,742 | 18,251 | 23,878 | 33,011 | 37,022 |
Geography
Puyallup is located at 47°10′33"N 122°17′37"W (47.1757,-122.2936).According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the city has a total area of 12.2 square miles (31.6 km²), of which 12.1 square miles (31.4 km²) is land and 0.1 square miles (0.2 km²) (1.65%) is water, mainly consisting of the Puyallup River
Puyallup River
The Puyallup River is a river in the U.S. state of Washington. About long, it is formed by glaciers on the west side of Mount Rainier. It flows generally northwest, emptying into Commencement Bay, part of Puget Sound...
estuary.
Puyallup is bordered largely by unincorporated Pierce County. The closest neighbors include the town of Sumner
Sumner, Washington
Sumner is a city in northern Pierce County, Washington, United States. The population was 9,451 at the 2010 census. Nearby cities include Puyallup to the west, Auburn to the north, and Enumclaw to the east.-History:...
to the northeast, Fife and Edgewood
Edgewood, Washington
Edgewood is a city in Pierce County, Washington, United States. The population was 9,387 at the 2010 census. Neighboring towns include Milton to the northwest, Federal Way to the north, and Puyallup to the south.-History:...
to the north, Tacoma
Tacoma, Washington
Tacoma is a mid-sized urban port city and the county seat of Pierce County, Washington, United States. The city is on Washington's Puget Sound, southwest of Seattle, northeast of the state capital, Olympia, and northwest of Mount Rainier National Park. The population was 198,397, according to...
to the northwest, Summit and Midland to the west, Graham
Graham, Washington
Graham is a census-designated place in Pierce County, Washington, United States. The population was 8,739 at the 2000 census and grew to 23,491 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Graham is located at ....
and Frederickson to the south, McMillin and Orting
Orting, Washington
Orting is a city in Pierce County, Washington, United States. The population as of the 2010 census is 6,746, according to the City of Orting.- History :...
to the southeast, and Alderton to the east.
Puyallup would likely be destroyed in moderate or large eruption of Mount Rainier
Mount Rainier
Mount Rainier is a massive stratovolcano located southeast of Seattle in the state of Washington, United States. It is the most topographically prominent mountain in the contiguous United States and the Cascade Volcanic Arc, with a summit elevation of . Mt. Rainier is considered one of the most...
.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 33,011 people, 12,870 households, and 8,519 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,719.2 people per square mile (1,049.9/km²). There were 13,467 housing units at an average density of 1,109.3 per square mile (428.3/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 87.88% White, 1.50% African American, 1.01% Native American, 3.27% Asian, 0.34% Pacific Islander, 1.94% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 4.06% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.67% of the population.
There were 12,870 households out of which 36.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.7% were married couples living together, 11.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.8% were non-families. 26.9% of all households were made up of individuals, 9.5% of which were 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.53 and the average family size was 3.08.
In the city the age distribution of the population shows 27.3% under the age of 18, 10.2% from 18 to 24, 30.8% from 25 to 44, 20.8% from 45 to 64, and 10.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 93.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.9 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $47,269, and the median income for a family was $57,322. Males had a median income of $43,562 versus $27,281 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the city was $22,401. About 4.7% of families and 6.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.2% of those under age 18 and 6.5% of those age 65 or over.
The Valley
The valley in which Puyallup was originally settled is the town. Its fertile soil is optimal for the acres of daffodils which were grown for distribution world-wide, and are featured in the town's annual spring parade. The Puyallup River meanders between the hills, through the glacial basin, from its name-sake glacier on Mt. Rainier, terminating in the Puget Sound at the Port of Tacoma. It is cold, silty, and brown. From most perspectives in the town of Puyallup, Mt. Rainier is visible to the south east.Downtown Puyallup has several notable landmarks, including Ezra Meeker
Ezra Meeker
Ezra Meeker was an early pioneer who traveled the Oregon Trail by ox cart as a young man. Beginning in his 70s, he worked tirelessly to memorialize the trail, repeatedly retracing the trip of his youth...
's mansion, which was built and inhabited by one of the town's founding families, who made their way to Puyallup via the Oregon trail. The downtown shopping district is made up of historic buildings, which date to the town's origin. Pioneer Park is a community focal point, which boasts a public library, a park with a playground, and walking paths. As the focal point of the park, there is a bronze statue honoring Ezra Meeker. A new element is the public stage by the public library. At the public stage local musicians put on a free show for the public. Southeast Puyallup is also where the Pierce County Foothills Trail
Pierce County Foothills Trail
The Foothills Trail is a mostly paved non-motorized rail-trail in east Pierce County, Washington, extending uninterrupted for 24 km from Puyallup, Washington to Orting, Washington to South Prairie, Washington...
begins.
Puyallup Fair
Puyallup is home to the Puyallup Fair, the largest annual privately run fair in Washington attracting over 1 million people a year. The Puyallup Fair is also one of the ten largest fairs in the country. The city itself is built around the Puyallup Fairgrounds and the fairgrounds can be seen prominently from neighboring South HillSouth Hill, Washington
South Hill is a census-designated place in Pierce County, Washington, south of the city of Puyallup. The population was 52,431 at the 2010 census. The name began as an informal description of the area's proximity to the Puyallup River valley...
. The fair traditionally runs for two weeks in September and one weekend in April (i.e., the "Spring Fair"). The fair serves as an anchor for unique local businesses and restaurants. "Do The Puyallup" has been a longstanding promotional slogan
Slogan
A slogan is a memorable motto or phrase used in a political, commercial, religious and other context as a repetitive expression of an idea or purpose. The word slogan is derived from slogorn which was an Anglicisation of the Scottish Gaelic sluagh-ghairm . Slogans vary from the written and the...
.
During World War II, the Puyallup Fairgrounds (i.e., The Puyallup Assembly Area) were used as an internment camp for United States citizens or residents of Japanese descent or origin that was called "Camp Harmony
Camp Harmony
Camp Harmony was the unofficial name of the Puyallup Assembly Center, a temporary facility within the system of internment camps set up for Japanese Americans during World War II...
".
Daffodil Festival Parade
Puyallup also hosts and is origin of the annual four-part Daffodil ParadeThe Daffodil Festival
The Daffodil Festival is a regional festival and parade held in Pierce County, Washington every April. It consists of a flower parade and a year-long pageant to select a festival queen from one of the area high schools.-History:...
, which takes place every year in Tacoma
Tacoma, Washington
Tacoma is a mid-sized urban port city and the county seat of Pierce County, Washington, United States. The city is on Washington's Puget Sound, southwest of Seattle, northeast of the state capital, Olympia, and northwest of Mount Rainier National Park. The population was 198,397, according to...
, Puyallup, Sumner
Sumner, Washington
Sumner is a city in northern Pierce County, Washington, United States. The population was 9,451 at the 2010 census. Nearby cities include Puyallup to the west, Auburn to the north, and Enumclaw to the east.-History:...
, and Orting
Orting, Washington
Orting is a city in Pierce County, Washington, United States. The population as of the 2010 census is 6,746, according to the City of Orting.- History :...
.
The parade includes many groups and has many floats, most of which are covered in daffodils, or are themed in the daffodil season. Most of the local junior high and high school marching bands also march. Car clubs, veteran groups and also some businesses are a part of the parade.
Antique District
Puyallup is known for its myriad antiquesAntiques
An antique is an old collectible item. It is collected or desirable because of its age , beauty, rarity, condition, utility, personal emotional connection, and/or other unique features...
stores, many of which are located next to each other on the main north-south street of Meridian. Puyallup is one of many cities and towns in Washington that contains an 'old-fashioned' downtown
Downtown
Downtown is a term primarily used in North America by English speakers to refer to a city's core or central business district ....
shopping area.
Paul H. Karshner Memorial Museum
The Karshner MuseumKarshner Museum
The Karshner museum, also known as Paul H. Karshner Memorial Museum , is a natural history museum located at 309 4th Street NE, Puyallup, Washington. It is one of the only museums owned by a local school district.-History:...
is the only K-12 teaching museum owned and operated by a school district West of the Mississippi. The essential education and curriculum-based program serves the Puyallup School District's 20,000 K-12 student population. Since 1930, the Karshner Museum has provided hands-on and curriculum-based learning experiences to thousands of students through the museum visit program. The education trunk or "Discovery Kit" program has been serving students, teachers and community members since the 1970s. These Kits utilize real or replica artifacts for the purposes of bringing history, art and culture to life in the school classroom.
Arts Downtown Outdoor Gallery
Starting in 1995, the regional nonprofit organization Valley Arts United began working with local volunteers to support a rotating selection of outdoor public artwork. Consisting mostly of statuary dispersed about the downtown core, this collection has grown to a collection of about 32 permanent pieces. New works are added regularly.Farmers' Market
Every Saturday (9 a.m. to 2 p.m.) and Sunday (10 a.m to 2 p.m.) from early May to late October, there is a farmers' marketFarmers' market
A farmers' market consists of individual vendors—mostly farmers—who set up booths, tables or stands, outdoors or indoors, to sell produce, meat products, fruits and sometimes prepared foods and beverages...
located in Pioneer Park in downtown Puyallup where many locals gather to sell home-grown produce and plants as well as baked goods and crafts. It is located at Pioneer Park, in the modern pavilion building next to the library.
South Hill Mall
South Hill MallSouth Hill Mall
South Hill Mall is an enclosed, super-regional shopping mall located in Puyallup, Washington, USA. Opened in 1988 and expanded in 1992, the mall comprises more than 100 stores, plus a food court and movie theater, in of gross leasable area...
is the city's major shopping center. It features JCPenney, Sears, Macy's
Macy's
Macy's is a U.S. chain of mid-to-high range department stores. In addition to its flagship Herald Square location in New York City, the company operates over 800 stores in the United States...
, Sephora
Sephora
Sephora is a chain of cosmetics stores founded in France in 1970 and acquired by Paris-based conglomerate LVMH in 1997. The Sephora chain includes more than 750 stores in 17 countries...
, Target
Target Corporation
Target Corporation, doing business as Target, is an American retailing company headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It is the second-largest discount retailer in the United States, behind Walmart. The company is ranked at number 33 on the Fortune 500 and is a component of the Standard & Poor's...
and Dick's Sporting Goods
Dick's Sporting Goods
Dick's Sporting Goods, Inc. , or Dick's, is a Fortune 500 American corporation in the sporting goods and retail industries.The company's headquarters are on the grounds of Pittsburgh International Airport in Findlay Township near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Dick's has 451 stores in 42 states as of...
.
Education
The Puyallup School DistrictPuyallup School District
Puyallup School District is a school district that supports the City of Puyallup, Washington and surrounding area. It is the 9th largest school district in Washington. The District has twenty-three elementary schools, seven junior high schools, three senior high schools and an alternative school,...
is home to over 30 schools. 20,000+ students attend the district. The district is the ninth largest in Washington state, and extends to neighboring South Hill
South Hill, Washington
South Hill is a census-designated place in Pierce County, Washington, south of the city of Puyallup. The population was 52,431 at the 2010 census. The name began as an informal description of the area's proximity to the Puyallup River valley...
, some of Tacoma
Tacoma, Washington
Tacoma is a mid-sized urban port city and the county seat of Pierce County, Washington, United States. The city is on Washington's Puget Sound, southwest of Seattle, northeast of the state capital, Olympia, and northwest of Mount Rainier National Park. The population was 198,397, according to...
, and the Edgewood
Edgewood, Washington
Edgewood is a city in Pierce County, Washington, United States. The population was 9,387 at the 2010 census. Neighboring towns include Milton to the northwest, Federal Way to the north, and Puyallup to the south.-History:...
area.
Puyallup is also home to Pierce College Puyallup
Pierce College
Pierce College is a community college district operating in and serving Pierce County in the U.S. state of Washington. The district consists of two main colleges, Pierce College Fort Steilacoom in Lakewood and Pierce College Puyallup in Puyallup, and auxiliary campuses at Fort Lewis, McChord Air...
and the nearby Pierce College at South Hill Park
Pierce College
Pierce College is a community college district operating in and serving Pierce County in the U.S. state of Washington. The district consists of two main colleges, Pierce College Fort Steilacoom in Lakewood and Pierce College Puyallup in Puyallup, and auxiliary campuses at Fort Lewis, McChord Air...
.
Media
The Herald is the local newspaper for eastern Pierce CountyPierce County, Washington
right|thumb|[[Tacoma, Washington|Tacoma]] - Seat of Pierce CountyPierce County is the second most populous county in the U.S. state of Washington. Formed out of Thurston County on December 22, 1852, by the legislature of Oregon Territory...
. It is published once a week on Wednesdays. The paper is distributed by The News Tribune.
Notable Natives
- Army Sgt. Nathan ChapmanNathan Chapman (soldier)Nathan Ross Chapman was an American Sergeant First Class with the 1st Special Forces Group. He was the first U.S...
– First US casualty of Operation Enduring Freedom - Army Maj. Gen. Chester Victor Clifton, Jr.Chester Victor Clifton, Jr.Chester Victor Clifton, Jr. was a Major General in the United States Army and an aide to Presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson.-Biography:...
- Megan Quann Jendrick (former resident) Olympic gold medalist
- Alternative medicineAlternative medicineAlternative medicine is any healing practice, "that does not fall within the realm of conventional medicine." It is based on historical or cultural traditions, rather than on scientific evidence....
critic & columnist Harriet A. HallHarriet A. HallHarriet A. Hall is a retired family physician, former U.S. Air Force flight surgeon and skeptic who writes about alternative medicine and quackery for Skeptic and Skeptical Inquirer.-Career:... - Former Pro Football Player Dane LookerDane LookerDane Alan Looker is an American football wide receiver who is currently a free agent. He was signed by the St. Louis Rams as an undrafted free agent in 2000...
- Former Pro Football Player and TV/Radio Personality Brock HuardBrock HuardBrock Xavier Huard is a former American football quarterback in the NFL. Brock's brother, Damon, also played quarterback at the University of Washington and later played in the National Football League...
- Former Pro Football Player Damon HuardDamon HuardDamon Paul Huard is a former American football quarterback. He was signed by the Cincinnati Bengals as an undrafted free agent in 1996. He played college football at Washington....