Puyallup

Puyallup is a city in Pierce County, Washington located in the Puyallup River Valley. The town has a southeast view of Mt. Rainier which rises prominently above the landscape. The town was named after the Puyallup Indian tribe.

The city, which had its roots in agriculture, grew very slowly from 1900 until the 1970's. The 2000 census estimated the population to be 33,011 in 12.2 square miles.  The city is the home of the largest county fair in Washington, with one million visitors a year to the Western Washington Fairgrounds. The Puyallup Fair is one of the ten largest fairs in the country.

Puyallup is located 10 miles east of Tacoma, 35 miles south of Seattle and 35 miles southeast of Bellevue. Bordered by unincorporated Pierce County, neighboring cities are Sumner (northeast), Fife and Edgewood (north), Tacoma (northwest), Summit and Midland (west), Graham (south), McMillin and Orting (southeast) and Alderton (east).

Highways

Puyallup is situated at the junction of State Route 167 (known as the "Valley Freeway) and Highway 512. Both provide easy access to Interstate 5, the major north-south highway on the West Coast. SR 167 also intersects Interstate 405 in Renton.

Sound Transit provides commuter rail service to and from Seattle every day.

Schools

The Puyallup School District educates 20 thousand students and is the 9th largest district in Washington State. It has four high schools:

  1. Emerald Ridge
  2. Puyallup
  3. Rogers
  4. Walker

Pierce College College District 11 provides two community colleges and an extended learning program with one campus in Puyallup.

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