253 Area Code 🌍☎️

Tacoma is a port city and the county seat of Pierce County, Washington, located roughly 30 miles from Seattle and Olympia along the Puget Sound, and serves as the second-largest city in the Puget Sound area with a population of 219,346 according to the 2020 census. Named after Mount Rainier and known as the "City of Destiny," Tacoma was selected in 1873 as the western terminus of the Northern Pacific Railroad, a decision that drove explosive growth from 1,098 residents in 1880 to 36,006 by 1890. The city's deep-water harbor, Commencement Bay, enabled the Port of Tacoma to become Washington's largest port and a major center of international trade on the Pacific Coast. Tacoma gained international notoriety in 1940 when the Tacoma Narrows Bridge, nicknamed "Galloping Gertie" for its dramatic vertical movement, collapsed during windy conditions. Since the 1990s, downtown Tacoma has undergone significant revitalization, featuring the University of Washington Tacoma, the state's first modern electric light rail system (the T Line), and the highest concentration of art and history museums in Washington. Auburn is a city in King County, Washington (with a small portion in Pierce County) that had a population of 87,256 at the 2020 Census and is the 15th most populous city in Washington state, located in the Seattle metropolitan area. Originally named Slaughter when incorporated on June 13, 1891, by settler Levi Ballard, the city was renamed Auburn on February 21, 1893, by the state legislature in honor of Auburn, New York, reflecting both communities' historical reliance on hops farming. The White and Green Rivers have been central to Auburn's history since the 1850s settlement, with frequent flooding prompting the construction of the Mud Mountain Dam and Howard A. Hanson Dam that eventually enabled the city's growth. Auburn had a significant Japanese-American community in the early 20th century, including the White River Buddhist Church established in Pioneer Cemetery in 1917 and successful baseball teams, though approximately 300 Japanese families were forcibly relocated to internment camps following Executive Order 9066 in 1942, with only about 25 families returning after the war. In the late 1990s, Auburn annexed portions of Pierce County, including the planned community of Lakeland Hills which began development in 1985 on 1,500 acres southeast of the city. Kent, Washington is a city in King County located in the Seattle metropolitan area with a 2020 census population of 136,588, making it the fourth-most populous municipality in greater Seattle and the sixth in Washington state. Incorporated on May 28, 1890, Kent is the second-oldest incorporated city in King County after Seattle, and is divided into three distinct areas: West Hill (mixed residential and commercial), Valley (industrial and commercial with Green River parkland), and East Hill (primarily residential). Originally settled by Europeans in the 1850s along the White River and initially named "Titusville," the town was renamed Kent in 1889 after the English hop-producing region, earning recognition as the "Hop Capitol of the West" before aphid invasions ended that industry in 1891. The city subsequently became known as the "Lettuce Capital of the World" during the Great Depression and experienced rapid growth after World War II, with Boeing and aerospace companies establishing operations beginning in 1965. Kent is connected to Seattle, Bellevue, and Tacoma via State Route 167, Interstate 5, Sounder commuter rail, and commuter buses.