Auburn
City
Downtown Auburn in 2018, seen from the train station's parking garage
Downtown Auburn in 2018, seen from the train station's parking garage
Flag of Auburn
Flag
Official logo of Auburn
Logo
Nickname: 
A-town
Motto: 
"More Than You Imagined"
Location of Auburn in King County
Location of Auburn in King County
Coordinates: 47°18′8″N 122°12′53″W / 47.30222°N 122.21472°W / 47.30222; -122.21472
CountryUnited States
StateWashington
CountiesKing, Pierce
IncorporatedJune 13, 1891
Named forAuburn, New York
Government
 • TypeMayor–council
 • MayorNancy Backus
Area
[1]
 • Total29.87 sq mi (77.35 km2)
 • Land29.58 sq mi (76.60 km2)
 • Water0.29 sq mi (0.75 km2)
Elevation
[2]
82 ft (25 m)
Population
 (2020)[3]
 • Total87,256
 • Estimate 
(2022)[4]
84,858
 • RankUS: 413rd
WA: 14th
 • Density2,754.30/sq mi (1,063.45/km2)
Time zoneUTC−8 (Pacific (PST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC−7 (PDT)
ZIP codes
98001, 98002, 98030, 98071, 98092
Area code253
FIPS code53-03180
GNIS feature ID1511974[2]
Websiteauburnwa.gov

Auburn is a city in King County, Washington, United States (with a small portion crossing into neighboring Pierce County). The population was 87,256 at the 2020 Census.[3] Auburn is a suburb in the Seattle metropolitan area, and is currently ranked as the 14th most populous city in the state of Washington.

The Muckleshoot Indian Reservation lies to the south and southeast.[5]

History

Neely Mansion, spring 2006
Auburn's first store, 1886

Before the first European arrived in the Green River Valley in the 1850s, the area was home to the Muckleshoot people, who were temporarily driven out by Indian wars later that decade. Several settler families arrived in the 1860s, including Levi Ballard, who set up a homestead between the Green and White rivers.[6] Ballard filed for a plat to establish a town in February 1886, naming it Slaughter for an officer slain during the Indian wars in 1855.[7][8]

Slaughter was incorporated on June 13, 1891, but its name was changed two years later to Auburn on February 21, 1893, by an action of the state legislature. Newer residents had disliked the name and its connection to the word "slaughter", especially after the town's hotel was named the Slaughter House.[7][8] The name Auburn was chosen in honor of Auburn, New York, for the area's shared reliance on hops farming.[9]

The White and Green Rivers have been a major part of the history and culture of Auburn since the area was settled with multiple locations in the city being named after either of the two rivers. Frequent flooding from the rivers caused numerous problems for the people living in the community with one outcome being the creation of Mountain View Cemetery over on one of the hills overlooking the valley.[10] It was not until the completion of the Mud Mountain Dam and the Howard A. Hanson Dam, along the White River and Green River respectively, that the flooding would cease and allow the city to grow without the aforementioned hurdle impeding the growth.

In 1917 the city, in response to the growing of the Japanese community, donated some of the land in Pioneer Cemetery to the White River Buddhist Church. A little over ten years later, Rev. Giryo Takemura, minister of the church at the time, and his future son-in-law, Chiyokichi Natsuhara, raised money to replace the old wooden sticks and columns that had been in use as gravestones at the Cemetery with more durable concrete markers.[11] The interwar period saw several Japanese-American baseball teams from the area compete in the courier league with the White River All-Stars enjoying particularly large success winning four of the July 4th tournaments.[12][13] In 1930 a Japanese bath house was constructed outside of Neely Mansion by the then current tenants.[14]

The onset of the Second World War saw the Japanese-American community of Auburn become seen with largely unwarranted distrust by many of the white residents of Auburn. This, combined with a larger countrywide Japanese focused xenophobia, led to the city's Japanese-American population being relocated to internment camps. After the war, of about 300 Japanese families living in Auburn only around twenty five returned.[11]

In 2008, Auburn annexed the West Hill and Lea Hill neighborhoods of unincorporated King County, adding 15,000 residents and expanding its land area by 26 percent.[15][16]

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 29.89 square miles (77.41 km2), of which 29.62 square miles (76.72 km2) is land and 0.27 square miles (0.70 km2) is water.[17]

Two rivers, the White River and, to a greater extent, the Green River flow through Auburn.

Historically, the Stuck River ran through the settlement of Stuck, which is now a small pocket of unincorporated King County within southern Auburn. In 1906, the flow of the White River was diverted into the Stuck's channel near today's Game Farm Park.[18] References to the Stuck River still appear in some property legal descriptions and place names, e.g. Stuck River Drive, within Auburn, but today it is essentially indistinguishable from the southern White River.[19]

Neighborhoods

  • Downtown—Historic buildings with a traditional main street and also many Craftsman-style houses from the 1920s.
  • North Auburn—A mix of commercial and single-family housing separated by Auburn Way North.
  • River's Bend—A small residential neighborhood nestled along the Green River, located at the bottom of Lea Hill in North Auburn.
  • Christopher/Thomas—An area in North Auburn roughly bordered by the Valley Drive Inn and 227th Street. Both are former farming towns annexed into the city in the 1960s.
  • Lea Hill—A mainly residential neighborhood east of the valley, annexed into the city in 2007. Green River College is located here.
  • Hazelwood—The area on Lea Hill between Green River Community College, and Auburn Mountainview High School. Once a town in the late nineteenth century.
  • West Valley—A commercial and industrial area on the west side of SR 167, located on the bottom of West Hill.
  • West Hill—Located on the West Hill, bordered by the city of Federal Way to the west.
  • South Auburn—A general area located south of downtown, once a low-income area but becoming a commercial zone.
  • Terminal Park—An area of middle class housing near the end of the rail yard named for the railroad workers who lived there.
  • Forest Villa—Mainly residential area located in the Game Farm Park area.
  • Lakeland Hills—A master-planned community sprawling on a large hillside at the southern end of the city on both sides of King and Pierce counties.
  • Hidden Valley—A planned development located East of Lakeland Hills overlooking North Lake Tapps.

Climate

Climate data for Auburn, Washington
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °F (°C) 64
(18)		 71
(22)		 81
(27)		 86
(30)		 92
(33)		 100
(38)		 99
(37)		 99
(37)		 96
(36)		 86
(30)		 74
(23)		 69
(21)		 100
(38)
Mean daily maximum °F (°C) 47
(8)		 51
(11)		 55
(13)		 61
(16)		 67
(19)		 72
(22)		 77
(25)		 78
(26)		 72
(22)		 62
(17)		 52
(11)		 46
(8)		 62
(17)
Mean daily minimum °F (°C) 35
(2)		 36
(2)		 39
(4)		 42
(6)		 47
(8)		 52
(11)		 55
(13)		 55
(13)		 51
(11)		 44
(7)		 39
(4)		 35
(2)		 44
(7)
Record low °F (°C) −10
(−23)		 −5
(−21)		 10
(−12)		 25
(−4)		 27
(−3)		 33
(1)		 38
(3)		 34
(1)		 28
(−2)		 24
(−4)		 −1
(−18)		 3
(−16)		 −10
(−23)
Average precipitation inches (mm) 5.3
(130)		 4.5
(110)		 4.1
(100)		 2.9
(74)		 2.1
(53)		 1.7
(43)		 0.9
(23)		 1.2
(30)		 1.8
(46)		 3.4
(86)		 6.1
(150)		 5.8
(150)		 37.1
(940)
Source: Weather.com[20]

Demographics

Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
1890740—
1900489−33.9%
191095795.7%
19203,163230.5%
19303,90623.5%
19404,2117.8%
19506,49754.3%
196011,93383.7%
197021,65381.5%
198026,41722.0%
199033,10225.3%
200040,31421.8%
201070,18074.1%
202087,25624.3%
2022 (est.)84,858[4]−2.7%
U.S. Decennial Census[21]
2020 Census[3]

2020 census

As of the census of 2020, there were 87,256 people and 29,356 households in the city.

2010 census

As of the census of 2010, there were 70,180 people, 26,058 households, and 17,114 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,369.3 inhabitants per square mile (914.8/km2). There were 27,834 housing units at an average density of 939.7 per square mile (362.8/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 70.5% White, 4.9% African American, 2.3% Native American, 8.9% Asian, 1.6% Pacific Islander, 6.3% from other races, and 5.4% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 12.9% of the population.

There were 26,058 households, of which 36.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.7% were married couples living together, 13.0% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.9% had a male householder with no wife present, and 34.3% were non-families. 25.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.67 and the average family size was 3.22.

The median age in the city was 34.4 years. 25.9% of residents were under the age of 18; 10.5% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 27.9% were from 25 to 44; 25.5% were from 45 to 64; and 10.2% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 49.4% male and 50.6% female.

Crime

Auburn
Crime rates* (2022)
Violent crimes
Homicide13
Rape42
Robbery127
Aggravated assault243
Total violent crime425
Property crimes
Burglary823
Larceny-theft2,258
Motor vehicle theft1,276
Arson32
Total property crime4,389
Notes

*Number of reported crimes per 100,000 population.

2022 population: 84,858

Source: 2022 FBI UCR Data

According to the Uniform Crime Report statistics compiled by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in 2022, there were 425 violent crimes and 4,389 property crimes per 100,000 residents. Of these, the violent crimes consisted of 13 murders, 42 forcible rapes, 127 robberies and 243 aggravated assaults, while 823 burglaries, 2,258 larceny-thefts, 1,276 motor vehicle thefts and 32 acts of arson defined the property offenses.

Economy

Employment

As of 2023, 67.1% of the population is in the labor force with a 4.3% unemployment rate.[22]

The Auburn Boeing Plant, opened in 1966, is the largest airplane parts plant in the world, with 2,100,000 square feet (200,000 m2) and 1.265 million parts being manufactured each year.[23] With over 5,000 employees, the Boeing plant is the third major employer in Auburn.

Auburn is the site for the Northwest headquarters of United States General Services Administration.

Top employers

According to the City's 2021 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report,[24] the largest employers in the city are:

# Employer # of Employees
1 The Boeing Company 3,599
2 The Outlet Collection 3,125
3 Auburn School District No. 408 2,439
4 MultiCare Auburn Medical Center 1,708
5 Muckleshoot Tribal Enterprises 1,370
6 Green River College 1,067
7 Safeway Distribution Center 785
8 Costco Wholesale Optical 705
9 Social Security Administration 552
10 Ply Gem Pacific Windows Corp 540

Shopping

The Outlet Collection Seattle, formerly SuperMall of the Great Northwest, is an outlet mall which opened in 1995.

Arts and culture

The White River Valley Museum's exhibits feature Auburn, from Native American history to the 1920s. They focus on the Muckleshoot Indian Tribe, pioneer life, immigration from Europe and Japan, truck farming, railroading and the building of towns throughout the area. Visitors can visit a recreation of a pioneer cabin, climb aboard a Northern Pacific Railway caboose, and investigate a recreation of the shops in 1924 downtown Auburn.[25]

As part of the King County Library System, there is a 20,000-square-foot (1,900 m2)[26] facility built in 2000 and expanded in 2012 having replaced an earlier, nearby location. It is part of the Les Gove Park, a 20 acre community campus south of State Route 164 including the White River Valley Museum, a senior center, and other recreational services. Fourth of July and other celebrations such as Auburn Good Ol' Days are also held in Les Gove annually.[27] The sculpture Crow with Fries is installed in Les Gove Park.

Auburn is designated by the Veterans Day National Committee and the US Department of Veterans Affairs as a Regional Site for celebration of Veterans Day.

Landmarks

The City of Auburn has designated the following landmarks:

Landmark Built Listed Photo
Auburn Masonic Temple[28]1923–242002
Auburn Post Office[28]19372000
Auburn Public Library[28]19141995

Sports

Emerald Downs

Emerald Downs is a 167-acre (0.68 km2) six-level stadium and thoroughbred racetrack. The racetrack is operated on land purchased by the Muckleshoot in 2002.[29]

Parks and recreation

Auburn has an extensive system of parks, open space and urban trails: 28 developed parks, over 23 mi (37 km) of trails (including Auburn's 4.5 mi (7.2 km) portion of the Inter-urban Trail for bikers, walkers, runners and skaters), and almost 247 acres (100 ha) of open space for passive and active recreation.

Government

Auburn City Hall
Presidential Elections Results[30]
Year Republican Democratic Third Parties
2020 39.00% 14,092 57.90% 20,919 3.10% 1,121

The city of Auburn is a mayor-council form of government meaning the mayor is a full-time, separately elected position. The current Mayor is Nancy Backus, who was first elected to the post in 2013 and re-elected in 2017 and 2021. She is the first woman to serve in the office since Auburn was incorporated in 1891.

Education

Auburn Senior High, founded in 1903

Public schools are administered by the Auburn School District. The district is larger than the city itself, serving the neighboring towns of Algona and Pacific, as well as some unincorporated areas around Auburn and Kent.[31]

High schools

Elementary and middle schools

  • Arthur Jacobsen Elementary
  • Bowman Creek Elementary
  • Cascade Middle School
  • Chinook Elementary
  • Dick Scobee Elementary
  • Evergreen Heights Elementary
  • Gildo Rey Elementary
  • Hazelwood Elementary
  • Ilalko Elementary
  • Lake View Elementary
  • Lakeland Hills Elementary
  • Lea Hill Elementary
  • Mt. Baker Middle School
  • Olympic Middle School
  • Pioneer Elementary
  • Rainier Middle School
  • Terminal Park Elementary
  • Washington Elementary
  • Willow Crest Elementary[32]

Private and alternative schools

College

Infrastructure

Transportation

Auburn station in downtown is a major hub for the Green River Valley.

Auburn has many large roads nearby and within city limits, including State Route 167 (commonly referred as the "Valley Freeway") and State Route 18. Auburn also has its own transit center, Auburn station in downtown, that serves as a major hub for southern King County. Sound Transit buses connect the Auburn Transit Center directly to Federal Way, Sumner, and Kent, while King County Metro buses connect it to Green River Community College, the Super Mall, and Auburn Way.

Sounder commuter trains travel from Auburn to Downtown Seattle in approximately 30 minutes, and to Lakewood station in less than 35 minutes.

Until 1987, Auburn was home to a steam locomotive roundhouse and diesel engine house of the Northern Pacific Railway, the BNSF Railway of today. BNSF maintains a rail yard and small car repair facility, along with maintenance-of-way facilities at the former NP yard.[33] The Auburn Municipal Airport serves the general aviation community.[34]

Police

The Auburn Police Department is located within the Justice Building, along with the Municipal Court and jail.[35]

Notable people

Sister cities

Auburn has five sister cities:

The relationship with Tamba is commemorated with an annual student exchange program between the two cities and neighboring Kent.[56]

References

  1. ↑ "2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 24, 2022.
  2. 1 2 U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Auburn, Washington
  3. 1 2 3 "Explore Census Data". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved December 1, 2023.
  4. 1 2 "City and Town Population Totals: 2020-2022". United States Census Bureau. November 29, 2023. Retrieved November 29, 2023.
  5. ↑ "Muckleshoot Area Vicinity Map". muckleshoot.nsn. Muckleshoot Tribe. Retrieved January 6, 2015.
  6. ↑ "The town formerly known as Slaughter". Maple Valley Reporter. July 5, 2017. Retrieved March 31, 2019.
  7. 1 2 "Auburn, Washington, United States". Encyclopaedia Britannica. Retrieved March 31, 2019.
  8. ↑ Wilma, David (October 17, 1999). "Slaughter is renamed Auburn on February 21, 1893". HistoryLink. Retrieved February 24, 2013.
  9. ↑ "Mountain View Cemetery History - City of Auburn". Retrieved March 8, 2020.
  10. 1 2 "About the Auburn Pioneer Cemetery, Auburn, Washington". Retrieved March 8, 2020.
  11. ↑ "White River All-Stars Baseball Team - May 1935". Retrieved March 8, 2020.
  12. ↑ Mullan, Michael (1999). "Ethnicity and Sport: The Wapato Nippons and Pre-World War II Japanese American Baseball". Journal of Sport History. 26 (1): 97–100. JSTOR 43611719.
  13. ↑ "Japanese Bathhouse Neely Mansion Association". Retrieved March 8, 2020.
  14. ↑ Archbold, Mike (January 18, 2007). "Auburn might grow much larger". The News Tribune. p. B1. Archived from the original on January 23, 2007. Retrieved March 31, 2019.
  15. ↑ Archbold, Mike (December 2, 2007). "Stakes high for Auburn in area census". The News Tribune. p. B1.
  16. ↑ "US Gazetteer files 2010". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on January 12, 2012. Retrieved December 19, 2012.
  17. ↑ "White River Valley Museum". Wrvmuseum.org. Archived from the original on June 24, 2009. Retrieved May 2, 2010.
  18. ↑ http://www5.metrokc.gov/reports/property_report.asp?PIN=6655000025%5B%5D
  19. ↑ "Monthly Averages for Seattle, WA". The Weather Channel. Archived from the original on November 6, 2007. Retrieved September 28, 2007.
  20. ↑ United States Census Bureau. "Census of Population and Housing". Retrieved June 4, 2016.
  21. ↑ "Y-Charts: Auburn, WA Unemployment Rate". December 1, 2023.
  22. ↑ "Boeing Frontiers Online Source". Retrieved February 24, 2013.
  23. ↑ "City of Auburn 2021 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report" (PDF). December 1, 2023. p. 173.
  24. ↑ "White River Valley Museum website". Wrvmuseum.org. Retrieved May 2, 2010.
  25. ↑ "Auburn Library, King County Library System". HistoryLink.org. December 8, 2016. Archived from the original on January 16, 2020. Retrieved January 24, 2022.
  26. ↑ "Good Ol' Days returns to Auburn". Auburn Reporter. August 17, 2011. Retrieved February 17, 2021.
  27. 1 2 3 "King County and Local Landmarks List". December 29, 2015. Archived from the original on April 9, 2016.
  28. ↑ "Muckleshoot Tribe acquiring Emerald Downs". Auburn Reporter. November 13, 2014. Retrieved February 17, 2021.
  29. ↑ King County Elections
  30. ↑ "About Us / Overview". www.auburn.wednet.edu. Retrieved May 20, 2017.
  31. 1 2 "School Directory". Auburn School District. Retrieved February 17, 2021.
  32. ↑ "Northern Santa Fe central roundhouse". Content-dev.lib.washington.edu. Archived from the original on July 8, 2012. Retrieved May 2, 2010.
  33. ↑ "Welcome to S50 Auburn Municipal Airport near Seattle and Tacoma Washington (WA)". S50wa.com. Retrieved May 2, 2010.
  34. ↑ "South Correctional Entity". South Correctional Entity. Retrieved February 17, 2021.
  35. ↑ "Harrison Maurus, Badass with a Barbell". December 18, 2017.
  36. ↑ "Phil Fortunato's Biography". Vote Smart. Retrieved September 22, 2021.
  37. ↑ "Cam Gigandet". IMDb. Retrieved February 26, 2019.
  38. ↑ Aftab, Kaleem (November 26, 2008). "Cam Gigandet". Interview Magazine. Retrieved January 28, 2022.
  39. ↑ "About Chris". Governor.wa.gov. Archived from the original on February 24, 2011. Retrieved September 12, 2013.
  40. ↑ Raley, Dan; Reporter, P.-I. (May 31, 2006). "Where Are They Now? Ex-pitcher Kevin Hagen". seattlepi.com. Retrieved February 26, 2019.
  41. ↑ Klaas, Mark (April 7, 2010). "Auburn's young Haugen vows to fight for own identity". Auburn Reporter. Retrieved March 3, 2019.
  42. ↑ Stardew Valley developer is an Auburn native - KING 5 Evening, retrieved July 10, 2022, YouTube
  43. ↑ "Gordon Hirabayashi portrait in the "Invader" 1935 Auburn High School Yearbook". cdm16786.contentdm.oclc.org. Retrieved February 26, 2019.
  44. ↑ "Chris Lukezic". www.usatf.org. Retrieved February 26, 2019.
  45. ↑ Haglund, David (February 2, 2017). "Evan McMullin Is Trying to Save Democracy". The New Yorker. ISSN 0028-792X. Retrieved February 26, 2019.
  46. ↑ "Sir Mix-A-Lot | Encyclopedia.com". www.encyclopedia.com. Retrieved March 3, 2019.
  47. ↑ "Inside The Mix -- In A Bucolic Setting, Sir Mix-A-Lot Keeps An Urban Edge On His 'Blue-Collar Rap' | The Seattle Times". archive.seattletimes.com. Retrieved February 17, 2021.
  48. ↑ "NBA Players: Blair Rasmussen Profile and Basic Stats". www.landofbasketball.com. Retrieved February 26, 2019.
  49. ↑ Carlton Smith and Thomas Guillen, The Search For The Green River Killer (New York: Onyx, 1991), 7–12
  50. ↑ Feather, Leonard (April 27, 1986). "Diane Schuur Riding a Sure Thing". The Los Angeles Times. p. 64.
  51. ↑ "Astronaut Bio: Dick Scobee". NASA. February 11, 2015.
  52. ↑ Skager, Shawn (December 18, 2013). "Danny Shelton is finding the fun again". Auburn Reporter. Retrieved February 26, 2019.
  53. ↑ "Q&A: Cartoonist grew up in Gig Harbor, lives in Auburn and likes unicorns". The News Tribune. Retrieved March 3, 2019.
  54. ↑ Olson, Casey (September 7, 2011). "Towering achievement: WTC one of Auburn man's monumental designs". Auburn Reporter. Retrieved February 26, 2019.
  55. ↑ "Sister City Program". auburnwa.gov. City of Auburn. Archived from the original on August 27, 2015. Retrieved July 28, 2015.
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