Lakewood, WA

Fort Steilacoom Park is essentially Lakewood's backyard, spanning 340 acres of open green space, paved trails, and local history. Long before it became a city park, the land served as a gathering spot for local Nisqually and Steilacoom tribes, a nineteenth-century military outpost, and later a working farm. Today, you will see neighbors jogging the loop around Waughop Lake, letting their dogs run through the massive 22-acre off-leash area, or setting up for weekend games near the sports fields and historic barns. Drawing over a million visits a year, it is the community's go-to destination for fresh air and recreation.

ATTRVeterans Health / Public domain

Even though people have lived in the area since the early settlement days along Chambers Creek, Lakewood only officially incorporated as a city in the mid-1990s. Today, it has grown into a welcoming community of roughly 64,000 residents with distinct pockets of local character. Everyday shopping and street festivals center around Lakewood Towne Center and Colonial Plaza, while the International District along Pacific Highway is packed with outstanding Korean, Vietnamese, and Latino restaurants. Directly to the south, Joint Base Lewis-McChord and Camp Murray bring a strong, supportive military presence to the community.

ATTRWalter Siegmund (talk) / CC BY-SA 3.0

When it comes to local employment and education, healthcare and public institutions play a major role. Western State Hospital sits along Steilacoom Boulevard as a primary employer, while Pierce College overlooks Waughop Lake with a scenic hillside campus and its own public planetarium. Across town, Clover Park Technical College offers popular programs in fields ranging from aviation maintenance to nursing. For commuters, Lakewood Station makes regional travel straightforward, offering Sounder commuter trains that run north into Tacoma and Seattle during weekday rush hours so you can skip the Interstate 5 traffic.

ATTRThe Library of Congress / No restrictions

Getting involved locally is easy thanks to a steady calendar of community events. Fort Steilacoom Park stays lively throughout the warmer months with Tuesday farmers markets, outdoor pavilion concerts, and major annual gatherings like SummerFEST and Fiesta de la Familia that bring out food trucks, live music, and artisan booths. With reliable bus connections, quick highway access, and plenty of spots to gather, Lakewood offers a comfortable balance of suburban convenience and active community life.