Spanaway, WA

When Mount Rainier National Park was established in 1899, rail passengers traveled to the Lake Park terminus in present-day Spanaway before beginning a two-day journey to the mountain. Spanaway is an unincorporated Pierce County community near Tacoma; the 2020 census recorded 35,476 residents, and a 2023 estimate put the population at 34,322. Pacific Avenue South follows State Route 7 through the area. The Hudson’s Bay Company controlled the region from Fort Nisqually until 1863. Although federal geographic authorities recognized the community as Lake Park in 1897, they changed the official name to Spanaway in 1970 to match common usage.