Auburn, Washington

History

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 River and White River. 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.

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. The name Auburn was chosen in honor of Auburn, New York, for the areas' shared reliance on hops farming.

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. 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. 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. In 1930, a Japanese bath house was constructed outside of Neely Mansion by the then current tenants.

With the Attack on Pearl Harbor during the Second World War, Japanese immigrants and the Japanese-American community as a whole were largely seen with unwarranted distrust by the majority white population, including in Auburn. Executive Order 9066, issued by President Franklin D. Roosevelt on February 19, 1942, 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 25 returned. In 1980, the Commission on Wartime Relocation and Internment of Civilians found that this detainment was an unjust act in its report.

A local real estate developer announced plans for a large planned community in the hills southeast of Auburn in 1979, using 1,500 acre of assembled plots. The neighborhood was named Lakeland Hills and began construction in 1985, growing to 80 homes in its first three years. Auburn and Bonney Lake competed to annex the entirety of Lakeland Hills in the late 1990s, with Auburn voting in 1997 to become the third King County city to annex portions of Pierce County. The two cities reached a compromise on water utility rights in the Pierce County portion of the neighborhood that allowed Auburn to complete its annexation of Lakeland Hills by the end of the decade. By 2007, the development had 3,600 homes with 6,000 residents, a new elementary school, and a shopping center.

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. A 155 acre exclave of Kent, the Bridges neighborhood, was annexed by Auburn on January 1, 2024, after the two cities agreed to the transfer to simplify municipal services in the area. The neighborhood had originally been annexed by Kent in 1987 for use as a water reservoir, which was never built and instead developed into residential use. It was then surrounded by Lea Hill, later annexed into Auburn.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 30.113 sqmi, of which 29.824 sqmi is land and 0.289 sqmi (0.96%) is water.

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.

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.

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 19th 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

|Jan record high F = 64 |Feb record high F = 71 |Mar record high F = 81 |Apr record high F = 86 |May record high F = 92 |Jun record high F = 100 |Jul record high F = 99 |Aug record high F = 99 |Sep record high F = 96 |Oct record high F = 86 |Nov record high F = 74 |Dec record high F = 69 |year record high F= 100 |Jan record low F = −10 |Feb record low F = −5 |Mar record low F = 10 |Apr record low F = 25 |May record low F = 27 |Jun record low F = 33 |Jul record low F = 38 |Aug record low F = 34 |Sep record low F = 28 |Oct record low F = 24 |Nov record low F = −1 |Dec record low F = 3 |year record low F= −10

Demographics

|align-fn=center 2020 Census

As of the 2024 American Community Survey, there are 31,425 estimated households in Auburn with an average of 2.74 persons per household. The city has a median household income of $94,603. Approximately 9.6% of the city's population lives at or below the poverty line. Auburn has an estimated 62.6% employment rate, with 25.5% of the population holding a bachelor's degree or higher and 88.9% holding a high school diploma. There were 32,597 housing units at an average density of 1102.18 /sqmi.

The top nine reported languages (people were allowed to report up to two languages, thus the figures will generally add to more than 100%) were German (11.6%), English (9.3%), Irish (5.9%), Norwegian (3.2%), French (except Basque) (2.3%), Italian (2.2%), Polish (1.7%), Subsaharan African (1.1%), and Scottish (0.9%).

The median age in the city was 36.6 years.

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, there were 87,256 people, 30,806 households, and 20,850 families residing in the city. The population density was 2950.13 PD/sqmi. There were 31,947 housing units at an average density of 1080.13 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the city was 51.60% White, 7.79% African American, 2.29% Native American, 13.11% Asian, 3.17% Pacific Islander, 10.32% from some other races and 11.72% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 18.59% of the population.

2010 census

As of the 2010 census, there were 70,180 people, 26,058 households, and 17,114 families residing in the city. The population density was 2369.3 PD/sqmi. There were 27,834 housing units at an average density of 939.7 PD/sqmi. The racial makeup was 70.46% White, 4.94% African American, 2.29% Native American, 8.91% Asian, 1.64% Pacific Islander, 6.31% from some other races and 5.44% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 12.87% 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

According to the Uniform Crime Report statistics compiled by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in 2024, there were 451 violent crimes and 3,342 property crimes per 100,000 residents. Of these, the violent crimes consisted of 10 murders, 73 forcible rapes, 115 robberies and 253 aggravated assaults, while 446 burglaries, 1,835 larceny-thefts, 1,043 motor vehicle thefts and 18 acts of arson defined the property offenses.

Economy

Employment

As of August 31, 2025, 69.2% of the population is in the labor force with a 4.7% unemployment rate.

The Auburn Boeing Plant, opened in 1966, is the largest airplane parts plant in the world, with 2100000 sqft and 1.265 million parts being manufactured each year.

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

Top employers

According to the city's 2022 Annual Comprehensive Financial Report, the largest employers in the city are:

Shopping

The Outlet Collection Seattle, formerly SuperMall of the Great Northwest, is an outlet mall that 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.

As part of the King County Library System, there is a 20,000 ft2 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. The sculpture Crow with Fries is installed in Les Gove Park.

Landmarks

The City of Auburn has designated the following landmarks:

Sports

Emerald Downs is a 167 acre six-level stadium and thoroughbred racetrack. The racetrack is operated on land purchased by the Muckleshoot in 2002.

Government

The city of Auburn has a mayor–council form of government, meaning that the mayor is a full-time, separately elected position. As of 2025, 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.

Mayors

• Virgil R. Bissell, 1891–1892
• Arthur H. Meade, 1892–1896, 1904–1908
• E. Bronson Smith, 1896–1897
• Samuel Cavanaugh, 1898
• T.J. Kerr, 1899–1901
• George W. Hart, 1902–1903
• Robert B. Neilson, 1908
• Lou C. Smith, 1909–1911
• John B. Waugh, 1911–1914
• Clarence E. West, 1915
• Martin J. Lacey, 1916
• William E. Ester, 1917–1920, 1925–1927, 1932–1933
• Otto P. Bertsch, 1921–1925, 1927–1929
• John W. McKee, 1929–1931
• Edward E. Harvey, 1933–1935
• Frank H. McLaskey, 1935–1936
• Leslie J. Gove, 1936–1947, 1955
• Blaine H. Elwell, 1947–1951
• Dayton A. Witten, 1951–1955
• Harold L. Clark, 1955–1958
• John S. Denice Sr., 1958–1960
• James N. Shaughnessy, 1960–1964
• Robert E. Gaines, 1964–1969
• Stanley Paul Kersey, 1969–1981
• Robert A. Roegner, 1982–1993
• Charles A. Booth, 1994–2001
• Pete Lewis, 2002–2013
• Nancy Backus, 2014–present

Education

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. Portions of northern Auburn are served by the Federal Way and Kent school districts and a portion of Auburn in Pierce County is within the Dieringer School District.

High schools

• Auburn High School
• Auburn Mountainview High School
• Auburn Riverside High School
• Auburn Adventist Academy
• West Auburn High School

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

Private and alternative schools

• Auburn Adventist Academy
• Rainier Christian High School
• Valley Christian School
• Holy Family School
• Auburn Online

College

• Green River College

Infrastructure

Transportation

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. The Auburn Municipal Airport serves the general aviation community.

Police

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

Notable people

• Eric Barone, video game designer known professionally as ConcernedApe
• Nate Cohn, journalist and polling expert for The Upshot at The New York Times
• Janna Crawford, gold medal Paralympic athlete
• Phil Fortunato, member of the state senate and state representative
• Cam Gigandet, actor
• Christine Gregoire, 22nd governor of Washington
• Kevin Hagen, former MLB baseball player
• Greg Haugen, professional boxer
• Gordon Hirabayashi, civil rights activist
• Ariana Kukors, Olympic swimmer and world record holder
• Chris Lukezic, middle-distance runner
• Harrison Maurus, bronze medal weightlifter
• Evan McMullin, CIA officer and former presidential candidate
• Dave Reichert, former King County sheriff and U.S. Congressman
• Diane Schuur, jazz singer and pianist
• Francis R. "Dick" Scobee, NASA astronaut
• Danny Shelton, NFL football player
• D. C. Simpson, comic artist
• Sir Mix-A-Lot, hip hop artist
• Misty Upham, actress
• Minoru Yamasaki, architect

Sister cities

Auburn has five sister cities:

• Japan Tamba, Japan
• South Korea Pyeongchang, South Korea
• China Guanghan, China
• China Yuhang, China
• Italy Mola di Bari, Italy

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

References

References

1. "City Councilmembers". City of Auburn, Washington.
2. "2025 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau.
3. "Zip Code Lookup". [[United States Postal Service.
4. {{GNIS. 2409755
5. "Explore Census Data". [[United States Census Bureau]].
6. "Muckleshoot Area Vicinity Map". Muckleshoot Tribe.
7. (July 5, 2017). "The town formerly known as Slaughter". Maple Valley Reporter.
8. Stein, Alan J.. (January 8, 1999). "Auburn — Thumbnail History". [[HistoryLink]].
9. "Auburn, Washington, United States".
10. Wilma, David. (October 17, 1999). "Slaughter is renamed Auburn on February 21, 1893.". HistoryLink.
11. "Mountain View Cemetery History - City of Auburn".
12. "About the Auburn Pioneer Cemetery, Auburn, Washington".
13. "White River All-Stars Baseball Team - May 1935".
14. Mullan, Michael. (1999). "Ethnicity and Sport: The Wapato Nippons and Pre-World War II Japanese American Baseball". Journal of Sport History.
15. "Japanese Bathhouse Neely Mansion Association".
16. Turner, Joseph. (August 21, 1988). "Auburn's Lakeland Hills growing too fast for some". The News Tribune.
17. Tucker, Rob. (June 4, 1997). "City of Auburn votes to annex 278 acres in Pierce County". The News Tribune.
18. Green, Aimee. (March 3, 1998). "Auburn, Bonney Lake reach compromise deal on water". The News Tribune.
19. Tucker, Rob. (January 22, 2001). "'Country' just a memory as cities close in". The News Tribune.
20. Johnson, Karen. (April 29, 2007). "Auburn's Lakeland Hills keeps it close". The Seattle Times.
21. Archbold, Mike. (January 18, 2007). "Auburn might grow much larger". The News Tribune.
22. Archbold, Mike. (December 2, 2007). "Stakes high for Auburn in area census". The News Tribune.
23. Hunter, Steve. (December 1, 2023). "A change of cities to Auburn from Kent for Bridges neighborhood". Kent Reporter.
24. "White River Valley Museum". Wrvmuseum.org.
25. (October 2016). "Property Report - 6655000025 }}{{dead link".
26. "Property Detail - 6655000025". King County Department of Assessments: eReal Property.
27. "Monthly Averages for Seattle, WA". The Weather Channel.
28. "City and Town Population Totals: 2020-2024". United States Census Bureau.
29. "Decennial Census of Population and Housing". United States Census Bureau.
30. "U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: Auburn city, Washington".
31. "General Social and Economic Characteristics: Washington". United States Census Bureau.
32. "Washington: 1990". United States Census Bureau.
33. "P004: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2000: DEC Summary File 1 – Auburn city, Washington". [[United States Census Bureau]].
34. "P2: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Auburn city, Washington". [[United States Census Bureau]].
35. "P2: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Auburn city, Washington". [[United States Census Bureau]].
36. "US Census Bureau, Table P16: Household Type". United States Census Bureau.
37. "How many people live in Auburn city, Washington". [[USA Today]].
38. (October 10, 2025). "Y-Charts: Auburn, WA Unemployment Rate".
39. "Boeing Frontiers Online Source".
40. (October 28, 2024). "City of Auburn 2022 Annual Comprehensive Financial Report".
41. "White River Valley Museum website". Wrvmuseum.org.
42. (December 8, 2016). "Auburn Library, King County Library System".
43. (August 17, 2011). "Good Ol' Days returns to Auburn".
44. (December 29, 2015). "King County and Local Landmarks List".
45. (November 13, 2014). "Muckleshoot Tribe acquiring Emerald Downs".
46. [http://www.kingcounty.gov/depts/elections/elections/past-elections.aspx King County Elections]
47. "Mayor".
48. (December 21, 2023). "OL Reign Legend: Nancy Backus – Mayor of Auburn".
49. Donald L. Kurle. (2017). "The Part-time Mayors of Slaughter/Auburn, WA".
50. (December 9, 1914). "Tuesday's election results in Seattle's neighbor cities". Seattle Star.
51. "The Mayors Page". www.ci.auburn.wa.us.
52. (February 20, 2013). "Lewis reflects on his long run as mayor". [[Auburn Reporter]].
53. "Mayor". City of Auburn, Washington.
54. "Washington City and Town Profiles". [[Municipal Research and Services Center of Washington]].
55. "About Us / Overview".
56. "The Demographic Statistical Atlas of the United States - Statistical Atlas".
57. "School Directory". Auburn School District.
58. "Northern Santa Fe central roundhouse". Content-dev.lib.washington.edu.
59. "Welcome to S50 Auburn Municipal Airport near Seattle and Tacoma Washington (WA)". S50wa.com.
60. "South Correctional Entity".
61. (April 16, 2020). "Stardew Valley developer is an Auburn native - KING 5 Evening".
62. (September 28, 2018). "What did we learn from the NYT's live-action 8th Congressional District poll? A Q&A with Nate Cohn".
63. "Phil Fortunato's Biography". [[Vote Smart]].
64. "Cam Gigandet".
65. Aftab, Kaleem. (November 26, 2008). "Cam Gigandet".
66. "About Chris". Governor.wa.gov.
67. (May 31, 2006). "Where Are They Now? Ex-pitcher Kevin Hagen".
68. Klaas, Mark. (April 7, 2010). "Auburn's young Haugen vows to fight for own identity".
69. March 2006, Peter Haley {{!}}. "The stolen years: When Japanese Americans were forced to leave, one UW student resisted".
70. staff, Seattle Times sports. (February 7, 2018). "Ariana Kukors, former UW swimmer and world-record holder, says former coach sexually assaulted her".
71. "Cross country: The galloping gourmet — Chris Lukezic {{!}} The Seattle Times".
72. (December 18, 2017). "Harrison Maurus, Badass with a Barbell".
73. Haglund, David. (February 2, 2017). "Evan McMullin Is Trying to Save Democracy".
74. Carlton Smith and Thomas Guillen, ''The Search For The Green River Killer'' (New York: Onyx, 1991), 7–12
75. (April 27, 1986). "Diane Schuur Riding a Sure Thing". The Los Angeles Times.
76. (February 11, 2015). "Astronaut Bio: Dick Scobee". NASA.
77. Skager, Shawn. (December 18, 2013). "Danny Shelton is finding the fun again".
78. "Q&A: Cartoonist grew up in Gig Harbor, lives in Auburn and likes unicorns". The News Tribune.
79. "Sir Mix-A-Lot {{!}} Encyclopedia.com".
80. Young, Kristen Millares. (2015-06-30). "Misty Upham: the tragic death and unscripted life of Hollywood's rising star". The Guardian.
81. (October 17, 2014). "After actress Misty Upham found dead, family accuses police of racism, ignoring pleas". The Washington Post.
82. Olson, Casey. (September 7, 2011). "Towering achievement: WTC one of Auburn man's monumental designs".
83. "Sister City Program". City of Auburn.