Sumner, Washington

History

Sumner was founded in 1853 as Stuck Junction and platted in 1883 by George H. Ryan, in anticipation of a stop on the Northern Pacific Railway. The town was named "Franklin" until 1891, when the Post Office Department requested that the name be changed to avoid confusion with similarly named towns. The name of abolitionist Senator Charles Sumner was chosen for the town after a lottery.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 7.62 sqmi, of which 7.51 sqmi is land and 0.11 sqmi is water.

Sumner, along with Orting and Puyallup, lie in the lahar hazard zone for Mount Rainier. During the Osceola Mudflow, dated to approximately 5,600 years before present, a 300 ft deposit covered a portion of the city's modern location.

Economy

Dillanos Coffee Roasters is based in Sumner.

REI maintains corporate offices and a large distribution center in Sumner.

Demographics

|align-fn=center 2020 Census

2010 census

As of the 2010 census, there were 9,451 people, 3,980 households, and 2,454 families living in the city. The population density was 1258.5 PD/sqmi. There were 4,279 housing units at an average density of 569.8 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the city was 87.3% White, 1.2% African American, 1.0% Native American, 2.4% Asian, 0.4% Pacific Islander, 3.4% from other races, and 4.3% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 10.1% of the population.

There were 3,980 households, of which 31.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.8% were married couples living together, 14.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 6.2% had a male householder with no wife present, and 38.3% were non-families. 31.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.37 and the average family size was 2.97.

The median age in the city was 38.2 years. 24.4% of residents were under the age of 18; 8.1% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 26.7% were from 25 to 44; 25.8% were from 45 to 64; and 14.9% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.2% male and 51.8% female.

2000 census

As of the 2000 census, there were 8,504 people, 3,517 households, and 2,215 families living in the city. The population density was 1,271.0 people per square mile (490.8/km2). There were 3,689 housing units at an average density of 551.4 per square mile (212.9/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 90.32% White, 0.93% African American, 1.41% Native American, 1.66% Asian, 0.24% Pacific Islander, 2.42% from other races, and 3.02% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 5.97% of the population.

There were 3,517 households, out of which 32.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.4% were married couples living together, 13.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.0% were non-families. 30.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.40 and the average family size was 2.98.

In the city, the age distribution of the population shows 26.5% under the age of 18, 8.7% from 18 to 24, 30.3% from 25 to 44, 21.1% from 45 to 64, and 13.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.0 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $38,598, and the median income for a family was $42,602. Males had a median income of $36,250 versus $29,221 for females. The per capita income for the city was $18,696. About 4.5% of families and 8.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.3% of those under age 18 and 8.6% of those age 65 or over.

Transportation

In addition to road and highway connections, Sumner is also served by Sounder commuter rail which stops at a train station in downtown and directly connects Sumner to Seattle and Tacoma.

Education

Most of the city is in the Sumner School District, while some portions are in the adjacent Dieringer School District and Puyallup School District.

Sumner has a branch of the Pierce County Library System.

Culture

Sumner hosts part of the annual four-part Daffodil Parade, which takes place every April in Tacoma, Puyallup, Sumner, and Orting. The city also calls itself the "Rhubarb Pie Capital of the World," and hosts an annual festival called Rhubarb Days.

Notable people

• Eddie Dew, actor and director
• Wayne Northrop, actor
• Kelly Joe Phelps, musician

Notes

References

1. "Mayor". City of Sumner.
2. "2019 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau.
3. {{GNIS. 2412001
4. "2020 Census Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171) Summary File". [[United States Census Bureau]].
5. (March 2016). "Sumner Station Access Improvement Project: Cultural Resources Technical Report". [[Sound Transit]].
6. Majors, Harry M.. (1975). "Exploring Washington". Van Winkle Publishing Co.
7. Meany, Edmond S.. (1923). "Origin of Washington geographic names". University of Washington Press.
8. "US Gazetteer files 2010". [[United States Census Bureau]].
9. Lee, Jessica. (January 2, 2017). "Mount Rainier to get new digital-warning system for massive mudflows". The Seattle Times.
10. Kidd, Sue. (August 13, 2018). "Two new coffee cafes opened this month and both are from the same local company". The News Tribune.
11. United States Census Bureau. "Census of Population and Housing".
12. "U.S. Census website". [[United States Census Bureau]].
13. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau.
14. "Sumner Station". Sound Transit.
15. U.S. Census Bureau Geography Division. (December 21, 2020). "2020 Census – School District Reference Map: Pierce County, WA". United States Census Bureau.
16. "Pierce County Library > Sumner Library".
17. Sherred, Kristine. (June 22, 2023). "Rhubarb on hot dogs, in beer, gelato and 2,500 slices of pie at Sumner’s annual street fest".
18. Lewis, C. Jack.. (2002). "White horse, black hat : a quarter century on Hollywood's Poverty Row". Scarecrow Press.
19. Hart, Marla. (July 14, 1994). "Down to Earth".