University Place, Washington

History

University Place received its name in the 1800s when the University of Puget Sound, a private liberal-arts college in North Tacoma, purchased land along the primary north–south route of Grandview Drive. The school sought to build a new campus there, but ended up selling the land back to the city for about $11,000. University Place remained an unincorporated part of Pierce County until the City of University Place was formed on August 31, 1995.

Today, University Place is largely suburban in character and functions as a mixed business and residential area with waterfront on the Puget Sound. The town is home to Curtis Senior High School and Charles Wright Academy.

Chambers Bay golf course opened in 2007 to favorable reviews. A Scottish links-style course, Chambers Bay hosted the 2010 U.S. Amateur and the 2015 U.S. Open.

University Place's news is primarily covered by The News Tribune (Tacoma), and is also covered by University Place Patch, a hyper-local news website that launched in October 2010, and sometimes by news media in Seattle. Earlier newspapers for the community were the weekly Suburban Times (1970s), published by Dave Sclair (who, starting in 1970, also published Western Flyer); and, in the 1980s, the Lakewood Press, published by Grace T. Eubanks and later Dane S. Claussen, which launched the University Place Press as a monthly and then biweekly before it folded in early 1989.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 8.51 sqmi, of which, 8.34 sqmi is land and 0.17 sqmi is water.

Demographics

|align-fn=center 2020 Census

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, there were 34,866 people and 13,944 households, and 9,208 families residing in the city.

2010 census

As of the 2010 census, there were 31,144 people, 12,819 households, and 8,476 families living in the city. The population density was 3698.8 PD/sqmi. There were 13,573 housing units at an average density of 1612.0 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the city was 71.0% White, 8.5% African American, 0.8% Native American, 9.0% Asian, 0.8% Pacific Islander, 1.7% from other races, and 8.2% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 6.7% of the population.

There were 12,819 households, of which 32.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.9% were married couples living together, 14.0% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.2% had a male householder with no wife present, and 33.9% were non-families. 27.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.41 and the average family size was 2.94.

The median age in the city was 39.4 years. 23.6% of residents were under the age of 18; 9.3% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 24.3% were from 25 to 44; 28.9% were from 45 to 64; and 14.1% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 47.0% male and 53.0% female.

2000 census

As of the 2000 census, there were 29,933 people, 12,149 households, and 8,212 families living in the city. The population density was 3,569.0 people per square mile (1,377.5/km2). There were 12,684 housing units at an average density of 1,512.4 per square mile (583.7/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 75.87% White, 8.74% African American, 0.72% Native American, 7.47% Asian, 0.56% Pacific Islander, 1.35% from other races, and 5.29% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.84% of the population.

There were 12,149 households, out of which 34.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.6% were married couples living together, 12.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.4% were non-families. 26.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.45 and the average family size was 2.97.

In the city, the age distribution of the population shows 26.0% under the age of 18, 9.2% from 18 to 24, 28.6% from 25 to 44, 25.0% from 45 to 64, and 11.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.5 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $50,287, and the median income for a family was $60,401. Males had a median income of $42,452 versus $30,045 for females. The per capita income for the city was $25,544. About 6.0% of families and 7.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.5% of those under age 18 and 3.8% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Most of University Place is in the University Place School District, which manages eight public schools. Primary schools teach kindergarten through fourth grade. Intermediate schools teach grades five through seven. Junior high is grades eight and nine. High school students are in grades ten through twelve.

• Curtis Senior High
• Curtis Junior High
• Drum Intermediate
• Narrows View Intermediate
• Chambers Primary
• Evergreen Primary
• Sunset Primary
• University Place Primary

Portions are in Tacoma Public Schools and in the Steilacoom Historical School District.

Notable people

• Gary Larson, creator of The Far Side comic strips
• John J. Nance, pilot and author
• Dorothy Olsen - American aircraft pilot and member of the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASPs) during World War II.
• Bob Robertson, sportscaster, voice of the Washington State Cougars and Tacoma Rainiers
• Brian Sullivan, politician and lawyer
• Isaiah Thomas, star point guard for University of Washington and NBA point guard
• Pat Tillman - American professional football player in the National Football League (NFL) who left his sports career and enlisted in the United States Army in May 2002 in the aftermath of the September 11 attacks.
• Morgan Weaver - professional soccer forward for the Portland Thorns FC

References

References

1. "City Council". City of University Place.
2. "2023 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau.
3. (May 2025). "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Incorporated Places of 20,000 or More, Ranked by July 1, 2024 Population: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2024". United States Census Bureau.
4. {{GNIS. 2412136
5. "Explore Census Data". [[United States Census Bureau]].
6. "History {{!}} University Place".
7. [http://www.thenewstribune.com/news/local/story/94731.html "Chambers Bay first impressions: Wow!"], Brent Champaco, Tacoma ''The News Tribune'', June 24, 2007
8. [http://washingtonceo.com/home/story-display/article/259/chambers-bay.html "Chambers Bay: Links on Puget Sound Cause More than a Ripple"], Crai Bower, ''Washington CEO'', October 17, 2007
9. "Census of Population and Housing". United States Census Bureau.
10. "US Census Bureau, Table P16: Household Type". United States Census Bureau.
11. "2020 Census – School District Reference Map: Pierce County, WA". United States Census Bureau.
12. "University Place School District, Schools".
13. "National Women's Soccer League Official Site | NWSL".