Pierce County, Washington

Pierce County is the second most populous county in the of. Formed out of on, , by the legislature of , it was named for. As of 2004, the population was 744,000. The county seat is, on , also the county's largest city.

Pierce County is notable for being home to the, the tallest mountain in the. Its most recent recorded eruption was between and. There is no imminent risk of eruption, but geologists expect that the volcano will erupt again. If this should happen, parts of Pierce County and the Puyallup Valley would be at risk from s,, or s. The Mount Rainier Volcano Lahar Warning System was established in 1998 to assist in the evacuation of the valley in case of eruption.

Geography
According to the, the county has a total area of 4,679 (1,806 ). 4,348 km² (1,679 sq mi) of it is land and 330 km² (128 sq mi) of it (7.06%) is water.

Geographic features

 * , highest point in Pierce County
 * , highest point in Pierce County
 * , highest point in Pierce County
 * , highest point in Pierce County
 * , highest point in Pierce County
 * , highest point in Pierce County
 * , highest point in Pierce County
 * , highest point in Pierce County
 * , highest point in Pierce County
 * , highest point in Pierce County
 * , highest point in Pierce County
 * , highest point in Pierce County

Pierce County also contains the area.

Adjacent counties

 * - north
 * - east
 * - south
 * - west/southwest
 * - west/northwest
 * - north/northwest

Demographics
As of the of 2000, there were 700,820 people, 260,800 households, and 180,212 families residing in the county. The was 161/km² (417/sq mi). There were 277,060 housing units at an average density of 64/km² (165/sq mi). The racial makeup of the county was 78.39%, 6.95% or , 1.42% , 5.08% , 0.85% , 2.20% from , and 5.11% from two or more races. 5.51% of the population were or  of any race. 16.1% were of, 8.6% , 8.2% , 6.3% or American and 6.2%  ancestry according to Census 2000.

There were 260,800 households out of which 35.90% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.80% were living together, 11.80% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.90% were non-families. 24.30% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.60% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.60 and the average family size was 3.10.

In the county, the population was spread out with 27.20% under the age of 18, 9.80% from 18 to 24, 31.30% from 25 to 44, 21.50% from 45 to 64, and 10.20% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 98.90 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.70 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $45,204, and the median income for a family was $52,098. Males had a median income of $38,510 versus $28,580 for females. The for the county was $20,948. About 7.50% of families and 10.50% of the population were below the, including 13.20% of those under age 18 and 7.20% of those age 65 or over.

Politics
Residents of Pierce County, Washington, live in one of three congressional districts :
 * The 8th district covers the eastern half of the county, from Orting east to Mt. Rainier. The 8th district has been represented since 2005 by (Republican).
 * The 9th district, which cuts a swath through the county's midsection and includes the county's southwestern portion, is bordered by the Nisqually River and includes Fort Lewis and McChord Air Force Base. The 9th district has been represented since 1997 by (Democrat).
 * The 6th district includes the city of Tacoma, Gig Harbor, the Key Peninsula, and part of Lakewood. The 6th has been represented since 1977 by  (Democrat).

Census-recognized communities



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Other communities






Arts and Culture
Pierce County boats a thriving arts and culture community. Arts organizations within Pierce County include: the Broadway Center for the Performing Arts, Grand Cinema, Lakewood Playhouse, Museum of Glass, Northwest Sinfonietta, Tacoma Art Museum, Tacoma Little Theater, Tacoma Concert Band, Tacoma Musical Playhouse, Tacoma Opera, Tacoma Philharmonic, Tacoma Symphony, Dance Theater Northwest, and others. Wintergrass, a yearly festival that takes place over several days in February every year, was honored in 2005 as "Bluegrass Festival of the year in 2005". The City of Tacoma celebrates "Art at Work" month every November to encourage participation and support for the arts community in that city. ArtsFund, a regional United Arts Fund, has been supporting the arts community in Pierce County since 1969.

Education
Public school districts in Pierce County include and the. Private schools include the group. Libraries include the, the Tacoma Library System, and the Puyallup Public Library.

Other
The third largest army post in the United States,, is located in the County as are , , and  post. Altogether these military installations contribute over 42,000 military and civilian jobs to the local economy.

The is the sixth busiest container port in North America, and one of the 25 busiest in the world, and it plays an important part in the local economy. This deep-water port covers 2,400 acres (9.7 km²) and offers a combination of facilities and services including 34 deepwater berths, two million square feet (190,000 m²) of warehouse and office space, and 131 acres (530,000 m²) of industrial yard. One economic impact study showed that more the 28,000 jobs in Pierce County are related to the Port activities.

Pierce County's official transportation provider is. It provides es, paratransit, and rideshare vehicles. The regional runs a  line through downtown, and provides several regional express es. Also, provides transportation between Tacoma,, and.

Every year in April, the Pierce County and Parade is held. Established in 1934, it is one of the regions prominent attractions.

As of 2006, 38% of the labs (138 sites) cleaned up by the  were in Pierce County. This reduction from a high of 589 labs in 2001 comes in part to a new law restricting the sale of and in part due to tougher prison sentences for methamphetamine producers.