# Tukwila, Washington

Tukwila (/tʌkˈwɪlə/ tuk-WIL-ə) is a suburban city in King County, Washington, United States, located immediately to the south of Seattle. The population was 21,798 at the 2020 census.
A large commercial center draws workers and consumers to the city daily; industry thrives with the confluence of rivers, freeways, railroads, and Seattle–Tacoma International Airport.

## History

The earliest people in Tukwila were the Duwamish, who made their homes along the Black and Duwamish rivers. The name "Tukwila" is the Chinook Jargon word for "nut" or "hazelnut", referring to the hazelnut trees that grew in the area. The Duwamish lived in cedar longhouses, hunted and fished, picked wild berries, and used the river for trade with neighboring peoples.
In 1853, the first white settler was Joseph Foster, a Canadian pioneer who had traveled to the Pacific Northwest from Wisconsin. Foster would become known as the "Father of Tukwila" and represented King County in the Washington Territorial Assembly for 22 years. Today, the site of Foster's home on the banks of the Duwamish River is part of Fort Dent Park, which also served as a military base during the Indian Wars of the 1850s. Foster's name is memorialized in the Foster neighborhood of Tukwila, where Foster High School is located.
In the early years, the small village grew into an agricultural center and remained a trading point in the upper Duwamish River Valley. Population began to grow and industry followed, largely farm-oriented commerce. Early electric trains traveled along Interurban Avenue in Tukwila, connecting to Renton and a line to Tacoma. The Interurban Railroad operated a commuter line from 1902 to 1928, making it possible to travel from Seattle to Tacoma in less than an hour. A post office was established in 1904 at Riverton, uphill from the interurban line and directly west of Foster. Centered around Marginal Way and South 130th Street, it is Tukwila's most historically intact neighborhood. The original Tukwila was also settled in 1904, further south along the interurban line where a station was established. The first macadam paved road in Washington state was in Tukwila and bears the name of this new method of street paving. One of the earliest paved military roads in the state passes through the city.
With the main goal of establishing better fire protection and water service, better access to schools and safer roads, Tukwila was incorporated as a fourth-class city on June 14, 1908, with a population of around 450. The original city limits consisted of a single square mile centered around the local interurban depot; Riverton and Foster would be annexed later. The city's first mayor was Joel Shomaker, a newspaperman who gave Tukwila its name soon after his arrival in 1904. Among the city's first council members was Del Adelphia, a famous magician.

## Geography

Tukwila is located in western King County, south of Seattle and between the cities of SeaTac to the west and Renton to the east. It lies along the Green River and Interstate 5, which bisect the city from south to north.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 9.60 square miles (24.86 km$^2$), of which 9.19 square miles (23.80 km$^2$) is land and 0.41 square miles (1.06 km$^2$) is water.
The city's tallest building is the Airmark Apartments and Hotel Interurban, a 19-story residential and hotel building near Southcenter that opened in July 2018. It is the tallest habitable building between Seattle and Tacoma.

### Neighborhoods

Tukwila is divided into several neighborhoods by the city government for planning purposes. The 2015 Comprehensive Land Use Plan identifies them as:
* Allentown
* Cascade View
* Duwamish
* Foster
* Foster Point
* McMicken
* Riverton
* Ryan Hill
* Southcenter (Urban Center)
* Thorndyke
* Tukwila Hill

## Demographics

As of the 2022 American Community Survey, there are 8,098 estimated households in Tukwila with an average of 2.64 persons per household. The city has a median household income of $76,331. Approximately 13.3% of the city's population lives at or below the poverty line. Tukwila has an estimated 72.4% employment rate, with 25.8% of the population holding a bachelor's degree or higher and 82.1% holding a high school diploma.
The top nine reported ancestries (people were allowed to report up to two ancestries, thus the figures will generally add to more than 100%) were Subsaharan African (8.3%), German (6.0%), English (4.3%), Irish (3.4%), Norwegian (2.2%), Scottish (1.7%), French (except Basque) (1.4%), Italian (1.2%), and Polish (0.5%).
The median age in the city was 36.0 years.

### 2020 census

Tukwila, Washington – racial and ethnic composition Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race. :
| Race / ethnicity (NH = non-Hispanic) | Pop. 2000 | Pop. 2010 | Pop. 2020 | % 2000 | % 2010 | % 2020 |
| White alone (NH) | 9,297 | 7,186 | 6,102 | 54.11% | 37.61% | 27.99% |
| Black or African American alone (NH) | 2,174 | 3,350 | 4,059 | 12.65% | 17.53% | 18.62% |
| Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH) | 190 | 143 | 124 | 1.11% | 0.75% | 0.57% |
| Asian alone (NH) | 1,858 | 3,615 | 5,689 | 10.81% | 18.92% | 26.10% |
| Pacific Islander alone (NH) | 311 | 521 | 516 | 1.81% | 2.73% | 2.37% |
| Other race alone (NH) | 57 | 49 | 92 | 0.33% | 0.26% | 0.42% |
| Mixed race or multiracial (NH) | 965 | 894 | 1,140 | 5.62% | 4.68% | 5.23% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 2,329 | 3,349 | 4,076 | 13.56% | 17.53% | 18.70% |
| Total | 17,181 | 19,107 | 21,798 | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% |
As of the 2020 census, there were 21,798 people, 8,168 households, and 4,783 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,373.2 inhabitants per square mile (916.3/km$^2$). There were 8,742 housing units at an average density of 951.8 inhabitants per square mile (367.5/km$^2$). The racial makeup was 30.03% White, 19.02% African American, 1.08% Native American, 26.19% Asian, 2.45% Pacific Islander, 11.32% from some other races and 9.91% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 18.70% of the population. 18.0% of residents were under the age of 18, 4.7% were under 5 years of age, and 11.2% were 65 and older.

### 2010 census

As of the 2010 census, there were 19,107 people, 7,157 households, and 4,124 families living in the city. The population density was 2,083.6 inhabitants per square mile (804.5/km$^2$). There were 7,755 housing units at an average density of 845.7 inhabitants per square mile (326.5/km$^2$). The racial makeup was 43.92% White, 17.89% African American, 1.12% Native American, 19.04% Asian, 2.76% Pacific Islander, 9.27% from some other races and 5.99% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 17.53% of the population.
There were 7,157 households, of which 33.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 36.6% were married couples living together, 13.8% had a female householder with no husband present, 7.2% had a male householder with no wife present, and 42.4% were non-families. 32.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 5.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.64 and the average family size was 3.42.
The median age in the city was 33.8 years. 24.2% of residents were under the age of 18; 10.2% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 32.7% were from 25 to 44; 25.1% were from 45 to 64; and 8% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 51.9% male and 48.1% female.
The median income for a household is $40,718, and the median income for a family of $42,442. Males had a median income of $35,525 versus $28,913 for females. The per capita income for the city was $22,354. About 8.8% of families and 12.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 18.0% of those under age 18 and 7.7% of those ages 65 or over.

### 2000 census

As of the 2000 census, there were 17,181 people, 7,186 households, and 3,952 families living in the city. The population density was 1,927.0 people per square mile (743.7/km$^2$). There were 7,725 housing units at an average density of 866.4 per square mile (334.4/km$^2$). The racial makeup was 58.63% White, 12.79% African American, 1.30% Native American, 10.88% Asian, 1.82% Pacific Islander, 8.06% from some other races and 6.51% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 13.56% of the population.
There were 7,186 households, out of which 28.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 36.4% were married couples living together, 12.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 45.0% were non-families. 34.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 5.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.38 and the average family size was 3.09.
In the city the population was spread out, with 24.0% under the age of 18, 10.4% from 18 to 24, 37.3% from 25 to 44, 20.5% from 45 to 64, and 7.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females, there were 109.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 108.9 males.
Tukwila is the most diverse city in King County. Tukwila is the 11th-most diverse city in the United States. The Tukwila School District consists of one of the most diverse range of students in Washington.

### Crime

According to the Uniform Crime Report statistics compiled by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in 2023, there were 224 violent crimes and 4,003 property crimes per 100,000 residents. Of these, the violent crimes consisted of 2 murders, 24 forcible rapes, 140 robberies and 58 aggravated assaults, while 324 burglaries, 2,764 larceny-thefts, 913 motor vehicle thefts and 2 acts of arson defined the property offenses.
Tukwila is rated as the most dangerous city in Washington state due to its high crime rate.

## Economy

Tukwila's location at the confluence of rivers, freeways and railroads has made it an important center of commerce. Approximately 45,000 people work in Tukwila. Westfield Southcenter (formerly Southcenter Mall), Puget Sound's largest shopping complex, is located in the city, as are a number of Boeing corporate facilities. Tukwila is also the location of corporate datacenters, including those of Microsoft, Internap, the University of Washington, Savvis, AboveNet, digital.forest, HopOne, and Fortress Colocation. Most of these are located at Sabey Corporation's Intergate Seattle campus near Boeing Field.
In 2021, Seagle Properties announced sales for the Prato District, a 320-acre (130 ha) mixed-use office, manufacturing, and retail area south of Southcenter. Preparations for the development, which began in 2009 as Tukwila South, included an extension of Southcenter Parkway built by the city government in 2012.

### Top employers

According to the city's 2022 Annual Comprehensive Financial Report, the largest employers in the city are:
| # | Employer | Product or Business | # of Employees | Percentage |
| 1 | Boeing Employee's Credit Union | Credit Union | 1,063 | 3.76% |
| 2 | King County Department of Natural Resources | Government | 701 | 2.48% |
| 3 | Boeing Company | Aircraft Manufacturing | 587 | 2.08% |
| 4 | Prime Now LLC | Electronic Shopping | 569 | 2.02% |
| 5 | King County Housing Authority | Housing Assistance | 519 | 1.84% |
| 6 | Nordstrom, Inc. | Department Stores | 465 | 1.65% |
| 7 | Costco | Warehouse Club | 419 | 1.48% |
| 8 | Cascade Behavioral Hospital LLC | Healthcare | 325 | 1.15% |
| 9 | Amazon | E Commerce | 315 | 1.12% |
| 10 | Sound Mental Health (2 locations) | Healthcare | 288 | 1.02% |
| — | Total employers | — | 5,251 | 18.60% |

## Government and politics

Presidential election results :
| Year | Democratic | Republican | Third Parties |
| 2024 | 67.04% 4,752 | 28.98% 2,054 | 3.98% 282 |
| 2020 | 73.65% 6,107 | 23.65% 1,961 | 2.70% 224 |
| 2016 | 70.71% 4,348 | 20.83% 1,281 | 8.46% 520 |
The city of Tukwila leans overwhelmingly Democratic like its neighbor Seattle and King County as a whole. It cast nearly three-quarters of its ballots for Joe Biden in the 2020 United States presidential election and more than two-thirds of its ballots for Kamala Harris in the 2024 United States presidential election.

## Education

Tukwila School District, which covers the vast majority of the city, has five schools: Cascade View Elementary School, Thorndyke Elementary School, Tukwila Elementary School, Showalter Middle School, and Foster High School. Foster High School is among the most racially diverse schools in the United States, with students from 50 countries speaking 45 languages as of 2016.
Also in the city is Raisbeck Aviation High School, a public technical school operated by the Highline Public Schools that opened in 2004. Other portions of the city are in the boundaries of the Highline Public Schools, Renton School District, Kent School District, and Seattle Public Schools.

## Sports

The Seattle Seawolves, two-time champions of Major League Rugby, had played their home games at the Starfire Sports complex since 2018. The complex also served as the administrative and training home of the Seattle Sounders FC, and the main ground of their affiliate the Tacoma Defiance, until their move to Longacres in 2024. Seattle Reign FC moved their training facilities to Starfire in 2023 and will expand in the former Sounders space.

## Culture

The Museum of Flight is an air and space museum located in the extreme northern part of Tukwila, adjacent to Boeing Field. Tukwila is also home to the Rainier Symphony, which conducts several performances each year at the Foster Performing Arts Center in Tukwila.
In the 1990s and 2000s, "visiting Tukwila" was used as a euphemism for marital intercourse by Seattle Times columnist Erik Lacitis.

## Transportation

The city is served by Amtrak Cascades and Sound Transit's Sounder commuter rail at Tukwila station, while Sound Transit's Link light rail service serves Tukwila International Boulevard station.

## Notable residents

* William Cumming, artist and political activist
* Zack Hudgins, former member of the Washington House of Representatives
* Jim North, NFL player for the Washington Commanders
* Mario Segale, real estate developer and namesake of video game character Mario