# King County

King County is the largest county in Washington State by population, home to roughly 30% of the state's residents. It stretches from Puget Sound to the Cascade Range, encompassing the major cities of Seattle and Bellevue and their sprawling suburbs, as well as wide stretches of rural farmland and uninhabited mountain terrain.

## Cities

* Seattle — the seat of King County and the Pacific Northwest's largest city, with an extensive range of attractions
The rest of the county is described by its location relative to Seattle and Lake Washington.

### North King County

Largely upscale suburbia, heavily residential.
* 47.771667-122.2044441 Bothell — commercial center of the north county
* 47.756389-122.3397222 Shoreline — a northern suburb of Seattle, home to Kruckeberg Botanic Garden
* 47.7525-122.1563 Woodinville — the sales floor of the Washington wine industry

### The Eastside

The cities to the east of Lake Washington became the Pacific Northwest's original tech hub, with some of the area's most high-end development.
* 47.614444-122.19254 Bellevue — the second largest city in King County and Seattle's largest suburb, home to an art museum and a botanical garden
* 47.535556-122.0433335 Issaquah — has an attractive old town and hosts a salmon festival
* 47.685833-122.1916676 Kirkland — a charming lakefront city with a collection of outdoor sculptures
* 47.57065-122.222077 Mercer Island — a small city located on an island of the same name in Lake Washington
* 47.669444-122.1238898 Redmond — home to Microsoft and Nintendo of America

### South King County

Most visitors will only see the Sea-Tac Airport, in the city of SeaTac. (The airport's name came first.) These largely-industrial cities spread towards Pierce County, soon reaching Tacoma.
* 47.302222-122.2147229 Auburn — factory town in the White River Valley with several entertainment venues, next to the Muckleshoot Indian Tribe
* 47.468333-122.34555610 Burien — 'Old Town' Burien has a wide variety of shops and restaurants and has held onto the area's early charm
* 47.315-122.3411 Federal Way — home of the Pacific Bonsai Museum and Rhododendron Species Botanical Gardens
* 47.382778-122.22694412 Kent — a commuter town and manufacturing hub
* 47.479917-122.20344413 Renton — dominated by Boeing's 737 factory
* 47.441389-122.29305614 SeaTac — the city that named itself after an airport
* 47.478333-122.27555615 Tukwila — visit the Museum of Flight, an air and space museum
* 47.4161-122.46816 Vashon Island — the largest island in Puget Sound, with a distinctly rural character
* 47.5075-122.34817 White Center — the area has embraced its punk rock, mixed-ethnicity identity

### Cascade Foothills

The rural, sparsely distributed towns of the far east county are the respite from the sprawl:
* 47.317778-122.01472218 Black Diamond
* 47.204778-121.99163919 Enumclaw — a northern gateway to Mount Rainier
* 47.495944-121.78516720 North Bend — David Lynch's television series Twin Peaks was partially filmed here
* 47.528944-121.82708321 Snoqualmie — historic railroad and logging town, home to the impressive Snoqualmie Falls
* 47.605556-121.92138922 Snoqualmie Valley — a rural agricultural valley on the edge of the mountains, including the towns of Duvall, Carnation, and Fall City.

## Other destinations

* 47.392222-121.41 Snoqualmie Pass — a Cascades ski resort on the eastern edge of the county, along I-90
* 47.745-121.0932 Stevens Pass — a Cascades ski resort on the eastern edge of the county, along US-2

## Understand
### Local information

* King County Council website

## Get in
### By car

Interstate 5 (I-5) is the major north-south highway, running near the coast through Seattle to Snohomish County and Pierce County
Interstate 90 (I-90) runs east from Seattle through Bellevue and Issaquah to Snoqualmie Pass and Kittitas County.
The notoriously congested Interstate 405 (I-405) splits off from I-5 at Tukwila in the south and Lynnwood in the north, serving Bellevue and the other cities of the Eastside. From the I-5/405 junction in Tukwila I-405 becomes SR-518 which continues west to SR-509 in Burien via Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.

### By plane

47.443599-122.3026181 Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, (SEA), called "SeaTac" by locals, it connects Seattle to all regions of the U.S. and the world, especially with frequent transpacific routes but, also to Europe, Mexico and the Middle East as well. Competition is fierce and fares are low on service to the San Francisco Bay Area and Southern California with multiple airlines.
In addition to SeaTac, there are airports serviced by seaplanes and charter flights at:
* 47.53685-122.303892 King County International Airport/Boeing Field (BFI) which serves as an airport for cargo flights, general aviation, VIP flights, and Boeing test flights as well as Boeing manufacturing activities. It is also the location for the aviation museum. Commercial aviation is only with Kenmore Air.
* 47.62859-122.339833 South Lake Union Airport (LKE ) is a base for Seaplanes which are another popular way to travel around Puget Sound with several airlines based out of Seattle including Kenmore Air serving areas all around Puget Sound and Canada and Harbour Air to Vancouver's Coal Harbour. Kenmore Air offers shuttle transfer from SeaTac to their terminal on the shores of Lake Union and King County International Airport (Boeing Field).
* 47.491937-122.2173634 Renton Municipal Airport (RNT), farther from downtown than Boeing Field but still closer than Sea-Tac Airport, is another option for general aviation, with a sea plane dock at the north end of the airport on Lake Washington known as Wiley Post Memorial Seaplane Base. This airport only has basic facilities and no terminal building, but customs and immigration facilities are available for international arrivals with prior arrangement. Operators include Friday Harbor Seaplanes and Northwest Seaplanes.

### By boat

* Washington State Ferries (WSF) operates the following within King County and from King to Kitsap County in the other side of Puget Sound:
   * downtown Seattle (Pier 52) and Bainbridge Island
   * downtown Seattle (Pier 52) and Bremerton
   * Fauntleroy (next to Fauntleroy Park) in West Seattle to Vashon Island and Southworth.
    All Washington State ferries are for both vehicles and passengers.
* Kitsap Transit Fast Ferry operates the following passenger only ferry, from Pier 50 in Downtown Seattle to:
   * Bremerton From Bermerton they operate another smaller and slower moving passenger only ferry to Port Orchard.
   * Kingston
   * Southworth in Kitsap County. No stops in Vashon Island.
From ferry terminals in Kitsap County passengers transfer to Kitsap Transit buses to go onward without a car.
* King County Water Taxi connects downtown Seattle (Pier 50) to Seacrest Park in West Seattle and Vashon Island on two separate routes. This operates as a passenger only ferry.
* High Speed Catamaran by Clipper Vacations connects Seattle to Victoria, British Columbia (Canada) via Friday Harbor as a passenger only ferry from Pier 69 in the Seattle Waterfront.

## Get around
### By public transit

King County Metro, ☏ +1 206-553-3000. Operates bus, streetcar, and monorail routes in King County. Communities within the county served by this operator's routes include Auburn, Bellevue, Bothell, Burien, Federal Way, Issaquah, Kent, Kirkland, Mercer Island, North Bend, Redmond, Renton, SeaTac, Seattle, Shoreline, Tukwila, Vashon Island, White Center, and Woodinville. (updated Jun 2023)
The adult bus fare is $2.75 at all times and on all routes. The senior (ages 65 or older) fare is $1.00. Youth (18 and under) ride free. If you pay by cash (exact change only), you'll get a paper transfer good for within a 2-hour period to ride other King County Metro buses. An ORCA card allows you to transfer to other transit agencies within the same period of time for free. Note that you'll only need to tap in when you enter the bus, although in RapidRide, you can tap on the reader before getting on the bus and may board from the center and rear doors.
To figure out how to get to your destination use the excellent Trip Planner which gives you point-to-point directions between points within King County. For real-time arrival times, use the One Bus Away or Transit app. Google Maps and Apple Maps also include real-time public transportation data for route planning.
The number of the route also tells you which area of the county it serves:
* Below 100 - Seattle only
* 100s - South King County: Auburn, Burien, Federal Way, Kent, Renton, SeaTac, Tukwila, Vashon Island, White Center
* 200s - Eastside: Bellevue, Bothell, Issaquah, Kirkland, North Bend, Redmond, Sammamish, Duvall
* 300s - North King County: Aurora Village, Bothell, Northgate, Shoreline, Woodinville
* 400s - Reserved for Community Transit commuter routes to Snohomish County from Seattle
* 500s - Sound Transit routes operated by King County Metro are 522, 542, 545, 550, 554, 556, 566
* 900s - DART (fixed) routes to serve surrounding lower density suburban or rural neighborhoods from a transit center or station in one of the cities served by King County Metro. There is some flexibility to deviate from the fixed route for drop off and pick-up. Appointments required for pick-up off their fixed routes.
* RapidRide - operates as bus rapid in the area to serve fewer stops (spaced further apart), along the route on frequent schedules. Routes are identified by a letter (A-H) rather then by numbers.
Sound Transit, toll-free: +1-888-889-6368. Has regional public transit routes including Sounder trains, Link light rail, and express bus in King County (e.g. Bellevue, Federal Way, Kent, Renton, Seattle), Snohomish County (e.g. Everett, Lynnwood) and Pierce County (e.g. Puyallup, Tacoma). (updated Jun 2023)
* Link light rail operates throughout King County, running every 8-15 minutes from 5AM to 1AM:
** The 1 Line travels through Seattle north to Lynnwood and south to Angle Lake via Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. Construction is underway to extend the line south to Federal Way by 2026.
** The 2 Line travels from Redmond Tech Station to South Bellevue via downtown Bellevue. Construction is underway to extend the line into downtown Seattle by late 2025 or 2026.
* Sounder commuter rail service, operating weekday rush hours only, connects Seattle to Tacoma via Auburn, Kent and Tukwila on the 'S' Line Train and to Everett via Edmonds and Mukilteo on the 'N' Line train. Two separate routes.
* Sound Transit has many convenient express bus routes that travel South (to Tacoma), East (Redmond, Bellevue), and North (Bothell, Lynnwood). Outside of the immediate Seattle-Bellevue area, many routes operate only during weekday rush hours. Check your schedules in advance, and beware of holiday service cutbacks. All Sound Transit routes have route numbers that are in the 500s.

#### ORCA Card

The ORCA card is a contactless fare card that enables you to transfer seamlessly between King County and various Puget Sound public transit agencies, including: King County Metro, Sound Transit, Community Transit, Everett Transit, Pierce Transit, Kitsap Transit, and Washington State Ferries. The card is $3, and you must put in a minimum of $5 in your e-purse to start using it. You can add money or monthly passes to the card. Day passes are also available for $8 and can be used for all bus and train services. You can request a refund of unused e-purse funds online, by phone, or in person.

### By car

All but essential for reaching the outermost suburbs and mountains. In addition to the interstates, major routes include:
* SR-520, linking Seattle's University District to Bellevue and Redmond.
* SR-18, a major freeway from I-5 (Exit 142) in Federal Way to I-90 (Exit 25) in Snoqualmie, east of Issaquah, through Black Diamond, Maple Valley and Covington
* SR-167, from Exit 2 of I-405 in Renton to Puyallup via Kent, Auburn (Jct SR-18), Pacific and Sumner.
* SR-522 branches from I-5 (Exit 171) to US-2 in Monroe via Lake City Way in N Seattle, Bothell, and Woodinville (Jct I-405). SR-522 goes around the northern shores of Lake Washington.
Traffic congestion is a major problem in the Puget Sound area on all freeways and major roads. Avoid traveling during rush hour if you can, particularly along I-5 and across the Lake Washington bridges.

#### Tolls

There are tolls for the SR-520 floating bridge and the express lanes of I-405, with rates that vary by time of day and traffic levels. There are no toll booths. If the vehicle has a "Good to Go" sticker on the windshield, the toll is deducted from a prepaid account. Otherwise, transponders take a picture of the license plates, front and back, and mail the bill to the registered owner.
Lake Washington is crossed by another floating bridge, across I-90, that is free. However, making a long detour around the lake will usually waste far more time than you'll save in toll money.

#### Orientation

King County has a somewhat convoluted address system that can be confusing to the uninitiated. From downtown Seattle, the county is divided into 7 compass directional sectors (N, NE, NW, W, E, S, SW; no SE section), with the name of the sector applied to every road that passes through that sector. North-south roads called Avenues that suffix the directional, and east-west roads being Streets that prefix the directional. Streets are written with the sector before the name (e.g. NE 45th Street or NE 45th) while avenues are written with the sector after the name (e.g. 45th Avenue NE or 45th NE). Locals often omit the directionals when describing places, but mapping websites and apps require them, and may send you miles out of your way if you don't specify them. Take this into consideration when looking for directions to a specific address.
There are occasional irregularities: Ways are long roads that don't always conform to the grid, Drives are long, circuitous routes, and there are the very short Place or Court that dead ends on one end of the road.

## See

The majority of the area's most notable attractions are in Seattle.
Outside of Seattle:
* The region's most dramatic waterfall is Snoqualmie Falls in Snoqualmie.
* The Pacific Bonsai Museum is in Federal Way. There are also impressive botanical gardens in Bellevue and Shoreline.
* Burien, Issaquah, and Kirkland have thriving and walkable main streets.

## Do

The best hiking is along the I-90 corridor, starting in Issaquah and continuing to North Bend and Snoqualmie Pass; see the Mountains to Sound Greenway itinerary for more details. There is also excellent hiking along US-2, which enters King County for a short stretch; see the North Cascade Loop itinerary for more details.
Water sports are popular on Lake Union (rentals in South Lake Union and University District), Lake Washingon (rentals in Kirkland and Kenmore), and Lake Sammamish (rentals in Issaquah). See the article for Puget Sound for details on getting out on salt water.
The largest casinos are the Muckleshoot Casino near Auburn and the Snoqualmie Casino.

## Buy

The Pike Place Market in Downtown Seattle is one of the region's most famous attractions.
The largest malls are Bellevue Square in Bellevue, Southcenter in Tukwila, and University Village in Seattle's University District.

## Eat

Seattle is the culinary heart of the region, and you can find most of what you're looking for there.
Outside of Seattle:
* The best Chinese and Indian cuisine are in Bellevue and Redmond.
* The best Korean cuisine is in Federal Way.
* The best Mexican cuisine is in White Center.
* Notable high-end dining destinations can be found in Bellevue, Kirkland, and Woodinville

## Drink

Most of the area's nightlife spots are in Seattle. Renton also has a notable bar scene.
Woodinville Wine Country is where wineries from across Washington State sell and market their wines. (Most of the grapes are grown in Eastern Washington.) Over 130 wineries and tasting rooms have a presence there.

## Go next

* The South Sound, to the south, includes Tacoma, Olympia and Mount Rainier National Park.
* The North Sound, to the north, includes Everett, Mukilteo, Edmonds, Snohomish and Whidbey Island. Further north are Anacortes, Bellingham, and North Cascades National Park.
* The Kitsap Peninsula, to the west, includes Gig Harbor, Bainbridge Island, Port Orchard and Bremerton. Further west is Olympic National Park.
* The North Central Cascades, to the east, includes Ellensburg, Cle Elum and Leavenworth.