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Home , Commencement Bay, Herron Island, McNeil Island, Puget Sound, Raft Island

SECTION 2

REGION 5 ALL HAZARD MITIGATION PLAN 2015-2020 EDITION PROFILE SECTION

Table of Contents

TABLE OF CONTENTS ...... 1 DEMOGRAPHICS ...... 2 GEOGRAPHY ...... 4 GEOLOGY ...... 8 CLIMATE ...... 9 PARCELS, HOUSING, AND LAND USE ...... 10 TRANSPORTATION ...... 12 ECONOMY ...... 12 RESOURCE DIRECTORY ...... 15

REGIONAL ...... 15 NATIONAL ...... 15 ENDNOTES ...... 16

PAGE 2-1 REGION 5 ALL HAZARD MITIGATION PLAN – 2015-2020 EDITION BASE PLAN Demographics

As of April 1, 2011, the Pierce County population is 802,150 with 430,040 (53.6%) persons residing in the 23 incorporated cities and towns and 372,110 (46.4%) residing in unincorporated areas. The individual city and town populations are: Auburn 7,655 (Pierce County only); Bonney Lake 17,500; Buckley 4,345; Carbonado 610; DuPont 8,430; Eatonville 2,775; Edgewood 9,405; Fife 9,220; Fircrest 6,500; Gig Harbor 7,200; Lakewood 58,190; Milton 6,140 (in Pierce County only); Orting 6,770; 85 (Pierce County only); Puyallup 37,240; Roy 795; Ruston 750; South Prairie 435; Steilacoom 6,000; Sumner 9,450; Tacoma 198,900; University Place 31,190; Wilkeson 475.1

Pierce County is the second most populous Table 2-1 2010 Pierce County Census Data Data Value county in , with 11.9 percent of the Population 795,225 state’s population. During the 1980’s, its Population, % change 2000-2010 12.0% population increased by 20.7 percent, ranking Persons under 5 years old % 7.0% Persons under 18 years old % 24.9% eighth in the state in rate of growth over this Persons from 18 to 64 years old % 64.0% period. Between 2000 and 2011, there was Persons 65 years old and over % 11.0% Female persons % 50.6% approximately a 12% increase in Pierce White persons % (a) 74.2% County's total population. Black or African American persons % (a) 6.8% American Indian and Alaska Native persons % (a) 1.4% Asian persons % (a) 6.0% 2 Using 2010 census data we find that 45% of Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander % (a) 1.3% Pierce County’s population now resides within Persons reporting some other race % (a) 3.5% Persons reporting two or more races % 6.8% 10 miles of and the Port of Persons of Hispanic or Latino origin % (b) 9.2% Tacoma, the shipping and industrial hub of the White persons, not of Hispanic/Latino origin % 70.3% Foreign born persons % 8.1% County, see Map 2-1. This is down from 62.1% Non-English Language spoken at home, % of persons 13.7% in 2000. This includes the Cities of Tacoma, High school graduates, % of persons 89.8% Bachelor's degree or higher, % of persons 20.6% Puyallup, Fife, Fircrest, University Place, Persons with a disability, age 5+, 117,220 Sumner, Gig Harbor and Lakewood. As Housing units 325,375 population pressure has increased and land in Homeownership rate % 58.1% Households 299,918 close to the main economic centers has become Persons per household 2.59 more expensive and difficult to find there Median household income, 2010 $55,531 Per capita income, 2010 $40,577 continues to be a gradual shift in population to Persons below poverty, %, 2010 11.6% what are more rural areas of the County. (a) Includes persons reporting only one race. (b) Hispanics may be of any race, so also are included in applicable race categories. The 2010 census data shows the age distribution of people in the County, see Table 2-1.3 Pierce County has a slightly younger and slightly more ethnically diverse population than Washington State overall.

While the percentage of people who graduate from high school is comparable with the rest of the State, those who have achieved bachelors or higher degrees is much lower than the State average being 20.6% compared with 31% for the State overall.

Home ownership is similar to the State average. However, the value of those homes is only 93.7% of the average across the State. Household income is much less, however when converted to per capita income it is only 63% of the average across the State.

PAGE 2-2 REGION 5 ALL HAZARD MITIGATION PLAN – 2015-2020 EDITION BASE PLAN Map 2-1 Pierce County Population Concentration

PAGE 2-3 REGION 5 ALL HAZARD MITIGATION PLAN – 2015-2020 EDITION BASE PLAN Geography

Pierce County is located in the west-central part of Washington State and has a land area of 1,148,006 acres or 1,794 square miles. The County’s extremely varied topography ranges from sea level to 14,410 feet at the summit of Mt. Rainier (see Map 2-2). There are 118 square miles of water in the County excluding . Puget Sound divides the County into western and eastern portions. The smaller portion, to the west of the Sound, is composed of two southward trending extensions of the . In addition, a number of islands, seven of them inhabited, in the southern Sound are incorporated into the County.

The developed portions of the County are located near Puget Sound on gently rolling terrain formed from glacial outwash, till and sediments deposited by the rivers in the valleys. The eastern portion of the County consists of foothills rising up to the crest of the . Just to the west of the crest is Mt Rainier, the high point of the County and of Washington State. Mt. Rainier National Park encompasses the southeast portion of the County and is a prime recreation and tourist attraction.

Commencement Bay is an arm of Puget Sound and the location of Pierce County’s principal port, the . This deepwater port is one of the largest on the West Coast of the .

The water from all major rivers having headwaters on Mt. Rainier, with the exception of the Cowlitz and its tributaries draining the southeast corner of the mountain, flows into Puget Sound at Commencement Bay. These include the Puyallup, White, Nisqually, Mowich, and Carbon Rivers. Of these, only the Nisqually and Puyallup actually enter Puget Sound. The White, Carbon, and Mowich Rivers are tributaries of the Puyallup. The White River borders the northeast and east sides of the County draining the east side of . With its tributaries, the Mowich and the Carbon, the contains the runoff from both the north and west sides of Mt. Rainier. It discharges their combined waters into Commencement Bay.

The fertile Puyallup and White River valleys that once supported a major agricultural business hub are giving way to commercial expansion. Warehousing and distribution facilities are now beginning to predominate where crops used to grow.

The Nisqually forms the southern border of the County and drains the south side of the mountain. The major features along its reach are Alder and La Grande dams. Its major tributary is the Mashel River.

Other water features include 361 lakes greater than one acre in size. Hundreds of streams and small rivers drain the rest of the County either into larger rivers or directly into Puget Sound. There are 225 miles of saltwater shoreline surrounding Puget Sound.

Although greatly depleted from their previous existence, covering most of Pierce County, the forest still predominates in some of the eastern and southeastern portions of the County see Map 2-3.

PAGE 2-4 REGION 5 ALL HAZARD MITIGATION PLAN – 2015-2020 EDITION BASE PLAN Anderson, McNeil, and Fox Islands are the three major islands within the County and lie in the southwest corner of the County. Anderson and McNeil Islands can be reached only by or boat. There is a connecting bridge to Fox Island. Four smaller islands: Ketron, Raft, Herron, and Tanglewood also have a small number of permanent residents. Ketron and Herron Islands are accessed by ferry. is connected to the mainland by a bridge and Tanglewood’s four homes are reached by a very short boat ride.

PAGE 2-5 REGION 5 ALL HAZARD MITIGATION PLAN – 2015-2020 EDITION BASE PLAN Map 2-2 Pierce County Digital Elevation Model Map

PAGE 2-6 REGION 5 ALL HAZARD MITIGATION PLAN – 2015-2020 EDITION BASE PLAN Map 2-3 Pierce County Ortho Map

PAGE 2-7 REGION 5 ALL HAZARD MITIGATION PLAN – 2015-2020 EDITION BASE PLAN Geology

In the western and central area of the County, the surface materials are predominantly glacial deposits (called drift) consisting of sediments laid down during several cycles of glacial advance and retreat. The last major glacial period, the Fraser glaciations, lasted about 10,000 years.

The advance of the from British Columbia into the Puget Sound area reached its maximum extent around 15,000 B.P. The ice sheet split into the Juan de Fuca and Puget ice lobes as it encountered the . The Puget ice lobe moved south covering Pierce County and extending into Thurston County. The Vashon advance was short- lived; by 13,600 B.P., the two lobes had receded to a single lobe in the northern Puget lowlands. The Fraser glaciations ended about 10,000 B.P. when major climatic changes occurred.

The Vashon Drift consists of water laid, stratified, granular material deposited in front of the advancing glacier (advance outwash) overlain by unsorted clay, silt, sand and gravel (till); in turn overlapped in some areas by another blanket of granular stream deposits (recessional outwash).

During the glacier’s retreat, glacial damming formed large temporary lakes. One of these ice- dammed lakes—occupying the Puyallup and White River valleys during the retreat of the Vashon ice—discharged water and material across the plain between Tacoma and Eatonville. Deep channels as much as a mile wide were carved by the torrential discharge streams and a layer of coarse-grained, poorly sorted material was laid down in a fan-shaped area from Chambers and Clover Creeks on the north, south to the and Muck Creek.

Following the glacial retreat, a number of smaller lakes were formed in surface depressions. Since the retreat of the Vashon Glacier, geologic processes have included both weathering of the glacial drift, and reworking of and re-deposition of it by streams and marine erosion.

The walls and floors of the major valleys reveal other material. This includes mudflow deposits from Mt. Rainier in the Puyallup, Nisqually, and White River valleys. Deposits show up in isolated spots and peat bogs have formed where lakes or ponds used to lie.

Bedrock predominates in the eastern portion of the County. Mt. Rainier is situated on top of intrusive Tertiary rocks of the Tatoosh pluton. Other bedrock includes sandstone and coal which supported quarrying and mining operations early in the 20th century.

In the vicinity of the Port of Tacoma, a considerable quantity of manmade fill has been placed on top of the mud flats at the mouth of the Puyallup River. Other manmade modifications to the landscape are continuing today.

PAGE 2-8 REGION 5 ALL HAZARD MITIGATION PLAN – 2015-2020 EDITION BASE PLAN Climate

The climate of Pierce County is generally mild. The Cascade Mountains to the east block cold winter air and the Willapa Hills and the Olympic Mountains to the west remove some of the moisture from most Pacific storms before they reach the lowland areas of the County.

Definite seasons are evident, with the rainy Table 2-2 Temperature and Precipitation Averages season generally from October through April. Ave. Ave. Precipitation on the western and central Max. Min. Ave. Total Month portions of the county is usually in the form of Temp. Temp. Precip. (in.) rain, with occasional snow during the winter. (oF) (oF) The eastern portion of the County is subject to January 44.6 34.7 5.70 heavy winter snow. This snowpack melts each February 49.0 36.7 4.21 spring with the exception of the upper slopes of March 52.2 38.0 3.75 Mt. Rainier, where snow remains year round April 57.5 41.2 2.51 locked up in an extensive glacier system. May 64.1 46.4 1.69 June 69.4 51.3 1.44 Tacoma’s rainfall averages nearly 40 inches per July 75.0 54.5 0.78 year, while mean temperatures range between August 74.7 54.8 1.09 4 35 and 75 degrees, see Table 2-2. Precipitation September 69.4 51.3 1.78 in the eastern mountainous areas of the county October 59.4 45.3 3.47 is well over 100 inches per year. November 50.4 39.5 6.00 December 45.4 35.8 5.85 Annual 59.3 44.1 38.27

PAGE 2-9 REGION 5 ALL HAZARD MITIGATION PLAN – 2015-2020 EDITION BASE PLAN Parcels, Housing, and Land Use

Table 2-3 details assessed value for land and property throughout the County.

Table 2-3 Parcel Summary5 Average Total Average # Land Value Land Improvement Improvement Value Parcels Value Value($) ($/parcel) 319,165 $29,742,651,792 93,189 49,650,950,160 155,577

Table 2-4 details housing information throughout the County.

Table 2-4 Housing Summary6 Housing # Houses Average Year Built Average Year Built (%) Density  <1939: 34,857  <1939: 12.6%  1939-1979: 133,531  1939-1979: 48.2% 180 325,375  1980-2000: 108,672  1980-2000: 39.2% (from 2010)  2000-2004: 33,215  2000-2004: 10.4%  2005-2010: 19,024  2005-2010: 5.9%

Pierce County has various land use planning areas throughout Pierce County. These are identified on Map 2-4. The incorporated areas, City and Town, have their own land use which is not shown on this map. For those land use jurisdictions in this planning effort, their land use map can be found in their profile section.

PAGE 2-10 REGION 5 ALL HAZARD MITIGATION PLAN – 2015-2020 EDITION BASE PLAN Map 2-4 Pierce County Land Use Map

PAGE 2-11 REGION 5 ALL HAZARD MITIGATION PLAN – 2015-2020 EDITION BASE PLAN Transportation

Major transportation routes tend to run, with a few exceptions, close to the Port of Tacoma. The movement of goods to and from Pierce County is by water, rail, and road with a very limited amount by air.

Interstate 5 and Highway 99 run north and south through the County and State Highway 16 connects the western portions of the County across the with the rest of the County. State Highway 410 runs east through Sumner, Bonney Lake, and Buckley and then climbs over the Cascades to Yakima. Highway 512 acts as a loop highway, moving traffic around the more congested portions of the County, to Puyallup where it merges with Highway 167. Highway 167 initially begins at the southeast edge of Tacoma and follows the south side of the Puyallup River to Puyallup. Once joined by Highway 512 it continues east to Sumner and then into King County. Many other arterials and minor highways move traffic through the rest of the County.

Rail lines follow three routes out of the County. The first follows the coast south to the Nisqually River and then south to Oregon and California. The second follows the Puyallup Valley first to the east and then north into King County and points north. The third runs south through the hills to Elbe on the Nisqually River. It crosses the river there into Lewis County and continues south to Morton. Two transcontinental railroad systems connect the County with the rest of the nation as do 30 interstate trucking companies.7

Airline transportation is 25 miles away, at /Tacoma International Airport, or at the small Tacoma Narrows Airport on the Kitsap Peninsula. There are also seven public airfields in the county. Transportation by water runs up Puget Sound either by large cargo ship or barges.

Ferry service is necessary both for commuting and for the transportation of goods. Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) and Pierce County operate to Vashon Island, Anderson Island, and Ketron Island. The Washington State Department of Corrections operates both the McNeil Island Ferry and the McNeil Island Barge and Tug. is serviced by a private ferry service.

Regional transportation includes bus service extending from the state capital, Olympia, to the City of Seattle. The major transit hub near the Tacoma Dome connects the County with jurisdictions to the north and south. Also included in the Tacoma Dome Station is the Sounder which is light rail operated by from Tacoma to Seattle with stops in Puyallup, Sumner, Auburn, Kent, and Tukwila.

Economy8

Pierce County currently (2013) feels the impact of the nation wide economic slowdown. However, the County is in a good position to recover and experience future economic growth. Recent forecasts describe some of the advantages the County enjoys: (1) a major port with the potential for future expansion, (2) relatively low property costs in rural areas, (3) available and

PAGE 2-12 REGION 5 ALL HAZARD MITIGATION PLAN – 2015-2020 EDITION BASE PLAN competitively priced office and commercial space, and (4) its situation as the geographic anchor for the central Puget Sound. Table 2-5 identifies the major employment categories in Pierce County.

Table 2-5 Employment Profile9 Pierce Employment Category (SIC) County Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing, Mining and Hunting 2,598 Construction 30,059 FIRES (Finance, Insurance, Real Estate, and Services) 21,681 Wholesale Trade 13,376 Transportation and Warehousing and Utilities 21,853 Manufacturing 36,102 Retail 42,754 Education, Health and Social Services 75,838 Professional, Scientific, Management, Administrative, Waste 31,908 Management Military 20,611 Public Administration 22,384

Some specific sectors are highlighted in the following paragraphs.

Manufacturing

Pierce County’s manufactured products include chemicals, machinery, hardware, food products, airplane parts, boats, and electronics. Among the major manufacturers are Intel, Boeing, Milgard Glass, and Simpson Tacoma Kraft wood products.

Port Facilities

In describing the Port of Tacoma, the Economic Development Board of Pierce County says “the Port of Tacoma has become one of the fastest growing ports in the United States. It is strategically located...and offers efficient connections to sea, rail, highway, and air transportation networks. It enjoys strong international ties with nations on the Pacific Rim and around the world.” As the one of the largest container ports in , and one of the top 50 ports in the world, the Port of Tacoma plays an important part in the local economy. In 2010 it handled 1.5 million containers contributing more than $28 billion in international trade and $3.5 billion in trade to Alaska.10 This deep-water port covers 2,400 acres and offers a combination of facilities and services. One economic impact study showed that more than 43,000 jobs in Pierce County are related to the Port activities and 113,000 jobs in Washington State.

Service/Government

One of the largest components of the service sector is health care. The largest employers include Multicare Medical Center, and the Franciscan Health System. Together they employ over 12,000 people.

PAGE 2-13 REGION 5 ALL HAZARD MITIGATION PLAN – 2015-2020 EDITION BASE PLAN

Military employment at Joint Base Lewis McChord (JBLM) employs over 55,000 military and civilian personnel. Other government employment includes the local public school districts (13,735), the City of Tacoma including Tacoma Public Utilities (3,670), Pierce County (2,947), and the Puyallup Tribe (1,800).

PAGE 2-14 REGION 5 ALL HAZARD MITIGATION PLAN – 2015-2020 EDITION BASE PLAN Resource Directory

Regional

 Office of Financial Management (OFM) http://www.ofm.wa.gov

 Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction http://www.k12.wa.us/

 Pierce County Government https://www.co.pierce.wa.us/index.aspx?NID=27

 Pierce County Executive https://www.co.pierce.wa.us/index.aspx?NID=793

 Pierce County Council http://www.co.pierce.wa.us/Index.aspx?NID=99

 Pierce County DEM http://www.co.pierce.wa.us/Index.aspx?NID=104

National

 US Census www.census.gov/

PAGE 2-15 REGION 5 ALL HAZARD MITIGATION PLAN – 2015-2020 EDITION BASE PLAN Endnotes

1 Washington State Office of Financial Management http://www.ofm.wa.gov/localdata/default.asp 2 Of the 795,225 Pierce County residents reported on the 2010 census 357,870 or 45% live within 10 miles of the Port of Tacoma administration building. Information from http://www.ofm.wa.gov/ 3 www.census.gov [accessed June, 2012]. 4 http://gonw.about.com/library/climate/blSEAclimate.htm 5 Information from Pierce County GIS application, CountyView Pro projected for 2014. 6 Information from Census 2010, Office of Financial Management. 7 Ibid. p. 18. 8 Pierce County 2012 Budget, Pierce County Executive’s Office. December, 2003. Budget Overview, p. 18-20. http://www.co.pierce.wa.us/pc/abtus/ourorg/bnf/bud_div.htm. 9 Information from Census 2010, Office of Financial Management (see endnote 1). 10 Port of Tacoma web site, http://www.portoftacoma.com/about-us

PAGE 2-16 REGION 5 ALL HAZARD MITIGATION PLAN – 2015-2020 EDITION BASE PLAN