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; Pacific 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 Washington, 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 Commencement Bay 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. 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 Kitsap Peninsula. 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 Cascade Range. 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 Port of Tacoma. This deepwater port is one of the largest on the West Coast of the United States. 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 Mount Rainier. With its tributaries, the Mowich and the Carbon, the Puyallup River 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 ferry 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. Raft Island 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 Cordilleran ice sheet from British Columbia into the Puget Sound area reached its maximum extent around 15,000