Edgewood is a city in Pierce County,

Washington Washington most commonly refers to: * George Washington (1732–1799), the first president of the United States * Washington (state), a state in the Pacific Northwest of the United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A ...

, United States. The population was 12,327 at the 2020 census. Neighboring towns include

Fife Fife ( , ; ; ) is a council areas of Scotland, council area and lieutenancy areas of Scotland, lieutenancy area in Scotland. A peninsula, it is bordered by the Firth of Tay to the north, the North Sea to the east, the Firth of Forth to the s ...

to the west, Milton to the northwest, Federal Way to the north,

Sumner Sumner may refer to: Places Antarctica * Mount Sumner, a mountain in the Rare Range, Antarctica * Sumner Glacier, southern Graham Land, Antarctica Australia * Sumner, Queensland, a suburb of Brisbane New Zealand * Sumner, New Zealand, a seasi ...

to the east, and

Puyallup Puyallup may refer to: * Puyallup people, a Coast Salish people * Puyallup Tribe of Indians, a federally-recognized tribe * Puyallup, Washington, a city ** Puyallup High School ** Puyallup School District ** Puyallup station, a Sounder commuter ...

to the south.

History

The history of Edgewood can be traced to the Puyallup Indian tribe that lived along the Puyallup River. Dr. William Tolmie, a Scotsman working for the

Hudson's Bay Company The Hudson's Bay Company (HBC), originally the Governor and Company of Adventurers of England Trading Into Hudson’s Bay, is a Canadian holding company of department stores, and the oldest corporation in North America. It was the owner of the ...

, passed through Edgewood in 1833 soon after becoming Chief Trader at

Fort Nisqually Fort Nisqually was an important fur trade, fur trading and farming post of the Hudson's Bay Company in the Puget Sound area, part of the Hudson's Bay Company's Columbia Department. It was located in what is now DuPont, Washington. Today it is a ...

. Tolmie had arrived at

Fort Vancouver Fort Vancouver was a 19th-century fur trading post built in the winter of 1824–1825. It was the headquarters of the Hudson's Bay Company's Columbia Department, located in the Pacific Northwest. Named for Captain George Vancouver, the fort was ...

by ship from Britain in May 1833. Trappers with Native American wives had moved to the area in the 1830s and settlers in the 1850s. Washington's first telegraph line paralleled Military Road that ran through the heart of Edgewood. Approximately 420 Americans (apart from Indians) resided in what is now Pierce County in 1858. By 1862, 681 non-Native Americans were reported to be residents of Pierce County. Evidence indicates that the first building on the North Hill (Surprise Lake) was a one-room log building formed as School District 27 in 1891. One of the first known residents in Edgewood was Peter Nyholm in 1895. The first official run of the interurban line from Tacoma to Seattle, by the way of the valley, was in October 1902. The State Spiritualists, who had six churches in

Western Washington Western Washington is a region of the United States defined as the area of Washington State west of the Cascade Mountains. This region is home to the state's largest city, Seattle, the state capital, Olympia, and most of the state's residents. ...

, had a summer camp at Edgewood that was purchased in 1903. Construction of a campground hotel began in 1927, and before completion a fire destroyed it in 1948. Edgewood was officially incorporated on February 28, 1996. On April 28, 2010, Edgewood was the site of the murder of James Sanders.

Geography

The Edgewood and Milton areas are also known informally as North Hill. This contrasts with the South Hill area on the opposite side of the

Puyallup River The Puyallup River ( ) is a river in the U.S. state of Washington. About long, it is formed by glaciers on the west side of Mount Rainier. It flows generally northwest, emptying into Commencement Bay, part of Puget Sound. The river and its t ...

valley. According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the city has a total area of , of which, is land and is water.

Demographics

2010 census

As of the 2010 census, there were 9,387 people, 3,609 households, and 2,697 families living in the city. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...

was . There were 3,801 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 90.4%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 1.0%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.9% Native American, 2.5% Asian, 0.3%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

, 1.4% from other races, and 3.4% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race were 4.4% of the population. There were 3,609 households, of which 31.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.2% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 8.9% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.6% had a male householder with no wife present, and 25.3% were non-families. 18.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.59 and the average family size was 2.93. The median age in the city was 44.3 years. 21.6% of residents were under the age of 18; 7.6% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 21.8% were from 25 to 44; 34.9% were from 45 to 64; and 14% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 49.9% male and 50.1% female.

2000 census

As of the 2000 census, there were 9,089 people, 3,421 households, and 2,637 families living in the city. The

was 1,067.6 people per square mile (412.4/km²). There were 3,562 housing units at an average density of 418.4 per square mile (161.6/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 92.75%

, 0.62%

, 0.91% Native American, 2.24% Asian, 0.24%

, 0.67% from other races, and 2.56% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 2.37% of the population. In the city, the population was spread out, with 25.8% under the age of 18, 6.6% from 18 to 24, 27.8% from 25 to 44, 29.5% from 45 to 64, and 10.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 101.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 99.6 males. The median income for a household in the city was $56,658, and the median income for a family was $74,518. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the city was $24,797. About 3.5% of families and 4.2% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

Education

Most areas in Edgewood are within the boundaries of the Puyallup School District. Some portions of Edgewood are in the Fife Public Schools district or the Sumner School District. There are 4 schools located in Edgewood: Alice V. Hedden Elementary which is part of the Fife School District, Northwood Elementary and Mountain View Elementary which are part of the Puyallup School District, and Edgemont Junior High, which is part of the Puyallup school district as well.

Historic landmarks

The Nyholm Windmill is a historic

windmill A windmill is a machine operated by the force of wind acting on vanes or sails to mill grain (gristmills), pump water, generate electricity, or drive other machinery. Windmills were used throughout the high medieval and early modern period ...

now located at 2284 Meridian Avenue East in Edgewood. The site where the windmill originally resided was a farm at the intersection of Jovita Boulevard and Meridian Avenue East (SR-161). The Nyholm farm produced hay, vegetables, fruit and dairy products. The windmill was moved to its current location in 1980 through the efforts of the Edgewood Volunteer Fire Department. It has been adopted as the official symbol of Edgewood.

References

External links

City of Edgewood

Pierce County Fire District 8

Fife Public Schools

Edgewood Historical Society
{{Authority control Cities in Washington (state) Cities in Pierce County, Washington Cities in the Seattle metropolitan area 1996 establishments in Washington (state)