Fircrest is a city in Pierce County,

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...

, United States. The population was 7,156 at the 2020 census.

History

Fircrest was officially incorporated on September 19, 1925. Like its neighbor University Place, it is a middle-class suburb of Tacoma. The community was developed by

Edward Bowes Edward is an English language, English given name. It is derived from the Old English, Anglo-Saxon name ''Ēadweard'', composed of the elements ''wikt:ead#Old English, ēad'' "wealth, fortune; prosperous" and ''wikt:weard#Old English, weard'' "gua ...

, who later gained fame as the host of the

Major Bowes Amateur Hour The ''Major Bowes Amateur Hour'' was an American radio talent show broadcast in the 1930s and 1940s, created and hosted by Edward Bowes (1874–1946). Selected performers from the program participated in touring vaudeville performances, under ...

radio talent show. The town attempted to associate itself with academia by naming a number of its streets after universities (e.g. Princeton, Dartmouth, Yale, Vassar, Stanford) and was originally known as Regents Park in a reference to the regents of a university. Fircrest was the last " dry" municipality in Washington state, prohibiting the sale of alcohol by the glass. Voters chose to allow the sale of alcohol in Fircrest in the November 2015 election.

Geography

Fircrest is located at (47.231720, -122.514304). According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...

, the city has a total area of , all of it land.

Government

Since 1990, Fircrest has used a

council–manager government The council–manager government is a form of local government used for municipalities, counties, or other equivalent regions. It is one of the two most common forms of local government in the United States along with the mayor–council govern ...

, with a

city council A municipal council is the legislative body of a municipality or local government area. Depending on the location and classification of the municipality it may be known as a city council, town council, town board, community council, rural counc ...

composed of seven councilmembers. The city mayor is chosen biennially by councilmembers and presides over council meetings. Brett Wittner was appointed mayor in 2022. Additionally, the city council appoints a

city manager A city manager is an official appointed as the administrative manager of a city, in a "Mayor–council government" council–manager form of city government. Local officials serving in this position are sometimes referred to as the chief execu ...

to carry out day-to-day operations of the city and policies of the council. Colleen Corcoran has been the Interim City Manager of Fircrest since August 2022.

Demographics

2010 census

As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses incl ...

of 2010, there were 6,497 people, 2,705 households, and 1,773 families living in the city. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: 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 geographical term.Matt RosenberPopul ...

was . There were 2,847 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 78.9%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...

, 7.0%

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 0.7% Native American, 5.1%

Asian Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...

, 0.5%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, 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 the original p ...

, 0.8% from

other races Other often refers to: * Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy Other or The Other may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack * ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...

, and 7.0% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to Vic ...

Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...

of any race were 4.6% of the population. There were 2,705 households, of which 31.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.2% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...

living together, 13.3% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.0% had a male householder with no wife present, and 34.5% were non-families. 28.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.39 and the average family size was 2.93. The median age in the city was 41.2 years. 23.3% of residents were under the age of 18; 7% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 24.8% were from 25 to 44; 27.5% were from 45 to 64; and 17.3% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 46.1% male and 53.9% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 5,868 people, 2,505 households, and 1,673 families living in the city. The

was 3,759.4 people per square mile (1,452.3/km²). There were 2,573 housing units at an average density of 1,648.4 per square mile (636.8/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 87.46%

, 5.20%

, 0.56% Native American, 2.69%

, 0.51%

, 0.46% from

, and 3.12% from two or more races.

of any race were 2.69% of the population. There were 2,505

household A household consists of two or more persons who live in the same dwelling. It may be of a single family or another type of person group. The household is the basic unit of analysis in many social, microeconomic and government models, and is im ...

s, out of which 28.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.4% were

living together, 10.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.2% were non-families. 28.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.34 and the average family size was 2.85. In the city, the population was spread out, with 23.1% under the age of 18, 5.5% from 18 to 24, 26.3% from 25 to 44, 24.7% from 45 to 64, and 20.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females, there were 88.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.8 males. The median income for a household in the city was $54,912, and the median income for a family was $61,611. Males had a median income of $46,611 versus $32,232 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the city was $27,244. 5.9% of the population and 4.6% of families were below the

poverty Poverty is the state of having few material possessions or little income. Poverty can have diverse social, economic, and political causes and effects. When evaluating poverty in ...

line. Out of the total population, 10.2% of those under the age of 18 and 2.7% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.

Education

Most of Fircrest is in the

Tacoma Public Schools Tacoma School District No. 10, commonly called Tacoma Public Schools, is a school district headquartered in Tacoma, Washington, United States. Composed of 35 elementary schools, 11 middle schools, 10 high schools, and 4 early learning centers. It ...

school district, while a part is in the

University Place School District The University Place School District #83, located in the City of University Place, WA between Tacoma, WA and Puget Sound Puget Sound ( ) is a sound of the Pacific Northwest, an inlet of the Pacific Ocean, and part of the Salish Sea. It is ...

References

{{Authority control Cities in Washington (state) Cities in Pierce County, Washington Cities in the Seattle metropolitan area