ZIP Code 98032

Kent is a city in King County, Washington, United States. It is part of the SeattleTacomaBellevue metropolitan area and had a population of 136,588 as of the 2020 census. The city is connected to Seattle, Bellevue and Tacoma via State Route 167 and Interstate 5, Sounder commuter rail, and commuter buses. Kent is generally divided into three areas: West Hill, the Green River Valley, and East Hill. The area was first permanently settled by European Americans in the 1850s along the banks of what was then the White River. In 1889 the town was renamed for the County of Kent, the major hops-producing region in England. During and after the Great Depression, Kent was known as the "Lettuce Capital of the World". After WWII, Kent began to grow more rapidly. In 1965 Boeing began building in Kent, followed a few years later by other aerospace and high-tech companies. In 1996, the City of Kent purchased the historic Bereiter house, the home of one of Kent's early mayors, for use as the Kent Historical Museum. In 1992, the Greater Kent Historical Society was formed to promote the discovery, preservation and dissemination of knowledge about the history of the greater Kent area. Kent was officially incorporated on May 28, 1890, with aPopulation of 793, the second city incorporated in King. County. Seattle was the first. After the turn of the 20th century the area turned to dairy farming and was home to a Carnation condensed milk plant.

History

Kent is the primary city name, but also Covington are acceptable city names or spellings, Lake Sawyer on the other hand no longer accepted or obsolete and are no longer used as a designation. The official name is Kent, Washington. Kent was first permanently settled by European Americans in the 1850s along the banks of what was then the White River. The settlements were originally known as "White River" and later the town was called "Titusville" after an early settler by the name of James Henry Titus. Kent was officially incorporated on May 28, 1890, with a population of 793, the second city incorporated in King County. After WWII, Kent began to grow more rapidly. From 1953 to 1960 the city's size grew twelve-fold. In 1965 Boeing began building in Kent, followed a few years later by other aerospace and high-tech companies. In 1996, the City of Kent purchased the historic Bereiter house, the home of one of Kent's early mayors, for use as the Kent Historical Museum. In 1992, the Greater Kent Historical Society was formed to promote the discovery, preservation and dissemination of knowledge about the history of the greater Kent area. In 2009, Kent was known as the "Lettuce Capital of the World" during and after the Great Depression. During the turn of the 20th century the area turned to dairy farming and was home to a Carnation condensed milk plant. In the 1990s, Kent became the "Hop Capitol of the West" due to its major hops-producing region in England. The city is now home to the Kent Museum, which was established in 1996. The museum is operated by the GreaterKent Historical Society. It is located in the former home of a former mayor of Kent.

Geography

Kent is located in southern King County and is part of Seattle's metropolitan area. The city is generally divided into three geographic sections: West Hill, the Green River Valley, and East Hill. Adjoining cities are Renton to the north, Covington to the east, Auburn to the south, Federal Way to the southwest, Des Moines to the west, SeaTac to the northwest, and Tukwila to thenorth. Kent's park system includes 73 parks, miniparks, playfields, skateparks, greenbelts, and other related facilities. The largest lake is Lake Meridian on the city's East Hill; Mount Rainier is a prominent geographical landmark to the southeast. There are several major freeways and highways in or near Kent, including Interstate 5, State Route 167, and State Route 516. Kent is also served by King County Metro transit, with the Kent Station providing service to many destinations, including downtown Seattle by multiple commuter buses, the Sounder commuter rail system, and local buses. Heavy rail service includes two major northsouth lines through the Kent Valley, with freight traffic operations by the BNSF and Union Pacific railroads. The Link light rail system is scheduled to be extended to Federal Way in 2024, with intermediate stops at Kent Des Moines station near Highline College and Star Lake station at South 272nd Street. Kent has a warm/cool-summer Mediterranean climate (Köppen Csb). Kent has designated the following landmarks:.

Government

The city is governed by a mayorcouncil government, with a directly elected mayor and a seven-member city council. The city maintains its own municipal police department, unlike some neighboring municipalities who contract police service out to King County. In keeping with the King County Annexation Initiative, the Panther Lake area was proposed for annexation to the city of Kent in 2009. The annexation was voted on by residents of the potential annexation area on November 3, 2009; the area was officially annexed July 1, 2010. Public primary and secondary education in the vast majority of Kent and a number of neighboring cities and unincorporated areas is governed in the Kent School District. The district includes four high schools, seven middle schools, twenty-eight elementary schools and two academies. A branch of Green River Community College opened in Kent Station in 2007. Other portions are in the Highline School District and the Renton School District, which also has several schools within the city limits. Residents of far east Kent are zoned in the Tahoma School district. The Puget Sound Regional Fire Authority has 7 of the departments 13 stations located within municipal boundaries. In 2010, the city grew in area by approximately 5 square miles (13 km²) and 24,000 residents. It is now home to more than 20,000 people, and has a population of more than 24,500. It also has an individualized graduation and degree program named iGrad that is aimed at dropouts aged 1621 who are willing to get back to school.

Economy

The economy of Kent consists of commuters traveling to the main urban centers of the Seattle metropolitan area (particularly downtown Seattle) Amazon, Boeing, Whirlpool and General Electric operate sizable facilities in the city. Oberto Sausage Company, Seattle Bicycle Supply, Omax Corporation and aerospace manufacturer Blue Origin are among the corporate headquarters in Kent. The city designated a section of South 238th Street as Oberto Drive in May 2018 to honor the 100th anniversary of Oberto's presence in the town. Kent is home to a large steel industry dating back to the early 20th century. According to the city's 2018 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the largest employers in Kent are: Boeing, TMX Aerospace, Puget Sound Steel, and Seattle Bicycle supply. Kent's manufacturing and distribution area ranks are the 4th largest in the United States. It is located in the central part of the metropolitan area and has a large and growing warehouse district due to its central location within the metro area. It has a population of about 2.2 million people, making it one of the fastest-growing cities in the U.S. with a population growth rate of 2.7% in the last five years. It was the site of the Apollo Lunar Roving Vehicles test ground in the 1960s and 1970s, and was used to build the lunar landings for the manned space shuttle program. It also is the birthplace of the Washington State Air Force, which was based in Kent for much of the 1970s and 1980s.

Demographics

As of the census of 2010, there were 92,411 people, 34,044 households, and 21,816 families residing in the city. The racial makeup of the city was 55.5% White (49.7% Non-Hispanic White), 11.3% African American, 1.0% Native American, 15.2% Asian, and 1.9% Pacific Islander. There were 32,488 housing units at an average density of 1,158.9 per square mile (447.5/km²) The average household size was 2.67 and the average family size was 3.15. The city's median income was $50,053, and the median income for a family was $61,016. The per capita income for theCity was $21,390. About 8.7%. of families and 11.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 16.7. of those under the age of 18 and 7.3%. of those 65 and older. The median age in the City was 33 years. For every 100 females there were 98.4 males. For each 100 females age 18 and over there were 96.2 males. The gender makeup ofThe city's population was 49.9%. The gender make-up was 50.1% male and 50.8% female. There was a median income of $43,136 for males and $36,995 for females. The population density was 2,836.7 people per squaremile (1,095.4/ km²).

Recreation and entertainment

In 2003, Kent was named Sports Illustrated's Sportstown of the year for Washington. In July 2015, Kent hosted the inaugural Junior Roller Derby World Cup. In January 2006, an entertainment center, known as Kent Station, opened in downtown Kent adjacent to the transit station of the same name. The 2012 Skate America figure skating competition was held in Kent from October 19 to 21, 2012, at ShoWare Center. The Seattle Thunderbirds play ice hockey in the U.S. Division of the Western Hockey League; and the Tacoma Stars plays indoor soccer in the Major Arena Soccer League. The Riverbend Golf Complex, featuring an 18-hole course which is one of the busiest in Washington state, is located in Kent. An adjacent par 3 course was actively used by locals for years before being shut down in 2017 to make room for a mixed used development. The annual Kent Cornucopia Days is held in mid-August every year at Mill Creek Canyon Earthworks park, which stopped in 2006. The Kent Farmers Market is held on the first Saturday in July every year. It is located at the Sho Ware Center in Kent and is open to the public from 9am to 5pm. It also hosts a farmers market on the second Saturday of the month from 10am to 6pm at the same location. The city's annual Farmers Market runs from September to November. It was founded in 1883. It has been known as the "Kent Farmers Market" since the early 1900s.

Sister cities

Kent has the following sister cities: Yangzhou, Jiangsu, China, Tamba, Hygo Prefecture, Japan, Sunnfjord, Norway. Kent also has sister cities in Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, and Sweden. Kent has a sister city in the city of Tamba in Japan. Kent is also sister to Tamba and Tamba City in the state of Honshu, Japan. Kentucky has sister city status with Tamba County, Honshui Province, Hsuan Province, and Hanshin Prefecture. Kentucky is sister to the city cities of Sunn fjord in Norway and Tamb in Honshin Prefectures, Hanshu Province, Hokkaido, and the city city of Yangzhou in China. The city has also sister city relations with the cities of Tamba and Yangzhou, in China, as well as SunnfJord, in Norway. The town has sister sister cities with: Tamba city in Japan, and Yangzhou city in Jiangsu Province, China. Kentucky also has twin cities with the countries of Hanshin and Jiangsu, in the province of Jinan, and with the city of Tamba in the province of Hygo Prefecture, in Japan and with SunnFjord in Honshu prefecture, Hsuan, in northern Japan. Kent's sister city is Tamba-Tamba, in Hygo-Hanshu province.

Air Quality, Water Quality, Superfund Sites & UV Index

The Air Quality index is in Kent, King County, Washington = 36. These Air Quality index is based on annual reports from the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The number of ozone alert days is used as an indicator of air quality, as are the amounts of seven pollutants including particulates, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, lead, and volatile organic chemicals. The Water Quality Index is 60. A measure of the quality of an area’s water supply as rated by the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The EPA has a complex method of measuring the watershed quality, using 15 indicators such as pollutants, turbidity, sediments, and toxic discharges. The Superfund Sites Index is 20. Higher is better (100=best). Based upon the number and impact of EPA Superfund pollution sites in the county, including spending on the cleanup efforts. The UV Index in Kent = 2.6 and is a measure of an area's exposure to the sun's ultraviolet rays. This is most often a combination of sunny weather, altitude, and latitude. The UV Index has been defined by the WHO (www.who.int/news-room/questions-and-answers/item/radiation-the-ultraviolet-(uv)-index) and is uniform worldwide.

Employed

The most recent city population of 136,588 individuals with a median age of 35.4 age the population grows by 6.26% in Kent, King County, Washington population since 2000 and are distributed over a density of 4,000 residents per square mile of area (1,500/km²). There are average 2.56 people per household in the 32,744 households with an average household income of $54,809 a year. The unemployment rate in Alabama is 9.70% of the available work force and has dropped -0.88% over the most recent 12-month period and the projected change in job supply over the next decade based on migration patterns, economic growth, and other factors will increase by 28.54%. The number of physicians in Kent per 100,000 population = 334.8.

Weather

The annual rainfall in Kent = 39.1 inches and the annual snowfall = 3.7 inches. The annual number of days with measurable precipitation (over .01 inch) = 158. The average number of days per year that are predominantly sunny = 153. 78 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily high temperature for the month of July and 33.8 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily low temperature for the month of January. The Comfort Index (higher=better) is 71, where higher values mean a more pleasant climate. The Comfort Index measure recognizes that humidity by itself isn't the problem. (Have you noticed nobody ever complains about the weather being 'cold and humid?) It's in the summertime that we notice the humidity the most, when it's hot and muggy. Our Comfort Index uses a combination of afternoon summer temperature and humidity to closely predict the effect that the humidity will have on people.

Median Home Cost

The percentage of housing units in Kent, King County, Washington which are owned by the occupant = 46.13%. A housing unit is a house, apartment, mobile home, or room occupied as separate living quarters. The average age of homes = 25 years with median home cost = $244,730 and home appreciation of -12.94%. This is the value of the years most recent home sales data. Its important to note that this is not the average (or arithmetic mean). The median home price is the middle value when you arrange all the sales prices of homes from lowest to highest. This is a better indicator than the average, because the median is not changed as much by a few unusually high or low values. The property tax rate of $10.66 shown here is the rate per $1,000 of home value. If for simplification for example the tax rate is $14.00 and the home value is $250,000, the property tax would be $14.00 x ($250,000/1000), or $3500. This is the 'effective' tax rate.

Study

The local school district spends $4,344 per student. There are 20.5 students for each teacher in the school, 586 students for each Librarian and 526 students for each Counselor. 8.98% of the area’s population over the age of 25 with an Associate Degree or other 2-year college degree, 17.53% with a master’s degree, Ph.D. or other advanced college degree and 6.29% with high school diplomas or high school equivalency degrees (GEDs).