Parkland, Washington facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Parkland, Washington
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Location of Parkland, Washington
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| Country | United States |
| State | Washington |
| County | Pierce |
| Area | |
| • Total | 7.4 sq mi (19.1 km2) |
| • Land | 7.4 sq mi (19.1 km2) |
| • Water | 0.0 sq mi (0.1 km2) |
| Elevation | 377 ft (115 m) |
| Population
(April 1, 2020)
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| • Total | 38,623 |
| • Density | 5,220/sq mi (2,022/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-8 (Pacific (PST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-7 (PDT) |
| ZIP codes |
98444-98446
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| Area code | 253 |
| FIPS code | 53-53335 |
| GNIS feature ID | 1512548 |
Parkland is a community in Pierce County, Washington, in the United States. It's called a "census-designated place" (CDP) because it's a special area defined by the government for counting people. In 2020, about 38,623 people lived there. Parkland is like a suburb of Tacoma, a bigger city nearby. It's also home to a college called Pacific Lutheran University.
Parkland is located south of Tacoma, near 96th Street. To its south, it borders another community called Spanaway, Washington, around 152nd Street.
A very important road in Parkland is State Route 7, also known as Pacific Avenue. This road goes north and south. It connects Parkland to Interstate 5 in Tacoma and even goes all the way to Mount Rainier, a famous mountain. Pacific Avenue is also a busy street with many shops and businesses.
Early settlers gave Parkland its name because the area looked like a beautiful park. It had many Garry Oak trees and blue camas flowers. There were also many small streams flowing through the land. In 1890, a group of Norwegian-Americans from the Midwest chose this area to build a new college. That college is now Pacific Lutheran University.
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Geography of Parkland
Parkland is located at 47°8′28″N 122°26′16″W / 47.14111°N 122.43778°W.
The United States Census Bureau says that Parkland covers about 7.4 square miles (19.1 square kilometers) of land. Only a very small part, about 0.04 square miles (0.1 square kilometers), is water.
Parkland's Population
| Historical population | |||
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| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1980 | 23,355 | — | |
| 1990 | 20,882 | −10.6% | |
| 2000 | 24,053 | 15.2% | |
| 2010 | 35,803 | 48.9% | |
| 2020 | 38,623 | 7.9% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census | |||
In 2000, there were 24,053 people living in Parkland. This included 8,869 households, which are groups of people living in the same home. About 32.6% of these households had children under 18.
The population of Parkland includes people from many different backgrounds. In 2000, most residents were White (73.91%). Other groups included African American (8.07%), Asian (6.64%), Native American (1.04%), and Pacific Islander (1.81%). Some people identified as being from two or more races (6.47%). About 5.33% of the population was Hispanic or Latino.
The average age of people in Parkland in 2000 was 31 years old. About 25% of the population was under 18 years old.
Education in Parkland
Most of the schools in Parkland are part of the Franklin Pierce School District. In 2004, this district had almost 8,000 students.
Here are some of the schools in or near Parkland:
High Schools
- Washington High School
- Franklin Pierce High School (located in Clover Creek)
Middle Schools
- Keithley Middle School
- Morris E. Ford Middle School (located in Midland)
Elementary Schools
- Brookdale Elementary
- Christensen Elementary
- Elmhurst Elementary
- James Sales Elementary
- Collins Elementary (located in Clover Creek)
- Midland Elementary (located in Midland)
Preschools
- Dr. Frank Hewins Early Learning Center
Some parts of Parkland are also served by the Bethel School District and the Clover Park School District.
Private Schools
- Parkland Lutheran School - This school serves students from preschool through 8th grade. Their sports teams are called the Vikings.
Colleges and Universities
- Pacific Lutheran University: This is a private college located right in Parkland. It has about 3,500 full-time students and is known for its Lutes varsity sports teams.
Notable People from Parkland
- Q. Allan Brocka: A director of television shows and movies.
- Jack Evans: A professional wrestler.
- Bjug Harstad: A pastor and the first president of Pacific Lutheran University.
- Oscar Harstad: A pitcher who played in MLB.
- Nils Joseph Hong: An educator and a president of Pacific Lutheran University.
- Demetrious Johnson: A famous MMA fighter.
