Renton, Washington facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Renton, Washington
City
Aerial view of Renton Renton City Hall Renton Public Library
Wordmark
Location of Renton in King County and Washington
Renton, Washington Location in the United States
Country	United States
State	Washington
County	King
Founded	August 18, 1885
Incorporated	September 6, 1901
Government
• Type	Mayor–council
Area
• Total	25.23 sq mi (65.36 km2)
• Land	23.47 sq mi (60.80 km2)
• Water	1.76 sq mi (4.56 km2)
Elevation	46–410 ft (14–125 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	106,785
• Estimate  (2023)	104,491
• Rank	US: 309th WA: 9th
• Density	4,232.5/sq mi (1,633.80/km2)
Time zone	UTC−8 (Pacific (PST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC−7 (PDT)
ZIP codes	98055–98059
Area code(s)	425
FIPS code	53-57745
GNIS feature ID	1512599

Renton is a city in King County, Washington, United States, and an inner-ring suburb of Seattle. Situated 11 miles (18 km) southeast of downtown Seattle, Renton straddles the southeast shore of Lake Washington, at the mouth of the Cedar River. As of the 2020 census, the population of Renton was 106,785, up from 90,927 at the 2010 census. The city is currently the 6th most populous municipality in greater Seattle and the 8th most populous city in Washington.

After a long history as an important salmon fishing area for Native Americans, Renton was first settled by people of European descent in the 1860s. Its early economy was based on coal mining, clay production, and timber export. Today, Renton is best known as the final assembly point for the Boeing 737 family of commercial airplanes, but it is also home to a growing number of well-known manufacturing, technology, and healthcare organizations, including Boeing Commercial Airplanes Division, Paccar, Kaiser Permanente, Providence Health & Services, UW Medicine, and Wizards of the Coast.

Aerial view of the south end of Lake Washington with a view of Renton Boeing plant at the tip

History

Among the first European settlers in the present-day Renton, WA area were Henry Tobin and his wife Diana. The town of Renton was accessed via the Seattle and Walla Walla Railroad, the first example of railroad transportation in Seattle. Its' location which was home to many coal mines attracted people such as Erasmus M. Smithers, who is credited with the founding and establishment of the town. Smithers discovered coal there and brought in Charles D. Shattuck as the coal mine operator. Renton was incorporated as a city in 1901 (September 6) when coal mining and timber processing were the most important economic industries in the area. The town was prone to flooding from the Cedar and Black Rivers. In 1916 the completion of the Lake Washington Ship Canal lowered the surface of Lake Washington several feet which consequently eliminated drainage of Lake Washington through the Black River. The Cedar River was then diverted to drain into Lake Washington instead of the Black River. The culmination of these actions reduced the threat of annual flooding.

The population sharply increased during World War II when Boeing built their Renton Factory to produce the B-29 Superfortress.

The game company Wizards of the Coast also is headquartered in Renton. Providence Health System has centralized its administrative offices in Renton, along with Group Health Cooperative.

Owing to its location at the confluence of three major freeways (I-5, I-405, and SR 167), Renton's economic development team has lured a number of specialty retailers that draw consumers from around the region, including Fry's Electronics and IKEA.

Renton has a unique and well-loved institution in its library, built directly over the Cedar River. Designed by Johnston-Campanella & Co. in 1964 and opened in 1966, the Cedar River Library stretches 80 feet (24 m) across the river, next to Liberty Park. The library was annexed into the King County Library system in 2010. The walkway in front of the library's entrance forms a deck from which salmon can be viewed as they make their way up the river, particularly during spawning season. In 2011, the iconic building was the center of much controversy, with the City of Renton and the King County Library System developing plans to build a new library closer to the downtown core. Residents wishing to retain the library in its river setting sponsored a petition, and were ultimately successful in convincing City leaders to put the issue to a vote of the people. On August 7, 2012, Renton voters decided the fate of the library with Proposition 1, and found 76% of the voting population supporting the Cedar River location. Discussions ensued between citizen activist groups, city leaders and KCLS over how the library plans would move forward in light of this change, and what affect it would have on the Highlands Library project. The library renovation moved ahead with a design by Miller Hull Architects. The newly renovated Renton Library opened on August 22, 2015.

Geography

Renton is located at 47°29′12″N 122°11′43″W / 47.486622°N 122.195163°W / 47.486622; -122.195163 (47.486622, -122.195163), on the southeast shore of Lake Washington.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 23.54 square miles (60.97 km²), of which, 23.12 square miles (59.88 km²) is land and 0.42 square miles (1.09 km²) is water, most of which is the Cedar River. Potential Annexation Areas (PAAs) include the communities of Fairwood southeast of Renton, the East Renton Plateau on the eastern edge of Renton, and West Hill northwest of Renton. These communities are large unincorporated urban areas that are encouraged by the King County Annexation Initiative to incorporate as cities or annex into neighboring cities. As of 2012 these three PAAs are not part of the City of Renton, and not included in its demographics or statistics.

Renton is among a handful of cities in the Puget Sound Region with an independent street grid system. Roads names beginning with sectional divisions (N 32nd ST) generally follow a latitudinal direction, while roads names ending in a sectional direction (Duvall Ave NE) generally follow a longitudinal direction. Many of the avenues in the city are named in honor of other cities in Washington. The city also has its own housing authority. This helps the city to avoid higher regional taxes.

Renton is bordered to the north by the city of Newcastle, Washington. Along the east side of Renton is the border of the Urban Growth Boundary established by King County, as such there is no incorporated city directly east of Renton. The geographical characteristics of Renton's eastern border are varied and include (from north to south) the south flank of Cougar Mountain descending southward merging with the community of May Valley. The terrain then elevates south of May Valley to the communities of the East Renton Plateau before descending to the north bank of the Cedar River. Renton is bordered to the south by the city of Kent, Washington. The western border consists of the city of Tukwila, Washington, and finally the unincorporated King County community West Hill and Lake Washington to the northwest.

Areas of Renton

In 2015, ESRI estimated that in Downtown Renton the total population was 3,019 and the average household income was $50,809.

In 2015, ESRI estimated that in North Renton the total population was 8,211 and the average household income was $79,387.

In 2015, ESRI estimated that in Northeast Renton the total population was 44,626 and the average household income was $93,556.

In 2015, ESRI estimated that in Southeast Renton the total population was 39,066 and the average household income was $78,424.

In 2015, ESRI estimated that in Southwest Renton the total population was 3,551 and the average household income was $64,661.

Climate

Demographics

Seattle Car and Foundry works (Paccar) plant in Renton 1916

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, there were 106,785 people, 42,485 households in the city.

2010 census

As of the census of 2010, there were 90,927 people, 36,009 households, and 21,849 families residing in the city. The population density was 3,932.8 inhabitants per square mile (1,518.5/km²). There were 38,930 housing units at an average density of 1,683.8 per square mile (650.1/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 54.6% White (49.4% Non-Hispanic White), 10.6% African American, 0.7% Native American, 21.2% Asian, 0.8% Pacific Islander, 6.2% from other races, and 5.8% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 13.1% of the population.

There were 36,009 households, of which 32.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.2% were married couples living together, 11.9% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.5% had a male householder with no wife present, and 39.3% were non-families. 30.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.51 and the average family size was 3.16.

The median age in the city was 35.2 years. 23.2% of residents were under the age of 18; 8.8% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 33.5% were from 25 to 44; 24.4% were from 45 to 64; and 10.1% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 49.5% male and 50.5% female.

Economy

Renton Public Library straddles the Cedar River.

Boeing Commercial Airplanes, Boeing Capital, Providence Health & Services, and Wizards of the Coast have their headquarters in Renton.

The Boeing Renton Factory has operated since World War II, when it manufactured the B-29 Superfortress; currently, it produces the 737 airliner. The Renton plant produced the Jetfoil and Pegasus class hydrofoils in the 1970s. As of 2001, 40% of all commercial aircraft in the air were assembled in Renton. Boeing remains the largest employer in Renton, which is home to over 10,000 employees and three of the aerospace giant's six major business divisions: Boeing Commercial Airplanes, Boeing Capital Corporation and the Shared Services Group. The local newspaper in the 1970s, the Record-Chronicle, proclaimed the city the jet capital of the world.

Paccar has traditionally been a large employer in the city as well with its Kenworth Truck plant located in Renton's industrial area on the south end of Lake Washington. In 1907 the Seattle Car Mfg Company also known as the Car Company moved to a large manufacturing plant in Renton after demand for the company's railroad equipment exceeded the capacity of its Seattle plant. The Car Company was the only manufacturer of train cars on the west coast.

The Renton plant expanded to foundry capabilities in 1911, and Seattle Car and Foundry Co merged with the Twohy Brothers of Portland in 1917 and became the Pacific Car and Foundry Company or Paccar. During the great depression, the Renton Paccar plant developed power winches for use in the logging industry. When World War II arrived the Renton manufacturing switched its production towards the war effort, and by the war's end in 1945 had built 1,500 Sherman Tanks. In the second half of the 20th century there was not enough repeat business for Paccar-built train cars as rail equipment in 1965 came to only 1/3 of the company's sales. Thus the Paccar Renton plant began manufacturing structural steel until the 1970s recession. In the early 1980s the Paccar Railcar Division; the last remnants of the original Pacific Car and Foundry Co closed down. In 1993, a new Kenworth assembly plant opened on the former site of Pacific Car and Foundry.

Top employers

As of 2022 the top employers in the city are:

Education

Renton Technical College, originally opened in 1942 as a war production school, offers associate degrees and certificates of completion in professional-technical fields.

The Renton School District provides K–12 public schooling. Additionally, the Issaquah School District serves a small portion of unincorporated Renton neighborhoods. The Tahoma School District serves a small portion of Renton along Maple Valley Highway. The Kent School District serves the majority of Fairwood, a census-designated place between Renton and Maple Valley.

The Renton School District includes the four high schools: Hazen High School, Lindbergh High School, Renton High School, and Albert Talley Senior High School. The school district also has four middle schools and fifteen elementary schools.

Parts of the city are also served by the Issaquah School District, Kent School District, and the Tahoma School District, all of which predominantly serve neighboring cities.

Sister cities

Renton has two sister cities:

• Nishiwaki, Hyogo, Japan (since 1969)
• Cuautla, Jalisco, Mexico (since 2001)

Transportation

Renton is served by King County Metro and Sound Transit Express buses. Metro operates the RapidRide F Line through the city and plans to expand bus rapid transit service in the 2020s; Sound Transit is scheduled to open its own bus rapid transit service, Stride along the Interstate 405 corridor through Renton in 2026.

The city government owns and operates Renton Municipal Airport (KRNT), officially Clayton Scott Field, a public airport at the foot of Lake Washington. It is used by the Boeing Renton Factory as well as for charter services and flight training.

Notable people

• Val Caniparoli, ballet dancer and choreographer
• Jamal Crawford, basketball player
• Joshua Farris, figure skater, was born in Renton
• Avery Garrett, former Mayor of Renton (1969) and state legislator
• Yeimar Gómez Andrade, professional soccer player
• Sally Jewell, 51st United States Secretary of the Interior and former CEO of REI
• Sean Kinney, drummer for Alice in Chains
• Zach LaVine, basketball player
• Sam Longoria, Hollywood producer-director
• Rick May, voice actor and theatrical director and actor
• Emily Rose, actress
• Brandon Roy, basketball player
• Doug Sisk, baseball player
• Aretha Thurmond, Olympic discus thrower
• Jimi Hendrix, musician
• Jacob Young, actor and producer
• Rashaad Powell, basketball player

See also

In Spanish: Renton (Washington) para niños