A city of west-central Washington south of Seattle. A newly urbanized community in a former farming region, it is a food-processing center with an aerospace industry. Population: 83,500.
Kent
Did you mean: Kent (city, Washington), Kent (former kingdom), Kent, Kent (city, Ohio), Kent (county, England), Kent (Europe), Kent More...
Dictionary:
Kent (kĕnt)  |
| 5min Related Video: Kent |
Kent. City (1990 pop. 37,960), King co., W central Wash., near Puget Sound; inc. 1890. Located in a fertile agricultural area, the city has numerous food and dairy processing plants. Manufactures include chemical, metal, paper, and plastic products and electrical and transportation equipment. Kent additionally has a large aerospace industry and is a regional distribution center. The city and its population grew in the 1980s and 90s along with the developing Seattle metropolitan area.
| Weather: Kent, WA |
AccuWeather® Current Conditions for
5-Day Forecast
Last updated
July 18, 2009 06:09
(EST)
 M/CLEAR |
Temperature: 64°F /
17°C
RealFeel Temperature™: 66°F / 18°C Humidity: 77% Winds: CLM 0 mph / 0 kmh Pressure: 30.11" Visibility: 10 mi. / 16 km |
| Saturday |
|
HI:
89°F /
31°C LO: 56°F / 13°C |
| Sunday |
|
HI:
78°F /
25°C LO: 53°F / 11°C |
| Monday |
|
HI:
77°F /
25°C LO: 57°F / 13°C |
| Tuesday |
|
HI:
83°F /
28°C LO: 59°F / 15°C |
| Wednesday |
|
HI:
80°F /
26°C LO: 59°F / 15°C |
| Wikipedia: Kent, Washington |
| Kent, Washington | |||
|
|||
 |
|||
| Coordinates: 47°22′58″N 122°13′37″W / 47.38278°N 122.22694°WCoordinates: 47°22′58″N 122°13′37″W / 47.38278°N 122.22694°W | |||
| Country | United States | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| State | Washington | ||
| County | King | ||
| Found | May 28, 1890 | ||
| Government | |||
| - Type | Mayor-council government | ||
| - Mayor | Suzette Cooke | ||
| Area | |||
| - Total | 28.3 sq mi (73.2 km2) | ||
| - Land | 28.0 sq mi (72.6 km2) | ||
| - Water | 0.2 sq mi (0.6 km2) | ||
| Elevation | 43 ft (13 m) | ||
| Population (2000) | |||
| - Total | 79,524 | ||
| - Density | 2,836.7/sq mi (1,095.4/km2) | ||
| Time zone | PST (UTC-8) | ||
| - Summer (DST) | PDT (UTC-7) | ||
| ZIP codes | 98030, 98031, 98032, 98035, 98042, 98064, 98089 | ||
| Area code(s) | 253 | ||
| FIPS code | 53-35415[1] | ||
| GNIS feature ID | 1530952[2] | ||
| Website | http://www.ci.kent.wa.us/ | ||
Kent is a city located in King County, Washington, United States. The fourth largest city in south King County and the ninth largest in the state, Kent has the third largest industrial area in the United States[citation needed]. Often considered an outlying suburb of Seattle, Kent is the corporate home for companies such as REI and Oberto Sausage. Nearby towns include Renton and Tukwila to the north, Covington to the east, Federal Way, Des Moines and SeaTac to the west, and Auburn to the south. The population was 79,524 at the 2000 census, with an estimated 2006 population of 83,501.[3]
Contents |
History
The Kent area was first permanently settled by westerners in the early 1860s, and originally called Titusville (There is still a 'Titusville Station' sign on Gowe St).
During the 1880s the town discovered hops production as the major source of income. Due to an aphid invasion which affected hops crops in Europe[4], hops from the Puget Sound area were commanding high prices. Hops were shipped from Titusville either by the river or via rail. Eventually the town was even re-named for Kent County in England. Hops production in the valley would come to an end due to an invasion of aphids. [5]
Kent was officially incorporated on May 28, 1890 with a population of 793, the second city incorporated in King County after Seattle.[6]
After the turn of the 20th century the area turned to dairy farming, and was home to a Carnation Condensed Milk plant.[7][8] Flooding from both the Green and the White Rivers was a constant problem. In 1906, flooding changed the course of the White River, which reduced the flood hazard by half. The Green River continued to present problems until the creation of the Howard A. Hanson Dam at Eagle Gorge in 1962.[9][10]
During and after the Great Depression, Kent was known as the "Lettuce Capital of the World." 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.[11]
In 2009, Kent got its first major junior hockey team, with the WHL's Seattle Thunderbirds moving into the city-owned ShoWare Center.
Geography
Kent is divided into three major regions: East Hill, the Valley, and West Hill. Downtown Kent is located on the east side of the valley; the rest of the valley is almost entirely covered by warehouses. There is a good view of Mt. Rainier to the southeast.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 28.3 square miles (73.2 km2), of which, 28.0 square miles (72.6 km2) of it is land and 0.2 square miles (0.6 km2) of it is water. The total area is 0.85% water. Major waterways include the Green River, which flows north through Kent on its way to Puget Sound. The largest lake is Lake Meridian, on the city's East Hill.
Transportation
There are several major freeways and highways in or near Kent, including Interstate 5, State Route 167, and State Route 18, and, as a result, a much greater traffic density during rush hour. Kent is also central to King County Metro transit, with the Kent Station providing service to many destinations, including downtown Seattle by multiple commuter buses, the Sounder Commuter Rail, and local bus service. Heavy rail service includes two major north-south lines through the Kent Valley, with freight traffic operations by the BNSF and Union Pacific railroads.
Parks
Kent's extensive park system includes over 60 parks, miniparks, playfields, skateparks, greenbelts, and other related facilities. These parks range in size from as little as 4,300 square feet (400 m2) to over 160 acres (0.65 km2).
Kent's Records and Averages
 Weather averages for Kent, Washington  |
|||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 64 (18) |
71 (22) |
81 (27) |
86 (30) |
92 (33) |
100 (38) |
99 (37) |
99 (37) |
96 (36) |
86 (30) |
74 (23) |
69 (21) |
100 (38) |
| Average high °F (°C) | 47 (8) |
51 (11) |
55 (13) |
61 (16) |
67 (19) |
72 (22) |
77 (25) |
78 (26) |
72 (22) |
62 (17) |
52 (11) |
46 (8) |
62 (17) |
| Average low °F (°C) | 35 (2) |
36 (2) |
39 (4) |
42 (6) |
47 (8) |
52 (11) |
55 (13) |
55 (13) |
51 (11) |
44 (7) |
39 (4) |
35 (2) |
44 (7) |
| Record low °F (°C) | -10 (-23) |
-5 (-21) |
10 (-12) |
25 (-4) |
27 (-3) |
33 (1) |
38 (3) |
34 (1) |
28 (-2) |
24 (-4) |
-1 (-18) |
3 (-16) |
-10 (-23) |
| Precipitation inches (mm) | 5.3 (134.6) |
4.5 (114.3) |
4.1 (104.1) |
2.9 (73.7) |
2.1 (53.3) |
1.7 (43.2) |
0.9 (22.9) |
1.2 (30.5) |
1.8 (45.7) |
3.4 (86.4) |
6.1 (154.9) |
5.8 (147.3) |
37.1 (942.3) |
| Source: Weather.com [12] (unknown date) | |||||||||||||
Government
The city is governed by a mayor-council government, with a directly elected mayor and a seven-member city council. Each is elected at-large (i.e., by the entire voting population, not by districts) to four-year terms.
The city maintains its own municipal police and fire departments. In addition to providing fire protection and Medic One services to the city of Kent, the Kent Fire Department is responsible for providing the same to the adjacent city of Covington and some unincorporated areas.
Public education
Public primary and secondary education in Kent and a number of neighboring cities and unincorporated areas is governed by the Kent School District. The district includes four high schools, seven middle schools, twenty-eight elementary schools and two academies. Federal Way Public Schools also has several schools within the city limits. A branch of Green River Community College opened in Kent Station in 2007.[13]
Potential annexation
In keeping with the King County Annexation Initiative, which seeks to annex large urban unincorporated areas into city limits or incorporate new cities out of those areas,[14] the Panther Lake area (known officially as the Kent Northeast Potential Annexation Area)[15] is currently proposed for annexation to the city of Kent. If annexed, the city would grow in area by approximately 5 square miles (13 km2) and 24,000 residents.[16] The proposed annexation is scheduled to be voted on by residents in the potential annexation area sometime in 2009; if passed, the area would become officially annexed effective January 1, 2010. [16]
Economy
In addition to R.E.I., Oberto Sausage Company, and Seattle Bicycle Supply all being headquartered in Kent, Boeing operates a plant in the city. Kent also hosts many warehouses in its once fertile farmland, due in part to its proximity to key transportation routes. The warehouse district has started to sprawl as far as nearby Sumner, Washington. Whirlpool Corporation and General Electric Appliances are two companies with regional distribution centers in Kent.
The downtown area of Kent has been undergoing a major revitalizing process in the past decade. One particularly noticible contribution to this process has been the development Kent Station and the ancillary shopping area.
Boeing
Boeing has operated in Kent since at least 1969, when the Kent plant began building the lunar rovers used for the Apollo program.[17]
Demographics
| Historical populations | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1890 | 853 |
|
|
| 1900 | 755 | −11.5% | |
| 1910 | 1,908 | 152.7% | |
| 1920 | 2,282 | 19.6% | |
| 1930 | 2,320 | 1.7% | |
| 1940 | 2,586 | 11.5% | |
| 1950 | 3,278 | 26.8% | |
| 1960 | 9,017 | 175.1% | |
| 1970 | 16,275 | 80.5% | |
| 1980 | 23,152 | 42.3% | |
| 1990 | 37,960 | 64.0% | |
| 2000 | 79,524 | 109.5% | |
| Est. 2007 | 84,474 | 6.2% | |
| source:[18][19] | |||
As of the census[1] of 2000, there were 79,524 people, 31,113 households, and 19,601 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,836.7 people per square mile (1,095.4/km2). There were 32,488 housing units at an average density of 1,158.9/sq mi (447.5/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 70.81% White, 8.23% African American, 0.98% Native American, 9.42% Asian, 0.76% Pacific Islander, 4.7% from other races, and 5.37% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 8.13% of the population.
There were 32,998 households out of which 35.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.1% were married couples living together, 12.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.0% were non-families. 28.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 5.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.53 and the average family size was 3.15.
In the city the population was spread out with 27.7% under the age of 18, 10.3% from 18 to 24, 35.0% from 25 to 44, 19.6% from 45 to 64, and 7.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females there were 98.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.2 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $50,053, and the median income for a family was $61,016. Males had a median income of $43,136 versus $36,995 for females. The per capita income for the city 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 9.3% of those 65 and older.
Recreation and Entertainment
In 2003, Kent was named Sports Illustrated's Sportstown of the year for Washington. In January 2006, a major new entertainment center, known as Kent Station, opened in downtown Kent adjacent to the transit station of the same name. Kent Station is the realization of the City of Kent's vision to create a destination downtown that is the community's focal point and identity. Kent Station is a $100 million, 470,000-square-foot (44,000 m2) retail, education, entertainment and residential project. The project is strategically located adjacent to Sound Transit's Sounder Commuter Rail Station and parking garage, Kent's existing downtown and the King County Regional Justice Center. It includes a 14-screen AMC Theatres multiplex cinema, restaurants such as the Ram Restaurant & Brewery, Johnny Rockets, Pizzeria Fondi, Chipotle Mexican Grill and many clothing shops and other forms of entertainment. There are plans to add to Kent Station over the next few years including the new ShoWare Center, which is the new home for the Western Hockey League team, the Seattle Thunderbirds. There is currently debate about whether or not there is enough road and parking infrastructure in place to handle the anticipated increase in traffic volume these projects will bring. The concerns in particular are along the valley corridors, such as Smith and James Streets.
Events
- Canterbury Faire, an arts festival in mid-August every year at Earthworks Park, which stopped in 2006.
- Kent Cornucopia Days in July.
- Kent Farmers Market
- Kent Saturday Market
- NHRA Nationals at Pacific Raceways
Entertainment
Famous Past/Present Residents
- Earl Anthony, Professional Bowler
- John Bronson, Arizona Cardinals
- Ernie Conwell, New Orleans Saints
- Kai Ellis, Montreal Alouettes
- Daphne Loves Derby, Indie-Pop Rock Band
- Mike Karney, New Orleans Saints
- Sarah Larson, Fear Factor contestant, George Clooney's former girlfriend
- Howard Leese, Heart (Guitar, keyboards, synthesizer)
- Kenny Mayne, ESPN Analyst
- Darren McGavin, Actor (Kolchak: The Night Stalker, A Christmas Story, X-Files)
- PZ Myers Biology Professor at U of Minn, Morris and I.D. Critic
- Rodney Stuckey, Detroit Pistons
- Jeff Jaeger, NFL Kicker
- Jeff Dye, Comedian from Last Comic Standing, Season 6
- Michael Dickerson, Former NBA Player
Sister Cities
Kent has the following sister cities, according to [1] and [2]:
Castlereagh, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom
Kaibara, Japan
Kherson, Ukraine
Yangzhou, China
El Grullo, Jalisco, Mexico
Sunnfjord, Norway
References
- ^ a b "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
- ^ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. 2007-10-25. http://geonames.usgs.gov. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
- ^ "Subcounty population estimates: Washington 2000-2006" (CSV). United States Census Bureau, Population Division. 2007-06-28. http://www.census.gov/popest/cities/files/SUB-EST2006_53.csv. Retrieved on 2008-05-28.
- ^ http://www.smr.herefordshire.gov.uk/agriculture%20_industry/hops_history.htm
- ^ http://historylink.org/index.cfm?DisplayPage=output.cfm&file_id=3587
- ^ http://historylink.org/index.cfm?DisplayPage=output.cfm&file_id=1666
- ^ http://historylink.org/index.cfm?DisplayPage=output.cfm&file_id=1114
- ^ http://historylink.org/index.cfm?DisplayPage=output.cfm&file_id=1608
- ^ http://www.kent.k12.wa.us/curriculum/vtours/kent/
- ^ http://www.wrvmuseum.org/
- ^ http://historylink.org/index.cfm?DisplayPage=output.cfm&file_id=7905
- ^ "Monthly Averages for Seattle, WA". The Weather Channel. http://www.weather.com/weather/wxclimatology/monthly/USWA0395. Retrieved on 2007-09-28.
- ^ Southeast King County News | Convenience: a great selling point for GRCC | Seattle Times Newspaper
- ^ King County Annexation Initiative
- ^ Kent Northeast annexation information - King County Official site
- ^ a b Annexation General FAQs - City of Kent, Washington Official site
- ^ "Lunar Roving Vehicle". Boeing. http://www.boeing.com/history/boeing/lrv.html.
- ^ Moffatt, Riley. Population History of Western U.S. Cities & Towns, 1850-1990. Lanham: Scarecrow, 1996, 323.
- ^ "Subcounty population estimates: Washington 2000-2007" (CSV). United States Census Bureau, Population Division. 2009-03-18. http://www.census.gov/popest/cities/files/SUB-EST2007-53.csv. Retrieved on 2009-05-10.
External links
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Kent, Washington |
- City of Kent Government
- Kent School District
- Kent Chamber of Commerce
- City of Kent Parks Department
- Kent Reporter - Free Weekly Community Newspaper
|
This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)
Learn More
 | Maxted (family name) |
| Acors (family name) |
| Huckstep (family name) |
 | What is on the supply list for a freshman in Kent Meridian High School of Kent WA? Read answer... |
| How old is Kent Garrison? Read answer... |
| Who is Ethan Kent? Read answer... |
Help us answer these
 | Where can you find historic stock prices for Old Kent Bank and Trust and Old Kent Financial Corp? |
| What does the name kent mean? |
| Is the New Forest near Kent? |
Post a question - any question - to the WikiAnswers community:
Copyrights:
 |
 | Dictionary. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2007. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. Read more |
 |
| Columbia Encyclopedia. The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition Copyright © 2003, Columbia University Press. Licensed from Columbia University Press. All rights reserved. www.cc.columbia.edu/cu/cup/ Read more |
 |
| Weather. © 2008 AccuWeather, Inc. Read more |
 |
| Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Kent, Washington". Read more |
Related answers
- What is the distance from North Fleet Kent to Swanley Kent?
- What does the name Kent come from?
- Where is kent from?
- Where is Kent?
ADVERTISEMENT
Answer these
- How long to travel from chislehurst kent to dover kent?
- How many km is it from ramsgate kent to westkingdown kent?
- What is Kent V US?
Mentioned in
|
