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Small city

Living in University Place, WA

University Place is a small city of 34,911 people in Pierce County, Washington. It's about 20 miles from Olympia, WA and 29 miles from Seattle, WA, the nearest major city. Summer highs average 75°F and winter highs 46°F, with about 3 inches of snow a year. The typical home is valued around $625k and rent runs about $2k a month.

34,911people
$625kTypical home
$1,762/moRent
75° / 46°Summer / winter
3"Snow
169Sunny days
168Rain/snow days

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Size & setting

  • Small city of 34,911
  • Part of a metro area
  • About 4,186 people per sq mi
  • 29 mi to Seattle, WA
  • 20 mi to Olympia, WA
  • Has its own stores and services

Money

  • Typical home $625k (≈$3,940/mo)
  • Median rent $1,762/mo
  • Median household income $99k
  • Property tax about 1.0% of value
  • 5.0% unemployment

Weather

  • Summer highs around 75°F
  • Winter highs around 46°F
  • Comfortable summers (dew point 53°F)
  • 169 sunny days a year (62 totally clear)
  • 196 cloudy days a year
  • 65 of 90 winter days are gray
  • 168 days a year with rain or snow
  • 3" of snow a year
  • 1 days a year with 1"+ of snow
  • Rarely hits 100°F
  • Rarely drops below 10°F
  • Usually calm

Safety

  • Low violent crime (183 per 100k)
  • About average property crime (1,498 per 100k)

People

  • Median age 40
  • 31% of households have kids
  • 19% are 65 or older
  • 42% have a college degree
  • Very diverse community
  • 5% of residents are college students

Getting around & homes

  • Average commute 30 min
  • 3% walk or take transit to work
  • 4 mi to TIW airport
  • 20 mi to SEA (major hub)
  • 6 mi to the nearest Amtrak station
  • 61% single-family homes
  • Typical home built around 1981
  • 97% of homes have broadband

Outdoors

  • Gently rolling terrain
  • Elevation 423 ft
  • Right on the coast
  • 114 mi to a big lake
  • Trailhead in town
  • 53 mi to the nearest ski area
  • 2 mi to the nearest campground
  • 54 golf courses within 25 mi

Things to do

  • 1,430 sit-down restaurants within 25 mi
  • 146 bars within 25 mi
  • 625 coffee shops within 25 mi
  • 2 music venues & clubs within 25 mi
  • 72 museums within 25 mi
  • 23 breweries & distilleries within 25 mi
  • 4 mi to the nearest farmers market

Everyday

  • Schools in the bottom 45% of Washington districts (reading)
  • Grocery store in town
  • 4 mi to the nearest ER hospital
  • 4 mi to a 4–5★ hospital
  • Vet in town
  • 2 mi to the nearest dog park
  • 4 congregations per 10k people
  • 3 mi to the nearest college

Politics

  • Pierce County: D+11 in 2024
  • Washington: D+18 in 2024

Natural hazards

  • Very low hurricane risk
  • Very low tornado risk
  • Very low wildfire risk
  • High earthquake risk
  • Very low flood risk
  • Very low drought risk
  • High winter storm risk
  • Low heat wave risk
  • High volcano risk

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