Editing Lakewood, Washington (section)

==History==

Lakewood was officially [[Municipal incorporation|incorporated]] as a city on February 28, 1996, on the same day as [[Edgewood, Washington|Edgewood]]. It immediately became the second largest city in Pierce County and among the largest in the state.<ref>{{cite news |last=Eckart |first=Kim |date=February 29, 1996 |title=A city is born to the Lakewood family |page=B1 |work=[[The News Tribune]] |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-news-tribune-a-city-is-born-to-the-l/147404579/ |via=[[Newspapers.com]] |accessdate=May 14, 2024}}</ref> Three previous attempts to incorporate as a city had been rejected by voters in 1971, 1990, and 1994 before it was approved by a 20-point margin on March 14, 1995, within a smaller area.<ref>{{cite news |last=Gonzalez |first=Victor M. |date=January 13, 1995 |title=Lakewood cityhood backers try again with smaller area |pages=B1–B2 |work=The News Tribune |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-news-tribune-lakewood-cityhood-backe/147404970/ |via=Newspapers.com |accessdate=May 14, 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Eckart |first=Kim |date=February 28, 1996 |title=That's City of Lakewood |page=A1 |work=The News Tribune |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-news-tribune-thats-city-of-lakewood/147404710/ |via=Newspapers.com |accessdate=May 14, 2024}}</ref> Historical names include Tacoma/Lakewood Center and Lakes District<ref>{{cite web |title=Core City: Lakewood |page=37 |url=https://www.psrc.org/media/3764 |work=2013 Regional Centers Monitoring Report |publisher=[[Puget Sound Regional Council]] |accessdate=May 14, 2024}}</ref> (this name was used by the [[United States Census Bureau|U.S. Census]] in the 1970 and 1980 Census). Lakewood is home to the Clover Park School District, the Lakewood Water District, [[Fort Steilacoom Park]] and [[Western State Hospital (Washington)|Western State Hospital]], a regional state [[psychiatric hospital]].<ref>[http://www1.dshs.wa.gov/mentalhealth/wshfaqs.shtml Answers to Questions Frequently Asked Western State Hospital] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070621112107/http://www1.dshs.wa.gov/Mentalhealth/wshfaqs.shtml |date=June 21, 2007}}</ref> [[Thornewood Castle]] was built in the vicinity of Tacoma in the area that is now Lakewood.

A [[North Lakewood, Washington|small community]] near [[Arlington, Washington|Arlington]] in [[Snohomish County, Washington|Snohomish County]] with the name Lakewood had used the name for their [[post office]] since 1909, which led to confusion between the two areas. The [[United States Postal Service]] suggested that the new city be renamed due to frequent mixups in mail delivery that required the two post offices to forward deliveries with a one-day delay.<ref>{{cite news |last=Eckart |first=Kim |date=November 7, 1996 |title=Confusion reigns with 2 Lakewoods |page=A1 |work=The News Tribune |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-news-tribune-confusion-reigns-with-2/98622729/ |via=Newspapers.com |accessdate=May 14, 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Reardon |first=Kate |date=November 18, 1996 |title=To Lakewood, or Lakewood? |page=A1 |work=[[The Everett Herald]] |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-daily-herald-to-lakewood-or-lakewoo/147403918/ |via=Newspapers.com |accessdate=May 14, 2024}}</ref> The Snohomish County post office was renamed to North Lakewood in 1998 by the Postal Service due to the other community's unincorporated status.<ref>{{cite news |last=Card |first=Skip |date=November 15, 1998 |title=What's in a name? For City of Lakewood, it's mail |page=B1 |work=The News Tribune |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-news-tribune-whats-in-a-name-for-c/147404251/ |via=Newspapers.com |accessdate=May 14, 2024}}</ref>

In 1997, the [[Seafirst Bank robbery]] happened in Lakewood.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2014-01-09 |title=The biggest armed bank robbery in American history began shortly after closing |url=https://www.seattleweekly.com/news/the-biggest-armed-bank-robbery-in-american-history-began-shortly-after-closing/ |access-date=2024-08-21 |website=Seattle Weekly |language=en-US}}</ref>

On November 29, 2009, four Lakewood Police Department officers were [[2009 Lakewood shooting|shot and killed]] at a coffee shop in [[Parkland, Washington|Parkland]] by ex-convict Maurice Clemmons. All four officers had served with the department since its inception in 2004 and died at the scene; two baristas and several customers in the shop were not injured.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Carter |first1=Mike |last2=Clarridge |first2=Christine |date=November 29, 2019 |title=A day that 'hurt your heart': 10 years ago, 4 Lakewood police officers were shot down |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/law-justice/a-day-that-hurt-your-heart-10-years-ago-4-lakewood-police-officers-were-shot-down/ |work=The Seattle Times |accessdate=May 14, 2024}}</ref><ref name="HL-Clemmons">{{cite web |last=Kershner |first=Jim |date=December 28, 2010 |title=Maurice Clemmons kills four Lakewood police officers in a coffeeshop near Tacoma on November 29, 2009. |url=https://historylink.org/File/9677 |work=[[HistoryLink]] |accessdate=May 14, 2024}}</ref> Clemmons was shot and killed by a Seattle police officer two days later.<ref name="SeaTimes01Dec">{{cite news|url=http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2010393433_webarrest01m.html |title=Lakewood police shooting suspect killed by Seattle police officer in South Seattle early this morning |last=Sullivan |first=Jennifer |author2=Mark Rahner |author3=Jack Broom |date=December 1, 2009 |work=The Seattle Times |access-date=December 1, 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091204124651/http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2010393433_webarrest01m.html |archive-date= December 4, 2009 }}</ref> The shooting is believed to be the most deadly attack on law enforcement in the state of Washington, and among the deadliest attacks on law enforcement in the United States.<ref name='seattletimes11292'>{{cite news|title=4 Lakewood officers slain; hunt is on for gunman |date=November 29, 2009|newspaper=[[The Seattle Times]]|url=http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2010382767_webfourdead29m.html|access-date=November 29, 2009|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091202064239/http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2010382767_webfourdead29m.html|archive-date=December 2, 2009}}</ref>