Editing Steilacoom, Washington

{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2020}}
{{Infobox settlement
|official_name            = Steilacoom, Washington
|settlement_type          = [[Town (Washington)|Town]]
|motto                    = 
|image_skyline            = Steilacoom, Washington aerial view in 2024.jpg
|imagesize                = 
|image_caption            = Cormorant Park neighborhood
|image_map                = Pierce_County_Washington_Incorporated_and_Unincorporated_areas_Steilacoom_Highlighted.svg
|mapsize                  = 250px
|map_caption              = Location of Steilacoom, Washington
<!-- Location ------>
|subdivision_type         = Country
|subdivision_name         = United States
|subdivision_type1        = [[U.S. state|State]]
|subdivision_name1        = [[Washington (state)|Washington]]
|subdivision_type2        = [[List of counties in Washington|County]]
|subdivision_name2        = [[Pierce County, Washington|Pierce]]
<!-- Government ------>
|government_footnotes     = 
|government_type          = 
|leader_title             = Mayor
|leader_name              = [[Dick Muri]]
|established_title        = 
|established_date         = 
<!-- Area ------->
|unit_pref                = Imperial
|area_footnotes           = <ref name="CenPopGazetteer2019">{{cite web|title=2019 U.S. Gazetteer Files|url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2019_Gazetteer/2019_gaz_place_53.txt|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=August 7, 2020}}</ref>
|area_total_km2           = 5.31
|area_land_km2            = 5.21
|area_water_km2           = 0.11
|area_total_sq_mi         = 2.05
|area_land_sq_mi          = 2.01
|area_water_sq_mi         = 0.04
<!-- Population ------->
|population_as_of         = [[2020 United States census|2020]]
|population_footnotes     = <ref name="2020 Census (City)"/>
|population_total         = 6727
|population_density_km2   = 1226.75
|population_density_sq_mi = 3177.52
<!-- General information -->
|timezone                 = [[Pacific Time Zone|Pacific (PST)]]
|utc_offset               = -8
|timezone_DST             = PDT
|utc_offset_DST           = -7
|elevation_footnotes      = <ref name=gnis/>
|elevation_ft             = 213
|coordinates              = {{coord|47|10|12|N|122|35|36|W|region:US_type:city|display=inline,title}}
<!-- Area/postal codes and others -->
|postal_code_type         = [[ZIP code]]
|postal_code              = 98388
|area_code                = [[Area code 253|253]]
|area_code_type           = [[North American Numbering Plan|Area code]]
|blank_name               = [[Federal Information Processing Standard|FIPS code]]
|blank_info               = 53-67770
|blank1_name              = [[Geographic Names Information System|GNIS]] feature ID
|blank1_info              = 2413332<ref name=gnis>{{GNIS|2413332}}</ref>
|website                  = {{URL|https://townofsteilacoom.org/|townofsteilacoom.org}}
|footnotes                = 
}}

'''Steilacoom''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|s|t|ɪ|l|ə|k|əm}} {{respell|STIL|ə|kəm}}) is a town in [[Pierce County, Washington]], United States. The population was 6,727 at the [[2020 United States census|2020 census]].<ref name="2020 Census (City)">{{cite web|title=2020 Census Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171) Summary File |url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/profile?g=1600000US5367770 |work=American FactFinder |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]] |access-date=May 16, 2022}}</ref> Steilacoom incorporated in 1854 and became the first incorporated town in what is now the state of Washington. It has also become a [[commuter town|bedroom community]] for service members stationed at [[Joint Base Lewis–McChord]], aka [[McChord AFB]] and [[Fort Lewis (Washington)|Fort Lewis]].

Based on [[Washington locations by per capita income|per capita income]], Steilacoom ranks 61st of 522 areas ranked in the state of Washington.

==Name==
The origin of the name "Steilacoom" is unclear. According to the Legacy Washington program, the town's name is derived from a Native American word meaning "little pink flower."<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20160126071952/https://www.sos.wa.gov/legacy/cities_detail.aspx?i=13 Steilacoom Area] Legacy Washington</ref> Another possibility is that it was named by [[fur trader]]s with the [[Hudson's Bay Company]] (HBC) and is an adaptation of ''Tail-a-Koom,'' the name of a Native American chief. In 1824, chief factor [[John Work (fur trader)|John Work]] called the town "Chilacoom". Another early spelling was "Chelakom".<ref>{{cite book |last= Middleton |first= Lynn |title= Place Names of the Pacific Northwest Coast |url= https://archive.org/details/placenamesofpaci0000midd |url-access= registration |year= 1969 |publisher= Elldee Publishing |location= Victoria |oclc= 16729415 |pages= [https://archive.org/details/placenamesofpaci0000midd/page/197 197–198]}}</ref><ref>[http://www.townofsteilacoom.com/history/names_places.htm History: Place Names], Town of Steilacoom</ref> The Town of Steilacoom says it was named after the [[Steilacoom (tribe)|Steilacoom tribe]], especially their main village in the [[Tacoma, Washington|Tacoma]] area, located on Chambers Bay. Robert Hitchman noted in ''Place Names of Washington'' that Steilacoom Creek, which feeds into [[Chambers Creek (Washington)|Chambers Creek]], held the name before the town.<ref name="Hitchman">{{Cite book |last=Hitchman |first=Robert |title=Place Names of Washington |publisher=[[Washington State Historical Society]] |year=1985 |isbn=0-917048-57-1 |pages=288–289}}</ref>

==History==
[[File:Steilacoom, WA Town Hall 01.jpg|left|thumb|Town hall]]
The [[Steilacoom people]], a [[Coast Salish]] tribe, lived in what became the city of Steilacoom.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Indian Claims Commission |title=Indian Claims Commission Decisions, Volume 11, Part 1 |pages=332–33|date=1978 |publisher=Native American Rights Fund |location=Washington, DC |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_6lFAQAAIAAJ}}</ref> Their main village was called Scht’ləqʷəm, later anglicized as ''Steilacoom''.<ref>[http://www.townofsteilacoom.com/history/origins.htm History: Origins] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110717081643/http://www.townofsteilacoom.com/history/origins.htm |date=July 17, 2011 }}, Town of Steilacoom</ref> [[William Bright]] says the name comes from the Southern [[Coast Salish peoples|Coast Salish]] subgroup ''/č'tílqʷəbš/'', anglicized as "Steilacoom".<ref name="Bright2004">{{cite book|last=Bright|first=William|author-link=William Bright|title=Native American placenames of the United States|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5XfxzCm1qa4C&pg=PA461|access-date=April 11, 2011|year=2004|publisher=University of Oklahoma Press|isbn=978-0-8061-3598-4|page=461}}</ref>

The [[United States Army]] established [[Fort Steilacoom]] in August 1849 following attacks on [[Fort Nisqually]]. European-American settlement at Steilacoom began with Lafayette Balch, a [[Captain (nautical)|sea captain]] from [[Maine]] who arrived in 1851. The following year, Balch opened a sawmill to process and export [[lumber]] to [[San Francisco]] and named the settlement "Port Steilacoom". An adjacent settlement, Steilacoom City, was founded in June 1851 by John B. Chapman.<ref name="Timeline">{{cite web |title=Timeline |url=https://www.townofsteilacoom.org/209/Timeline |publisher=Town of Steilacoom |accessdate=May 18, 2024}}</ref><ref name="HistoryLink">{{cite web |last=Echtle |first=Edward |date=November 28, 2018 |title=Steilacoom — Thumbnail History |url=https://www.historylink.org/file/20675 |work=[[HistoryLink]] |accessdate=May 18, 2024}}</ref> The two settlements were merged into Steilacoom, which was named the [[county seat]] of [[Pierce County, Washington|Pierce County]] on December 12, 1852, and incorporated on April 22, 1854. Steilacoom was the first town in [[Washington Territory]] to be incorporated.<ref name="Timeline"/><ref name="HL-Pierce">{{cite web |last=Becker |first=Paula |date=November 13, 2006 |title=Pierce County — Thumbnail History |url=https://dev.historylink.org/File/8001 |work=HistoryLink |accessdate=May 18, 2024}}</ref>
[[File:DeVore monument inscription.jpg|left|thumb|187x187px|First Protestant Church North of the Columbia Monument]]
Steilacoom had the first [[jail]] in Washington and the first [[sawmill]]. It has four individual buildings and sites listed on the [[National Register of Historic Places]], including the [[Steilacoom Catholic Church|oldest Catholic Church]] in the state, the first Protestant Church north of the [[Columbia River]], as well as the Steilacoom Historic District, with 68 contributing properties.{{citation needed|date=May 2024}} The town remained prominent in the region until the construction of the [[Northern Pacific Railway]], which opened in 1873 with a terminus in [[Tacoma, Washington|Tacoma]]. The county seat was moved from Steilacoom to Tacoma in 1880; an [[interurban]] streetcar was built in 1891 to connect the two cities.<ref name="HistoryLink" /> Fort Steilacoom was redeveloped into [[Western State Hospital (Washington)|Western State Hospital]], a state-run mental health facility that now lies in the adjacent and larger city of [[Lakewood, Washington|Lakewood]].

==Geography==
[[File:Steilacoom, WA - Steilacoom Tribal Cultural Center 02.jpg|thumb|left|200px|Steilacoom Tribal Cultural Center and Museum, a former church on Lafayette Street.]]

Steilacoom is situated on [[Puget Sound]] between the [[Nisqually River]] delta and the [[Tacoma Narrows]]. It sits across from [[Anderson Island (Washington)|Anderson]] and [[Ketron Island|Ketron]] islands to the west and [[McNeil Island]] to the northwest. The city is bordered to the south by [[Joint Base Lewis–McChord]], a major military installation, and to the north by [[Chambers Bay]], a public golf course.<ref>{{cite news |last=Sailor |first=Craig |date=May 22, 2015 |title=In Steilacoom, it's out with the new, in with the old |url=https://www.thenewstribune.com/entertainment/article26132449.html |work=The News Tribune |accessdate=May 24, 2024}}</ref> According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], the town has a total area of {{convert|2.07|sqmi|sqkm|2}}, of which, {{convert|2.04|sqmi|sqkm|2}} is land and {{convert|0.03|sqmi|sqkm|2}} is water.<ref name="Gazetteer files">{{cite web|title=US Gazetteer files 2010|url=https://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/files/Gaz_places_national.txt|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=December 19, 2012|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120125061959/http://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/files/Gaz_places_national.txt|archive-date=January 25, 2012}}</ref>

==Transportation==
There are no state highways in Steilacoom. Drivers can access [[Interstate 5 in Washington|Interstate 5]] or [[Washington State Route 512|State Route 512]] by driving through the adjacent city of Lakewood.

[[BNSF Railway|BNSF]] operates a railroad running along Steilacoom's shoreline, with the Union Pacific Railroad having trackage rights on this line as well. However, there is no active station in the city and passenger trains do not stop there. Passenger service to the city ended in 1971.<ref>{{Cite web|title = Steilacoom Depot - Steilacoom, Washington - Train Stations/Depots on Waymarking.com|url = http://www.waymarking.com/waymarks/WMJ1T1_Steilacoom_Depot_Steilacoom_Washington|website = www.waymarking.com|access-date = October 19, 2015}}</ref> With the November 18, 2021 opening of the Point Defiance bypass route, Amtrak passenger service is now on an inland line from Tacoma through South Tacoma, Lakewood and DuPont, essentially parallel to Interstate 5. With this new route in operation, Steilacoom's rail line is now for freight only.<ref>{{Cite web|title = WSDOT - Project - Rail - Tacoma - Bypass of Point Defiance|url = http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/projects/rail/pnwrc_ptdefiance/|website = www.wsdot.wa.gov|access-date = October 19, 2015}}</ref>

Pierce County maintains a [[Steilacoom-Anderson Island Ferry]] which departs from Steilacoom and serves [[Anderson Island (Washington)|Anderson]] and [[Ketron Island|Ketron]] islands.

==Education==
Public schools are operated by the [[Steilacoom Historical School District|Steilacoom Historical School District #1]],<ref name=PierceCountyschools>{{cite map|url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/DC2020/PL20/st53_wa/schooldistrict_maps/c53053_pierce/DC20SD_C53053.pdf|title=2020 Census – School District Reference Map: Pierce County, WA|publisher=United States Census Bureau|accessdate=2022-07-20|page=2 (PDF p. 3/4)}}</ref> which was first established in 1854.<ref>[http://www.steilacoom.k12.wa.us/Page/1331 School District historical timeline].  Retrieved November 18, 2012.</ref>

[[Steilacoom High School]] is the district's comprehensive high school.

==Demographics==
{{US Census population
|1880= 250
|1890= 270
|1900= 284
|1910= 430
|1920= 564
|1930= 722
|1940= 832
|1950= 1233
|1960= 1569
|1970= 2850
|1980= 4886
|1990= 5728
|2000= 6049
|2010= 5985
|2020= 6727
|estyear=
|estimate=
|estref=
|align-fn=center
|footnote=U.S. Decennial Census<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html|title=Census of Population and Housing|author=United States Census Bureau|author-link=United States Census Bureau|access-date=July 25, 2013}}</ref><br>2020 Census<ref name="2020 Census (City)"/>
}}

===2010 census===
As of the [[2010 United States census|2010 census]],<ref name ="wwwcensusgov">{{cite web|title=U.S. Census website|url=https://www.census.gov|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=December 19, 2012}}</ref> there were 5,985 people, 2,559 households, and 1,715 families residing in the town. The [[population density]] was {{convert|2933.8|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|1}}.{{Contradictory inline|reason=Infobox is different|date=May 2019}} There were 2,793 housing units at an average density of {{convert|1369.1|/sqmi|/km2|1}}. The racial makeup of the town was 77.1% [[White (U.S. Census)|White]], 4.7% [[African American (U.S. Census)|African American]], 0.7% [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]], 7.3% [[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]], 1.4% [[Race (U.S. Census)|Pacific Islander]], 1.5% from [[Race (U.S. Census)|other races]], and 7.3% from two or more races. [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]] of any race were 6.7% of the population.

There were 2,559 households, of which 26.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.3% were [[Marriage|married couples]] living together, 12.2% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.5% had a male householder with no wife present, and 33.0% were non-families. 26.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.34 and the average family size was 2.79.

The median age in the town was 42.4 years. 20.3% of residents were under the age of 18; 9.2% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 23.5% were from 25 to 44; 29.6% were from 45 to 64; and 17.4% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the town was 48.3% male and 51.7% female.

===2000 census===
As of the [[2000 United States census|2000 census]], there were 6,049 people, 2,570 households, and 1,721 families residing in the town. The population density was 2,916.9 people per square mile (1,128.3/km<sup>2</sup>). There were 2,674 housing units at an average density of 1,289.4 per square mile (498.8/km<sup>2</sup>). The racial makeup of the town was 78.46% [[White (U.S. Census)|White]], 6.70% [[African American (U.S. Census)|African American]], 0.84% [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]], 5.87% [[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]], 0.61% [[Pacific Islander (U.S. Census)|Pacific Islander]], 1.65% from [[Race (United States Census)|other races]], and 5.87% from two or more races. [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]] of any race were 5.41% of the population.

There were 2,570 households, out of which 27.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.8% were married couples living together, 9.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.0% were non-families. 26.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.  The average household size was 2.35 and the average family size was 2.83.

In the town, the age distribution of the population showed 22.8% under the age of 18, 9.2% from 18 to 24, 28.6% from 25 to 44, 26.0% from 45 to 64, and 13.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.4 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $46,113, and the median income for a family was $54,725. Males had a median income of $40,505 versus $34,136 for females. The [[per capita income]] for the town was $27,124. About 6.9% of families and 8.1% of the population were below the [[poverty line]], including 15.0% of those under age 18 and 3.7% of those age 65 or over.

==Notable residents==
*[[Emeka Egbuka]], American football player
*[[Clara Antoinette McCarty Wilt]], the first graduate from the [[University of Washington]]
*[[Nick Brown]], Attorney General for the State of Washington.

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
* [https://townofsteilacoom.org/ Town of Steilacoom]
* [http://www.steilacoomhistorical.org/ Steilacoom Historical Museum Association]
* [http://www.steilacoom.k12.wa.us/ Steilacoom Historical School District #1]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20090724222128/http://www.doc.wa.gov/facilities/prison/micc/mcneilhistory.asp McNeil Island Corrections Center]
{{Pierce County, Washington}}
{{Mosquito Fleet|state= collapsed}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Towns in Pierce County, Washington]]
[[Category:Towns in Washington (state)]]
[[Category:1854 establishments in Washington Territory]]