Fircrest is a city in Pierce County,

Washington Washington most commonly refers to: * George Washington (1732–1799), the first president of the United States * Washington (state), a state in the Pacific Northwest of the United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A ...

, United States. The population was 7,156 at the 2020 census.

History

Fircrest was officially incorporated on September 19, 1925. Like its neighbor University Place, it is a middle-class suburb of

Tacoma Tacoma ( ) is the county seat of Pierce County, Washington, United States. A port city, it is situated along Washington's Puget Sound, southwest of Seattle, southwest of Bellevue, northeast of the state capital, Olympia, northwest of Mount ...

. The community was developed by

Edward Bowes Edward Bowes (June 14, 1874 – June 13, 1946), professionally known as Major Edward Bowes, was an American radio personality of the 1930s and 1940s whose '' Major Bowes Amateur Hour'' was the best-known amateur talent show on radio during its ...

, who later gained fame as the host of the

Major Bowes Amateur Hour The ''Major Bowes Amateur Hour'' was an American radio talent show broadcast in the 1930s and 1940s, created and hosted by Edward Bowes (1874–1946). Selected performers from the program participated in touring vaudeville performances, under ...

radio talent show. The town attempted to associate itself with academia by naming a number of its streets after universities (e.g. Princeton, Dartmouth, Yale, Vassar, Stanford) and was originally known as Regents Park in a reference to the regents of a university. Fircrest was the last " dry" municipality in Washington state, prohibiting the sale of alcohol by the glass. Voters chose to allow the sale of alcohol in Fircrest in the November 2015 election.

Geography

Fircrest borders Tacoma to the north and east and University Place to the west and south; the city of Tacoma has an

enclave An enclave is a territory that is entirely surrounded by the territory of only one other state or entity. An enclave can be an independent territory or part of a larger one. Enclaves may also exist within territorial waters. ''Enclave'' is so ...

within Fircrest. According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the city has a total area of , all of it land.

Government

Since 1990, Fircrest has used a

council–manager government The council–manager government is a form of local government commonly used for municipalities and counties in the United States and Ireland, in New Zealand regional councils, and in Canadian municipalities. In the council-manager government, ...

, with a

city council A municipal council is the legislative body of a municipality or local government area. Depending on the location and classification of the municipality it may be known as a city council, town council, town board, community council, borough counc ...

composed of seven councilmembers. The city mayor is chosen biennially by councilmembers and presides over council meetings. Shannon Reynolds was appointed mayor in 2024. Additionally, the city council appoints a

city manager A city manager is an official appointed as the administrative manager of a city in the council–manager form of city government. Local officials serving in this position are referred to as the chief executive officer (CEO) or chief administ ...

to carry out day-to-day operations of the city and policies of the council. Dawn Masko has been the City Manager of Fircrest since June 2023.

Demographics

2010 census

As of the 2010 census, there were 6,497 people, 2,705 households, and 1,773 families living in the city. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...

was . There were 2,847 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 78.9%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 7.0%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.7% Native American, 5.1% Asian, 0.5%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

, 0.8% from other races, and 7.0% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race were 4.6% of the population. There were 2,705 households, of which 31.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.2% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 13.3% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.0% had a male householder with no wife present, and 34.5% were non-families. 28.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.39 and the average family size was 2.93. The median age in the city was 41.2 years. 23.3% of residents were under the age of 18; 7% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 24.8% were from 25 to 44; 27.5% were from 45 to 64; and 17.3% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 46.1% male and 53.9% female.

2000 census

As of the 2000 census, there were 5,868 people, 2,505 households, and 1,673 families living in the city. The

was 3,759.4 people per square mile (1,452.3/km²). There were 2,573 housing units at an average density of 1,648.4 per square mile (636.8/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 87.46%

, 5.20%

, 0.56% Native American, 2.69% Asian, 0.51%

, 0.46% from other races, and 3.12% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 2.69% of the population. There were 2,505

household A household consists of one or more persons who live in the same dwelling. It may be of a single family or another type of person group. The household is the basic unit of analysis in many social, microeconomic and government models, and is im ...

s, out of which 28.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.4% were

living together, 10.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.2% were non-families. 28.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.3% 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 2.85. In the city, the population was spread out, with 23.1% under the age of 18, 5.5% from 18 to 24, 26.3% from 25 to 44, 24.7% from 45 to 64, and 20.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females, there were 88.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.8 males. The median income for a household in the city was $54,912, and the median income for a family was $61,611. Males had a median income of $46,611 versus $32,232 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the city was $27,244. 5.9% of the population and 4.6% of families were below the

poverty Poverty is a state or condition in which an individual lacks the financial resources and essentials for a basic standard of living. Poverty can have diverse Biophysical environmen ...

line. Out of the total population, 10.2% of those under the age of 18 and 2.7% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.

Education

Most of Fircrest is in the

Tacoma Public Schools Tacoma School District No. 10, commonly called Tacoma Public Schools, is a school district headquartered in Tacoma, Washington, United States. Composed of 36 elementary schools, 11 middle schools, 11 high schools, and 4 early learning centers. ...

district, while a part is in the University Place School District.

References

{{Authority control Cities in Washington (state) Cities in Pierce County, Washington Cities in the Seattle metropolitan area