Steilacoom, Washington
Town in the United States in Pierce County
About Steilacoom
Steilacoom ( STIL-ə-kəm) is a town in Pierce County, Washington, United States. The population was 6,727 at the 2020 census. Steilacoom incorporated in 1854 and became the first incorporated town in what later became the state of Washington. It has also become a bedroom community for service members stationed at Joint Base Lewis–McChord, aka McChord AFB and Fort Lewis.
Based on per capita income, Steilacoom ranks 61st of 522 areas ranked in the state of Washington.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
How Steilacoom is governed
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0 of 14 positions listed. Gray dashed boxes are placeholders waiting for a name.
Residents of Steilacoom
Registered voters elect the officials below.
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Mayor
Executive
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The city's chief elected official. Presides over the executive branch, proposes the budget and represents the city.
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City Manager / Administrator
Executive
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The professional administrator who runs day-to-day operations (in some cities appointed by the council instead of the mayor).
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Police Chief
Administration & departments
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Leads the police department.
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Fire Chief
Administration & departments
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Leads the fire and emergency services department.
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Public Works Director
Administration & departments
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Streets, water, sewer, and city buildings.
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Finance Director
Administration & departments
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The budget, taxes, and city accounts.
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Planning & Zoning Director
Administration & departments
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Land use, zoning, building permits.
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Parks & Recreation Director
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Parks, programs, and public facilities.
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City Council
Legislative
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The elected body that passes ordinances, sets the tax rate and approves the budget.
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City Clerk
Administration & departments
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Keeps the official records, runs meeting agendas and, often, local elections.
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City Attorney
Administration & departments
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The city's lawyer; advises officials and prosecutes ordinance violations.
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Boards & Commissions
Legislative
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Citizen advisory bodies, such as planning, zoning appeals and library boards.
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Municipal Court
Judicial
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Hears traffic, ordinance and other minor cases.
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Municipal Judge
Judicial
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Presides over the municipal court.
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- Website
- townofsteilacoom.org
Looking for your county, state and federal representatives too? See who represents 98388 or everyone in Washington.
Population over time
From 5,985 in 2010 to 6,727 in 2020 (+12.4%).
Show the numbers
| Year | Population |
|---|---|
| 2020 | 6,727 |
| 2010 | 5,985 |
History
The Steilacoom people, a Coast Salish tribe, lived in what became the city of Steilacoom. Their main village was called Scht’ləqʷəm, later anglicized as Steilacoom. William Bright says the name comes from the Southern Coast Salish subgroup /č'tílqʷəbš/, anglicized as "Steilacoom".
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 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. The two settlements were merged into Steilacoom, which was named the county seat of Pierce County on December 12, 1852, and incorporated on April 22, 1854. Steilacoom was the first town in Washington Territory to be incorporated.
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 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. The town remained prominent in the region until the construction of the Northern Pacific Railway, which opened in 1873 with a terminus in Tacoma. The county seat was moved from Steilacoom to Tacoma in 1880; an interurban streetcar was built in 1891 to connect the two cities. Fort Steilacoom was redeveloped into Western State Hospital, a state-run mental health facility that now lies in the adjacent and larger city of Lakewood.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.