EXPLORE LAKEWOOD

Lakewood is a city in Pierce County, Washington, United States. Lakewood was officially incorporated on February 28, 1996. Historical names include Lakewood Center and Lakes District. Lakewood is the second-largest city in Pierce County and is home to the Clover Park School District, the Lakes Water District, Fort Steilacoom Park and Western State Hospital, a regional state psychiatric hospital.

Lakewood’s economy is highly dependent upon on the military bases in the area. It also boasts one of the few true International Districts in the South Sound along South Tacoma Way and Pacific Highway, with Korean, Vietnamese, Chinese, Latino and other influences. The median income for a household in the city was $36,422, and the median income for a family was $42,551. Males had a median income of $31,434 versus $26,653 for females. The per capita income for the city was $20,569. About 12.5% of families and 15.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 23.5% of those under age 18 and 5.6% of those age 65 or over.

There are several lakes within the city limits; the largest in area are American Lake, Lake Steilacoom, Gravelly Lake, Lake Louise, and Waughop Lake. A number of small creeks flow through Lakewood, some of which drain into nearby Puget Sound. The largest of these, Chambers Creek, flows from Lake Steilacoom to Chambers Bay between nearby University Place and Steilacoom.

source: wikipedia.org