Ravensdale, Washington

Black Diamond is a city in King County, Washington, United States. The population was 4,697 at the 2020 census. In 2022, with a 35% growth rate, Black Diamond was the fastest growing small city in King County.

Franklin was a coal mining town located in east King County, Washington, near the current so-called Hanging Gardens on the Green River, about 1 mile (1.6 km) east of Black Diamond.

Tahoma High School (THS) is a public high school serving grades nine through twelve, and is the only high school in the Tahoma School District. The school provides for citizens in southeast King County, and has been housed in multiple buildings, the current one being a three-story structure in Maple Valley built in 2017.

Black Diamond Cemetery is a cemetery located in Black Diamond, Washington listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Lake Wilderness is the largest lake in Maple Valley, Washington, United States. The Lake Wilderness Lodge, a former resort hotel, is now a King County landmark, and its grounds are a park. Lake Wilderness is surrounded by houses, forest, and a park. The park is open and free of charge, containing a playground, baseball field, and tennis court. Every year on Maple Valley Days in June, celebrations are held in the park and the parking lot is occupied by temporary carnival rides. The lake has a beach open to year-round swimming.

Taylor Creek is a stream in Seattle, Washington, flowing from Lakeridge Park in Deadhorse Canyon, west of Rainier Avenue S at 68th Avenue S, to Lake Washington. The creek's name comes from the Taylor sawmill, which in the late 1880s was located where the creek flowed into Lake Washington, to the east of the park. The ravine has been the focus of efforts to plant native vegetation and restore salmon runs in Taylor Creek. With volunteer effort and some city matching grants, restoration has been underway since 1971. Volunteers have planted thousands of indigenous trees and plants, removed tons of garbage, removed invasive plants, and had city help removing fish-blocking culverts and improving trails. Sightings of raccoons, opossum and birds are common. Taylor is the fourth-largest creek in urban Seattle. In 2010, the city of Seattle began a project to improve fish passage along the creek.

Gaffney's Lake Wilderness Lodge is a building on Lake Wilderness in Maple Valley, Washington. The lodge was built in 1950 and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2003. Originally built for a destination resort on the lake, the lodge is currently operated by the City of Maple Valley.

Lake Sawyer is a freshwater lake in Black Diamond, Washington. Only three other natural lakes in King County have a larger surface area.Lake Sawyer is underlain by glacial outwash and till dating from the Vashon Glaciation, as well as older glaciations that occurred during the Pleistocene. The bedrock underlying this mass of sediments is classified as the Hammer Bluff Formation, which was deposited during the Miocene epoch and consists of sedimentary rocks with some volcanic deposits. Discharge from the lake via groundwater outflow is thought to occur mostly in the northeast and southwest corners. Lake Sawyer is classified as mesotrophic, with algal growth limited by phosphorus availability. A 1994 survey found 23 species of plants growing in the lake and along its shorelines, including the invasive Myriophyllum spicatum and Nymphaea odorata.A concrete dam was built at the outlet in 1952 to regulate the lake level. Several species of fish, some of which are stocked, can be caught in the lake.

Hobart is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in King County, Washington, United States. The population was 6,767 at the 2020 census.Based on per capita income, one of the more reliable measures of affluence, Hobart ranks 31st of 522 areas in the state of Washington to be ranked. The Hobart area was first settled by loggers in 1879, and originally known as "Vine Maple Valley". The name was changed when deemed too long by the Post Office. The Hobart Post Office was first opened May 9, 1903 with William Sidebotham as first postmaster. A coal mine also operated in the area as late as 1947.

Lake Wilderness Arboretum (40 acres), known for a time as the South King County Arboretum, is an arboretum in Maple Valley, Washington. The arboretum is open daily without charge. It is located off the Lake Wilderness Trail. In addition to a focus on Northwest native plants, the Arboretum has one of the world's largest collections of the Western Azalea (Rhododendron occidentale), with over 200 selections of the species.The Lake Wilderness Arboretum is managed by the Lake Wilderness Arboretum Foundation, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization. The arboretum was first established as a nonprofit organization in 1965, with its initial design completed and implemented in 1970. The Western Azalea Garden was dedicated in June 2000. The recently incorporated City of Maple Valley finalized the transfer of Lake Wilderness Park and the Arboretum from King County in January 2003. In April 2003, the name was changed from the original name, South King County Arboretum, to Lake Wilderness Arboretum. The name of the Arboretum Foundation was changed to Lake Wilderness Arboretum Foundation (LWAF) in 2007.

Maple Valley is a city in King County, Washington, United States. The population was 28,013 at the 2020 census. The city functions as a commuter town for residents, though there is an increasing amount of commercial activity in the area.

Pipe Lake and Lake Lucerne are two lakes joined by a natural canal in King County, Washington. The larger Pipe Lake is located on the border of Covington and Maple Valley, while the smaller Lake Lucerne is located entirely within Maple Valley. Both lakes are entirely surrounded by private property.