Graham, Washington

Graham-Kapowsin High School is a high school in the Bethel School District, Pierce County, Washington, United States. Its doors first opened to grade 10 and 11 students in September 2005. GK added grade 12 students beginning Fall 2006. Grade 9 joined in the 2012–13 school year.

Emerald Ridge High School is a high school in the Puyallup School District of Washington, United States and is commonly referred to as ERHS or simply ER. Emerald Ridge opened in September 2000. It features green, black and silver as its primary colors and has a jaguar as its official mascot. The enrollment was around 1,600 In the 2008–2009 school year, 10th graders showed 90.1% competency in Reading, 55% in Math, 97.7% in Writing and 44.4% in Science.

Pierce County Airport, (ICAO: KPLU, FAA LID: PLU), also known as Thun Field, is a county-owned public-use airport located 5 nautical miles (9.3 km; 5.8 mi) south of the central business district of Puyallup, Washington, a city in Pierce County, Washington, United States. It is located in the CDP South Hill, Washington. It is included in the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2019–2023, in which it is categorized as a local general aviation facility. There is no commercial airline at this airport; the closest airport with commercial airline service is Seattle–Tacoma International Airport, about 24 miles (39 km) to the north. Many U.S. airports use the same three-letter location identifier for the FAA and IATA. However, this airport is assigned PLU by the FAA but has no designation from the IATA.

Kapowsin is a census-designated place located approximately 25 miles (38 kilometers) southeast of Tacoma in Pierce County, Washington, United States. The 2020 Census placed the population at 249. Kapowsin, originally Kapousen Precint, was named for its shallow lake. The ancient glacial drainage channel provides a nearly level connection between the Puyallup and Nisqually Rivers, and formed a natural travel route at the base of the Cascade foothills. Chief Kapowsin was a fictional leader with an iron fist who lived on the lake's shores, a folklore told by the Nisqually tribe that lived in the nearby village of bacálabc (or bišál; southwest of Eatonville) prior to the area being settled in 1888.Kapowsin was founded in 1901 when the Kapowsin Lumber Company built a sawmill at the community's present site. Located on the north end of Lake Kapowsin, the community was a thriving lumber town in the early part of the 20th century, with a high school, shops, and trades, and a population of about 10,000. After a decline in the timber industry, the town diminished in size into a neighborhood center, with a store, tavern, post office (US ZIP code 98344), fire station and grange hall. Kapowsin High School was abandoned in 1949 after being damaged in an earthquake. The 2010 Census placed the population at 333. Kapowsin is located partially in the Bethel School District and partially in the Eatonville School District, and Kapowsin Elementary School is located nearby. Secondary students attend Frontier Junior High and Graham-Kapowsin High School, which opened in 2005. Tacoma Rail's freight line to Morton, Washington, runs through the town.

Frederickson is a census-designated place (CDP) in Pierce County, Washington, United States. The population was 24,906 at the 2020 census.

South Hill is a census-designated place (CDP) in Pierce County, Washington, immediately south of Puyallup. The population was 64,708 at time of the 2020 census, up from 52,431 in 2010. The area primarily consists of suburban housing and shopping with several retail shopping centers, residential neighborhoods, and apartment/condo complexes throughout. Most commercial areas are located along the main thoroughfare, Meridian Avenue (SR161). Major neighborhoods include Manorwood, Sunrise (Sunrise Master Association), Lipoma Firs, Silvercreek, and Gem Heights. There are also a few popular public parks: Bradley Lake Park, South Hill Community Park/Nathan Chapman Memorial Trail and Wildwood Park. The area was first settled in the 1880s after a military road was built through the area in the 1850s. Several logging camps, farms, and hunting grounds sprouted up as the area was settled. It also was the main route to the towns of Kapowsin and Eatonville (Meridian Avenue or SR 161). Population growth was slow until after World War II, when roads improved and people could commute to nearby Tacoma, Fort Lewis, and Seattle.

Lake Kapowsin is a lake in Pierce County, Washington, about halfway between Tacoma on Puget Sound, and Mount Rainier in the Cascade Mountains. The lake is 2.5 miles (4.0 km) long and 0.15–0.5 miles (0.24–0.80 km) wide, lying in a channel formed by meltwater from the Puget lobe of the Vashon glacier during the Pleistocene glaciation. A small island, Jaybird Island, lies in the northern half of the lake. As indicated by a drowned forest in the lake and other evidence, the Puyallup River was inundated about 550 years ago by a lahar from Mount Rainier called the Electron Mudflow. The mudflow partially filled the channel (leading to its shallow, smooth bottom today) and blocked Ohop Creek's outlet, forming present-day Lake Kapowsin.: A69–A70 The Tacoma Rail shortline runs along the west side of the lake, as does Orville Road connecting Eatonville to the south with the town of Kapowsin. The lake contains a number of fish species and is stocked with rainbow trout, rated "excellent" for fishing by Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, as is the yellow perch.

Elk Plain is a census-designated place (CDP) in Pierce County, Washington, United States. The population was 14,534 at the 2020 census.

Ohop Valley is an agricultural region in Pierce County, Washington, United States. It is located between Electron and Eatonville, and contains the unincorporated settlement of Ohop. Ohop Creek, which runs through the valley, feeds into Ohop Lake and its waters eventually join the Puyallup River. Prior to settlement in the 1880s by Norwegian immigrants, the area was owned by local Native Americans who assisted new farmers. The town of Ohop also had a small mineral spring that was used to bring tourists to the area, along with its views of nearby Mount Rainier. The Ohop Valley also remains a hub for local logging.Part of the valley is now owned by a land trust managed by the Nisqually Indian Tribe to restore salmon habitat near Ohop Creek. One of the historic barns in the Ohop Valley was acquired by the Eatonville School District and is planned to house a STEM agricultural education campus.

Orting is a city in Pierce County, Washington, United States. The population was 9,041 at the 2020 census.

Orting High School is a high school located in Orting, Washington that serves students from grades 9–12 in the Orting and surrounding areas. The mascot is the Cardinal, and the Orting Cardinals was a member of the Nisqually League. OHS is now part of the SPSL 2A league.

The Bridge for Kids is a proposed bridge across the Carbon River in Orting, Washington, about a mile upstream of where it joins the Puyallup River. It would provide an emergency evacuation route for school children to escape a future lahar flow from Mount Rainier, consisting of an up to 10-meter (33 ft) high flood of mud, rock and boulders. As of 2016, the $40 million bridge was still in the planning phase.