Fife
Community Information
Fife, WA Website
Years ago, Fife was
known only for its fertile land and prolific truck farms. Today it is also a
busy commercial and industrial city, intersected by Interstate 5. With its central
location and moderately priced accommodations, Fife makes a popular base from
which to explore Pierce County's many nearby attractions. Fife is also adjacent
to the Port of Tacoma and site of the World Trade Center. The Fife International
Festival is held in August each year. Its brand-name factory outlets draw shoppers
year-round, and wonderfully fresh produce is sold at farmer's markets next to
several truck farms on a seasonal basis. The 3,700 residents of Fife enjoy an
excellent quality of life with good schools, a low crime, plenty of recreational
opportunities and low housing prices. Single-family homes can be found in the
low $100,000s and range up to $300,000 for new model houses. A select few estate
homes are also available featuring views of the Olympic Mountain ranges including
Mt. Rainier.
The history of Fife dates back to 1856. Members of the Puyallup Indian Tribe
were the first permanent residents of Fife. They revised the Medicine Creek Indian
Treaty and occupied the reservation that stretched roughly from Puyallup to Browns
Point. Fife quickly became Potlatch Headquarters for the Puyallup, Nisqually
and Squaxin Indian Tribes. This meant it also was the trading post for supplies
and some of the biggest pow-wows north of the Puyallup River.
The name Fife was chosen in 1883 by the early settlers
in honor of Colonel W. H. Fife who settled some of the Indian treaties
and engineered the first water system in Tacoma.
The fertile farm lands of Fife attracted many nationalities
including Italians, Swiss, Scandinavian and Japanese. Many of these
families and descendents still remain in our community and are a very
important part of Fife culture.
Fife has developed from a fertile farm area into a busy,
growing commercial, hotel and industrial city. Intersected by Interstate
5, it is close to Sea-Tac Airport and at the doorstep to the Port of
Tacoma. Fife is a natural location for manufacturing, retail and distribution
businesses.
Interstate
5 makes Fife a convenient and central location for tourists to visit
the Puget Sound's scenic attractions. With over 15 hotels and 22 restaurants
to fit every budget and need, Fife is a popular place for business
travel, for vacations, for meetings or for conventions. Whether you're
planning on taking a trip to the North Olympics, Seattle, Mount Rainier,
Mount St. Helens or Victoria, a day trip is easy to do to any of these
locations from Fife.
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