Federal Way
Federal Way was eyed for its logging potential in the late 1800s, but the community developed slowly. It was not until the early 1950s that the city's Chamber of Commerce officially accepted the community's name.
According to the Federal Way Historical Society, the city got its name from a federally funded road built on an old trail in the mid-1800s. The trail is now called Pacific Highway South.
By the 1960s, the community was growing fast, with many Weyerhaeuser executives and Boeing engineers making Federal Way their home. Community growth surged again in the mid-1970s after SeaTac Mall was built. The city was incorporated in 1990.
Federal Way is home to the Weyerhaeuser King County Aquatic Center, a bonsai collection museum and the Wild Waves and Enchanted Village amusement park. The headquarters of the international forest products giant, Weyerhaeuser Co. Ltd., is in Federal Way, as is World Vision International, a Christian relief organization that works to help impoverished communities and countries.
Federal Way and the surrounding area is characterized by urban wetlands and woodlands interspersed among booming retail stores and SeaTac Mall, where the big-name stores include The Bon Marche, Gap, American Eagle Outfitters, Bath & Body Works and As Seen on TV.