Parkland, Washington

Parkland, Washington
Census-designated place
Location of Parkland, Washington
Coordinates: 47°8′28″N 122°26′16″W / 47.14111°N 122.43778°W / 47.14111; -122.43778
Country	United States
State	Washington
County	Pierce
Area
• Total	7.4 sq mi (19.1 km2)
• Land	7.4 sq mi (19.1 km2)
• Water	0.0 sq mi (0.1 km2)
Elevation	377 ft (115 m)
Population  (April 1, 2020)
• Total	38,623
• Density	5,200/sq mi (2,000/km2)
Time zone	UTC-8 (Pacific (PST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-7 (PDT)
ZIP codes	98444-98446
Area code	253
FIPS code	53-53335[1]
GNIS feature ID	1512548[2]

Parkland is a census-designated place (CDP) in Pierce County, Washington. The population was 35,803 at the time of the 2010 census and had grown to 38,623 as of the 2020 census.^[3] It is an unincorporated suburb of the city of Tacoma and is home to Pacific Lutheran University.

Parkland borders most of Tacoma's southern cutoff at 96th St, and borders with much of the northern cutoff of Spanaway, Washington, at 152nd St (or Military Rd E).

The most influential motorway is State Route 7/Pacific Ave, which travels north and south, and leads from Interstate 5 in Tacoma all the way to Mount Rainier. Pacific Ave is also a main commercial corridor through much of the county, including Parkland.

It was given its name by early white settlers for the park-like nature of the vast Garry Oak and blue camas flower prairie, and the many meandering creeks crossing it. In 1890, Norwegian-Americans from the Midwest chose this area as the site of their new college, which is now Pacific Lutheran University, home to 3,500 full-time students and the Lutes varsity sports teams.^{[definition needed]}