Why visit Fife
Townapedia lists 26 museums and landmarks, 32 parks and trails, 37 places to eat, 12 places to stay and 6 attractions in and around town.
Highlights include Bridge of Glass, East 21st Street Bridge, Albers Brothers Mill and East 34th Street Bridge.
August is the warmest month, with average highs of 77°F; December lows average 37°F.
Weather in Fife
Forecast from the National Weather Service. Full forecast
About Fife
Fife (Lushootseed: stəx̌ugʷiɬ) is a city in Pierce County, Washington, United States and a suburb of Tacoma. The population was 10,999 at the 2020 census. Fife is contained within the Puyallup Indian Reservation and bisected by Interstate 5. It is east of Tacoma and the Port of Tacoma.
From the Wikipedia article Fife, Washington (this version), under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Things to do6
University of Washington Tacoma
School · 4.2 mi
Campus of the University of Washington located in Tacoma, Washington, USA
Wild Hare Organic Farm
Farm and orchard · 1.0 mi
4520 River Road East, Tacoma
Tu 12:00-19:00; We 10:00-17:00; Sa 09:00-14:00
Wild Waves Theme Park
Monument and historic site · 3.3 mi
Amusement park and water park in Federal Way, Washington, United States
Museums and landmarks26
Albers Brothers Mill
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 4.0 mi
United States historic place
East 34th Street Bridge
Bridge · National Register of Historic Places · 3.7 mi
Bridge in United States of America
Engine House No. 11
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 3.3 mi
Historic firehouse in Tacoma, Washington state, USA
Engine House No. 4
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 3.7 mi
Historic firehouse in Tacoma, Washington state, USA
Ezra Meeker Mansion
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 4.0 mi
Mansion in Puyallup, Washington
Fire Station No. 15
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 3.7 mi
Fire station in Tacoma, Washington, United States
Fire Station No. 2
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 4.2 mi
Fire station in Tacoma, United States of America
Fireboat Station
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 4.1 mi
Historic fire station in Tacoma, Washington state, USA
Murray Morgan Bridge
Bridge · National Register of Historic Places · 4.1 mi
Bridge in Tacoma, WA
MV Kalakala
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 3.4 mi
Ship
Union Station
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 4.1 mi
Former railway station in Tacoma, Washington, United States
Children's Museum of Tacoma
Museum · 4.2 mi
Located in Tacoma, Washington, US
14 more on the map.
Parks, trails and playgrounds32
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Don Pugnetti Park
Park · 4.1 mi
Public park in Tacoma, Washington, U.S
Place of Circling Waters
Hiking and trails · 1.9 mi
1621 Marine View Drive, Tacoma
dawn-dusk
20 more on the map.
Restaurants and cafes37
Dutch Bros. Coffee
Cafe · Coffee Shop · 0.8 mi
5314 Pacific Highway East, Fife
Mo-Th 05:00-22:00; Fr-Sa 05:00-23:00; Su 05:00-22:00
River Road Lodge
Bar and pub · 2.1 mi
7824 River Road East, Puyallup
Mo-We 12:00-24:00, Th-Sa 12:00-26:00, Su 12:00-24:00
25 more on the map.
History
The lower Puyallup basin is the ancestral home of the Puyallup people, who were relocated after the signing of the Medicine Creek Treaty in 1854. The treaty ceded Puyallup lands and created the Puyallup Indian Reservation, which was expanded to include modern-day Fife. The land on which the city sits was lost after the signing of the General Allotment Act in 1887 and other land transfers that were later resolved in a 1990 claims settlement.
The first white settlers arrived in the late 1890s. Fife may have been named for William J. Fife, a prominent Tacoma lawyer, Yukon prospector, once head of the Washington National Guard, and a lieutenant colonel in the field during the Philippine–American War. There is also a historic county of Scotland and former Pictish kingdom called Fife, which could also be a source of the city's name.
In 1940, Fife was described as "at a valley crossroads in the midst of a thickly settled berry growing and truck-gardening district is represented by a string of markets, taverns, shops, and a large, balloon-roofed dance hall along the highway." The 1940 population was 135. It had a large Japanese American population until Executive Order 9066 forced residents into internment camps.
From the History section of Fife, Washington on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Where to stay12
Emerald Queen Casino & Hotel
Motel and hotel · 0.7 mi
5700 Pacific Highway East, Fife
Churches and places of worship11
Christ Episcopal Church
Church · National Register of Historic Places · 3.8 mi
Shopping9
Gas and EV charging18
Schools, colleges and libraries45
Bates Technical College - Open Doors
School · 4.7 mi
1101 South Yakima Ave., Tacoma
Healthcare3
Map of Fife
199 places. The map loads OpenStreetMap tiles when you open it.
Climate by month
Monthly table
| Month | High | Low | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 48°F | 37°F | 6.0 in |
| Feb | 50°F | 37°F | 4.0 in |
| Mar | 55°F | 40°F | 4.4 in |
| Apr | 60°F | 44°F | 3.4 in |
| May | 66°F | 49°F | 2.0 in |
| Jun | 71°F | 53°F | 1.4 in |
| Jul | 77°F | 57°F | 0.6 in |
| Aug | 77°F | 57°F | 0.8 in |
| Sep | 71°F | 53°F | 1.6 in |
| Oct | 61°F | 47°F | 4.1 in |
| Nov | 52°F | 40°F | 6.5 in |
| Dec | 47°F | 37°F | 6.0 in |
U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020 for Tacoma #1 (3 mi away), NOAA NCEI.
People and cost of living
American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020-2024, U.S. Census Bureau. Estimates have margins of error, larger for small towns.
Disaster history
Pierce County has had 13 federal disaster declarations since 2000, most often for severe storms.
- 2026-04-07: Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides (Flood)
- 2025-12-12: Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides (Flood)
- 2020-09-09: Sumner Grade Fire (Fire)
- 2020-03-22: Covid-19 Pandemic (Biological)
- 2020-03-13: Covid-19 (Biological)
- 2012-03-05: Severe Winter Storm, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides (Severe Storm)
OpenFEMA disaster declarations summaries.
Getting there and nearby towns
McChord Field (TCM) is the nearest airport with scheduled flights listed in OpenStreetMap, 9 miles away.
- Edgewood 3 mi east, about 5 min by car
- Tacoma 5 mi west, about 9 min by car
- Federal Way 6 mi north, about 9 min by car
- Auburn 8 mi northeast, about 13 min by car
- Bonney Lake 9 mi east, about 15 min by car
- Frederickson 10 mi south, about 16 min by car
- Des Moines 11 mi north, about 18 min by car
- Kent 13 mi northeast, about 20 min by car
- Elk Plain 13 mi south, about 21 min by car
- Covington 15 mi northeast, about 24 min by car
Drive times are estimates from straight-line distance, not routes.
Local news
Headlines from INDB, the NEMICO news database.
Reviews, tips and questions
Loading what members have shared...
Sources and licences
- NCES EDGE (Public domain): public schools
- NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020 (Public domain): climate by month
- OpenFEMA (Public domain): disaster declarations
- OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL 1.0): places, airports, map data
- U.S. Census Bureau (Public domain): population, income, housing, education, commute
- Wikidata (CC0 1.0): elevation, founding date, time zone, website, landmarks and historic places
- Wikimedia Commons (see each image): photos
- Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0): overview and history text
Photo credits
- Northern Tacoma (10132928235), Atomic Taco from Seattle, WA, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Albers Brothers Mill, Ben Cody, Public domain
- Tacoma Fireboat Station 2, Benjamin Cody, Public domain
- East 34th Street Bridge, Ben Cody, Public domain
- Fire Station No. 2, Ben Cody, Public domain
- Christ Episcopal Church - Puyallup, Ben Cody, Public domain
- Engine House No. 11, Murderbike, Public domain
- Ezra Meeker Mansion 2, Ben Cody, Public domain
- Fire station no. 15 006, Ben Cody, Public domain
- Tacoma Union Station Outside, ZhengZhou, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Engine House No. 4, Ben Cody, Public domain
- East 21st Street Bridge, Tacoma underside, Mike Lane, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Tacoma, WA - Tacoma Art Museum 01, Joe Mabel, CC BY-SA 3.0
- UW Tacoma - 01, Joe Mabel, CC BY-SA 3.0
- WA State Hist Museum 24, Joe Mabel, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Tacoma, WA - Holy Rosary Parish Church 01, Joe Mabel, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Museum of Glass, Washington, Lethargilistic, CC0
- Tacoma, Washington (May 2023) - 030, Another Believer, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Wild Waves Theme Park - Federal Way WA, Jessica Spengler from Hove, United Kingdom, CC BY 2.0
- Bridge of Glass (Tacoma, Washington), Visitor7, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Don Pugnetti Park, Lethargilistic, CC0
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