Welcome to Auburn, WAThe city of Auburn is located in King and Pierce Counties in the state of Washington, and is conveniently situated 20 miles south of Seattle and 15 miles northeast of Tacoma. Although Auburn was founded before either of these cities had suburbs, it is now considered to be a suburb of both, and part of the Seattle metropolitan area. The region was first inhabited by Skopamish, Smalhkamish, and Stkamish Indian tribes, and it wasn’t until the 1830s that the area was explored by land seekers and traders from the East Coast. Beginning in 1850, settlers began arriving in the Green River Valley where Auburn is now located, but due to conflicts with the Native tribes of the region, initial attempts at building a town were marked with tragedy and failure. After a treaty was written and the Muckleshoot reservation was established in King County, settlers began returning to the area and established a town named “Slaughter,” in honor of Lieutenant William Slaughter, who died in the area during a skirmish with Indians in 1855. The first hotel in the town was oddly given the gruesome name of “Slaughter House.” Although older residents were comfortable with it, newcomers felt that “Slaughter” was an unappealing name for their settlement and by 1893, they had renamed the town “Auburn,” inspired by the first line of the poem The Deserted Village, by Oliver Goldsmith: “Sweet Auburn! Loveliest village of the plain.”
Today the city of Auburn has a growing population of over 48,000 people, who take pride in their city’s long history of agriculture, business and industry. Auburn provides its residents with many big-city amenities, such as shopping, dining, arts, and theater. Auburn is home to the SuperMall of the Great Northwest, which offers many brand name and specialty stores. The city also boasts two active art galleries, over 20 public art works, and a performing arts center that hosts a wide range of performances, including the Auburn Symphony Orchestra and the Seattle Shakespeare Company. Although these features bring the essence of a bustling urban center to Auburn, the atmosphere of the city is warm and inviting, much like that of “small town America.” Auburn takes great care to preserve and restore its historic buildings, which includes a distinctive downtown full of the locally owned shops and restaurants that form the city’s identity. Auburn’s historic downtown hosts many of the city’s festivals and events, including the largest Veteran’s Day Parade west of the Mississippi.
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