What It’s Really Like Living in Downtown Sumner, Washington
What is it really like living in downtown Sumner day to day? MoveToTacoma.com creator Marguerite Martin went right to the source, Kylee Hill, who has lived in downtown Sumner for over 20 years to find out. They walked Main Street, visited local shops, biked across town for dinner, and ended up at Loyalty Park on a Monday afternoon in April when it was 70 degrees and people were firing up grills. This is what Kylee had to say.
If you’re thinking about moving to Downtown Sumner this video is a great introduction to what life is really like for the people who live there. Kylee has lived in Downtown Sumner for over 20 years and shares the things she loves most as she and Marguerite walk and bike around the community.
Where is downtown Sumner?
Sumner is a small city in Pierce County, about 25 minutes southeast of downtown Tacoma. The drive over is scenic Mount Rainier gets bigger in your windshield the whole way. Once you hit the city limit the speed limit drops to 25 miles an hour. Kylee says she rolls the windows down when she gets into town, which tells you a lot about the pace of life there.
Sumner sits right off Highway 167, which connects it to the rest of the region. The Sounder commuter train station is right in downtown, which makes commuting to Seattle regularly pretty straightforward.
What is the commute like from downtown Sumner?
This is one of the things that surprises people about Sumner. Here are some rough drive times:
- Downtown Tacoma: 20 to 25 minutes
- Sea-Tac Airport: around 30 minutes
- JBLM / Olympia: about 45 minutes
- Downtown Seattle by car: around an hour in commute traffic
Most people who commute to Seattle don’t drive it. They walk to the Sounder train station in downtown Sumner and ride 47 minutes straight into the city. Kylee mentioned that a new connection between I-5 and 167 is also in the works, which will make getting in and out even easier.
How much does it cost to buy a house in downtown Sumner?
The median home price in downtown Sumner is right around $540,000, which is very close to the Pierce County median overall. The housing stock is a genuine mix — early 1900s homes from when the town was first being developed, mid-century pockets from the 50s, and new construction throughout. Kylee started in a new construction home built in the early 2000s and eventually moved to something with a bigger lot on the other side of town. There is something for a lot of different buyers here.
What is there to do in downtown Sumner?
More than most people expect, and almost all of it is within a short walk or bike ride of each other. Tacoma real estate agent Marguerite Martin and Kylee spent a full day exploring and this is what they found.
On Main Street there is a great vintage shop Inta Vintage with an upstairs full of vinyl, cassettes, furniture, and multiple vendors with some genuinely good finds. Simple Tidings & Kitchen is Kylee’s go-to for client and friend gifts, the kind of shop that has everything you wouldn’t think to buy for yourself. A Good Book is one of the better independent bookstores in the South Sound. Downtown Sumner in general was bustling on a Monday afternoon.
For food and drink, Kylee and Marguerite biked over to Township 20. They have 20 beers on tap, are kid friendly and dog friendly. Marguerite and Kylee biked there from across town in under 10 minutes for dinner. Electric Coffee at the end of the strip has coffee, food, and drinks, and a drive-through that Kylee describes as something of a local secret. You have to know the drive through is there, but it’s important because it’s the only one in downtown!
The community events calendar runs all year. From art walks to wine walks to concerts in the park. And then there are the parades. Sumner is a parade town. Most South Sound people know about the Daffodil Parade. Kylee says the Homecoming Parade is the real one to see. Every group in the school walks through downtown, not just the sports teams, and the whole town shows up to watch. Friday Night Lights energy, and not just for football.
Loyalty Park
Loyalty Park sits in the heart of downtown Sumner. Recently updated with fully accessible equipment and open green space, it’s about a 10 minute walk to the high school and a 10 minute walk to the shops. On weekends it hosts parties and gatherings. On a random Monday afternoon in April it was already hopping.
What are the schools in downtown Sumner?
Downtown Sumner is served by the Sumner-Bonney Lake School District. The schools that serve the downtown area are:
- Daffodil Valley Elementary (PK-5): 1509 Valley Ave
- Maple Lawn Elementary (PK-5): 230 Wood Ave
- Sumner Middle School (6-8): 1508 Willow St
- Sumner High School (9-12): 1707 Main St
School boundaries change, so always confirm directly with the Sumner-Bonney Lake School District for the most current information. Kylee’s husband is an educator and she named the schools as a top consideration when they chose to put down roots here. That’s a data point worth having.
What do the neighbors like about living in downtown Sumner?
When asked about what she loved about living in Downtown Sumner, Kylee’s answer is the peace and quiet. A little unexpected from someone who lives in the middle of a downtown. It makes sense when you visit- there’s a pace to Sumner that’s different. She goes to Fred Meyer three or four times a day because it’s five minutes away and it genuinely isn’t a big deal. Small town living means the town knows you back, as they were filming this video Kylee kept running into friends, neighbors, and friends of her kids.
MoveToTacoma.com creator Marguerite Martin has been interviewing real people about real neighborhoods in the South Sound for over a decade. Watch the full video about living in Sumner above to see everything they visited, and visit MoveToTacoma.com for dozens more neighborhood guides, hundreds of podcast episodes about living in Tacoma, and help finding your place in the South Sound.
What other neighborhoods are close to Sumner?
Downtown Puyallup – Like Sumner, Downtown Puyallup’s historic downtown neighborhood offers a small-town vibe. Puyallup is filled with local businesses that have been owned and operated by the same families for generations. Downtown Puyallup is down the hill from the newer South Hill neighborhood of Puyallup. Downtown is a bustling expanse of well connected neighborhoods, restaurants, businesses, shopping and schools. You can learn more from our article “What it’s like living in Puyallup.”
Edgewood – Edgewood has a variety of housing, but many of the properties are still on larger pieces of land than average. Folks looking to have a rural feeling lifestyle while still being close to everything love Edgewood.
Bonney Lake – Bonney Lakes feel is definitely more suburban than small town. The Lake Tapps/Bonney Lake area offers a big variety of planned communities and new construction. Bonney Lake also has lakefront homes and homes with views of the Puyallup Valley and Mt. Rainier.
More resources for Moving to Sumner, Washington:
Sumner Bonney Lake School District
Best Cities to Buy a House with Land in Pierce County
Thinking about moving to Sumner?
Tacoma real estate agent Marguerite Martin spends most of her time connecting people moving to the South Sound with agents who know their neighborhoods inside and out. Check out, “Thinking of Moving to Tacoma?” on the blog. Sumner has local experts who’ve lived here for years and know it the way only a neighbor can. That’s who you want walking you through it. Click here to schedule a call with Marguerite.
What is Move to Tacoma?
Move to Tacoma is a podcast, neighborhood guide, and blog about Tacoma, Washington created by Tacoma Real Estate Agent Marguerite Martin. Marguerite is Tacoma real estate agent, blogger, and podcaster who has been selling houses in Tacoma since 2005.
In 2015 she created MovetoTacoma.com to help people learn more about Tacoma neighborhoods and what it’s really like living in Tacoma. She is the interviewer on the Move to Tacoma Podcast and the host on the Move to Tacoma Youtube Channel. In 2016 she was awarded the the Popham Award by the Tacoma Chamber of Commerce. The Popham Award honors the individual in the City of Tacoma that has done the most to build community spirit.
Looking for a real estate agent? Marguerite is a matchmaker. Contact her for an introduction to the best real estate agents in Tacoma and beyond.
How Move to Tacoma Works
Here at Move to Tacoma we’ve been helping people find their place (and their real estate agent) in Tacoma for over a decade. We recommend choosing a local agent that lives and works in Tacoma and knows all the nuances of pricing, neighborhoods, and the condition (and quirks!) of these historic homes.
Here at MovetoTacoma.com we help people find their place in the City of Destiny. If you or a friend are looking to buy a home in Tacoma and would like help learning about Tacoma neighborhoods and finding a real estate agent please reach out to us! You can click the contact form on MovetoTacoma.com. You can also schedule a one-on-one with Marguerite on zoom by clicking here.
Step 1: Explore the Clickable Neighborhood Map of Tacoma
Our clickable neighborhood map of Tacoma’s neighborhoods is our pride and joy. Click through to find images and videos of each neighborhood. The Neighborhood guides on the map also include median home price information, blog posts about the neighborhoods, podcast episodes about the neighborhoods, and candid quotes from local neighbors.
Step 2: Listen to the Move to Tacoma Podcast
The best way to learn about Tacoma is to hear from the people who live here. On the Move to Tacoma Podcast Marguerite interviews Tacomans who’ve been here generations and Tacomans who just got here. From business and technology leaders to politicians and activists and everyone in between. The Move to Tacoma Podcast will give you insight into why people move here and how they find meaning and happiness in Tacoma.
Step 3: Read the Blog Posts on MovetoTacoma.com
On the Move to Tacoma Blog we have been writing about things to do in Tacoma, where to eat in Tacoma, hot button community topics, neighborhoods and more since 2015. There are hundreds of posts to help you find what you love in the City of Destiny. From posts about where to eat and drink to interviews with locals- the blog is a great place to keep up one what’s happening in Tacoma and Pierce County.
Step 4: Get Realtor Referral from a Local Realtor
Marguerite Martin is a different kind of Tacoma real estate agent. Reach out to find out answers to questions you have about neighborhoods in Tacoma and Pierce County. When the time is right to start looking, Marguerite can connect you with a local real estate agent who specializes in the neighborhoods you love most. You can see reviews from past clients who’ve worked with Marguerite on Yelp and on Google.
