Lakewood Lights Up

Lakewood, Washington is lighting up along its city streets and in its gardens. This suburban community near Tacoma has one of the most colorful urban forests in Washington.

True to its name, Lakewood is a city of lakes, with enticing lake homes and lots of fall color ringing them, lining its many boulevards and in its parks. Bigleaf maple, paper birch, Pacific dogwood and Oregon grape provide the native color, supplemented with exotic sugar maple, tulip trees and others.

Near Puget Sound and Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Lakewood has only been a city since 1996, but has since made a big impact in Pierce County, where it is the third-largest municipality, behind Tacoma and Auburn.

Ellie Wilson, a native Californian, retired teacher and longtime resident of Lakewood, shares her love for her beautiful town and its stunning location with her fellow Californians.