About Bonney Lake
Bonney Lake sits on the plateau roughly 500 feet above Sumner, straight up SR 410. It incorporated in 1949 as a lake town and grew into a city of about 22,500 as families traded valley prices for newer homes, bigger lots, and a straight shot to the lake. On a clear day Mount Rainier fills the windshield the entire way up the hill.
Lake Tapps is the reason most people first hear of the town. The city owns the south shore at Allan Yorke Park, a 45-acre park with a swimming beach, boat launch, skate park, and the stage that hosts the summer concert series. The retail that a city this size needs is all on the 410 corridor: Target, Fred Meyer, Home Depot, Safeway, and the usual restaurants.
Bonney Lake is a commuter city by choice. Most residents work in the valley, Tacoma, or south King County and come home to quieter streets and a view.
Living in Bonney Lake
Neighborhoods break into the lakeshore (Inlet Island, Church Lake, and the streets off West Tapps Highway), the older core around Midtown Park and the old downtown on 410, and the newer master-planned areas to the south, including Tehaleh, which carries a Bonney Lake mailing address but sits in unincorporated Pierce County. Victor Falls Park and the Fennel Creek and Flume Line trails cover the outdoors between shopping trips to the lake.
The commute is the trade-off: 410 down the hill to Sumner and SR 167 or SR 512 is the only real route, so plan around the morning and 5 pm backups. The Sumner Sounder station is about fifteen minutes away; Pierce Transit serves the 410 corridor. Hospitals are MultiCare Good Samaritan in Puyallup or St. Elizabeth in Enumclaw, each about twenty minutes.
School districts
Boundaries change; confirm the assigned school for a specific address with the district before you apply.
- Sumner-Bonney Lake School District (opens in a new tab)Serves most of the city: Bonney Lake High School, Mountain View and Lakeridge middle schools, and the Bonney Lake, Crestwood, Donald Eismann, Emerald Hills, Victor Falls, and Tehaleh Heights elementaries.
- White River School District (opens in a new tab)Some addresses on the plateau's south and east edges toward Buckley (White River High School).
- Dieringer School District (opens in a new tab)K-8 district for parts of the north Lake Tapps shore that use a Bonney Lake mailing address.
Annual events in Bonney Lake
- Bonney Lake Days (opens in a new tab)Late August, Friday evening and all day Saturday at Allan Yorke Park. Stage shows, vendor booths, kids activities, and fireworks over Lake Tapps.
- Tunes at Tapps & Open Market (opens in a new tab)Wednesdays in July and August, 5 to 8 pm at Allan Yorke Park. Vendor market with a live band on the lakeside stage.
- National Night Out (opens in a new tab)First Tuesday in August at Allan Yorke Park; meet the police department and neighbors over a cookout.
Around Bonney Lake
(opens photo source and license in a new tab)The swimming beach at Allan Yorke Park. Photo via Wikimedia Commons.
(opens photo source and license in a new tab)Boat launch, south shore of Lake Tapps. Photo via Wikimedia Commons.
(opens photo source and license in a new tab)Plateau firs in Bonney Lake. Photo via Wikimedia Commons.
Photos via Wikimedia Commons contributors, used under Creative Commons licenses (CC BY / CC BY-SA). Click any photo for its source and license.
Other communities we serve
Renting or own property in Bonney Lake?
Our Sumner office is a short drive away. Call 253-863-6122 to schedule a showing, ask about the application process, or talk with us about managing your rental.