Federal Way, Washington has a current population of around 89,500 people. The city is bordered by Puget Sound on the west, by Tacoma and Fife on the south, by Des Moines on the north and by Kent, unincorporated King County and Milton on the east. Federal Way is 37 km south of Seattle.
Federal Way was incorporated as a city in 1990. The region was originally a logging community. It was called "Federal Way" after Federal Highway U.S. 99, that was constructed through the area in order to connect the cities of Seattle and Everett along with the city of Tacoma. During the early 1950s, the city's Chamber of Commerce assumed the name.
Located in the city of Federal Way, is the biggest softwood timber business within the globe, Weyerhaeuser. The corporation has allowed much of its land to be utilized for public use. Some of the land is currently botanical gardens: the Pacific Rim Bonsai Collection and the Rhododendron Species Foundation and Botanical Garden. The United States headquarters of World Vision are situated in Federal Way.
The city of Federal Way boasts numerous parks and playgrounds, while among the most essential recreational landmarks is the Weyerhaeuser King County Aquatic Center. It played host to the 1990 Goodwill Games. Celebration Park is one more important recreation facility, featuring sports fields and trails.
Federal Way is the home of Wild Waves Theme Park, the biggest amusement park within the area. The theme park is on the south side of the city and consists of an Enchanted Village. The park was bought during 2007 by Parc Management LLC of Jacksonville, Florida, for more than $30 million.
Federal Way's characteristic semi-urban development features landscaped off-street shopping centers and multi-structure apartment complexes. Federal Way has just one indoor shopping center, Commons at Federal Way, located on S 320th St. and Pacific Hwy South close to Interstate 5, the main exit of the city. A recent multi-use development is United Properties' "Symphony" project. This major downtown redevelopment project features four 15-22 story towers consisting of a big park, 900 housing units and 5,600 m2 of office and retail space. The development is built on the previous AMC Theatres cinema property and is convenient to the city's transit center.