The city of Kent, Washington serves a population of approximately 120,000. The city of Kent is the third largest city within King County and is a suburb of Seattle. The population has just grown, but due mainly to annexation, not to an arrival of new inhabitants. Neighboring towns comprise Federal Way, Auburn, unincorporated King County and part of Covington to the south, Renton and Tukwila towards the north, Federal Way, Des Moines and SeaTac towards the west, and Covington towards the east. Mt. Rainier can be seen towards the southeast.
Kent consists of three areas: the Valley, West Hill and East Hill. The downtown core lies within the Valley. Kent has a total area of 73.2 km2, wherein 0.6 km2 is water and 72.6 km2 is land. Kent has the second biggest warehouse district within the country. The Green River runs north through the city of Kent on its way to Puget Sound. The East Hill region has a big lake known as Lake Meridian.
The city of Kent was first called Titusville after it was established by European-Americans settlers during the early part of the eighteen sixties. There is still a visible "Titusville Station" sign that could be found on Gowe St. Hops were the focus of the economy in the town since a lot of its earnings came from the grain during the 1880s. Within Europe, an aphid infestation had destroyed hops crops, boosting the price of hops from the Puget Sound region where hops were shipped by river or rail transportation from Titusville. A local invasion of aphids ultimately ended the production of hops within the valley. Titusville was given a different name, after Kent County in England. Kent was established as a city in the year 1890 with a population of 793.
Companies like for instance REI, Oberto Sausage Company and Seattle Bicycle Supply have their head offices in the city of Kent. Kent likewise has a huge Boeing plant. The fertile valley before is presently covered with several warehouses due in part to Kent's part as a center for transportation routes. The sprawling warehouse district is used for regional distribution by companies such as General Electric Appliances and Whirlpool Corporation.
Kent has just undergone a revitalization drive with the development of the ancillary shopping area and Kent Station.