Overview
Bonney Lake is an eastern suburb of Tacoma located on Lake Tapps between Mount Rainier and Puget Sound. It is popular for its lakeside recreation and mild year-round temperatures. In addition, its proximity to the Seattle metro area makes it popular for active adults.
Climate & Geography
Located in Western Washington, Bonney Lake has a warm-summer mediterranean climate. There are four distinct seasons with warm summers and cool winters. The area is famously wet with higher than average rainfall and little snowfall. Residents can expect 140 days of sunshine on average.
The city is in the foothills of Mount Rainier with the Mount Rainier National Park to the east. The area is hilly and heavily wooded, and Lake Tapps is on the city’s northern border. The marine air of Puget Sound helps moderate temperatures, preventing extreme variations between seasons.
Recreation, Culture, & Entertainment
Lake Tapps is the center of outdoor recreation in Bonney Lake. It has 45 miles of shoreline, two large public parks, a golf course, and plenty of access to fishing, swimming, and boating. Carbon River, just south of the city, is a popular glacier-fed river with hiking paths and waterfalls. Mount Rainier National Park is just east of the city as well with multiple hiking trails and scenic views.
Though Bonney Lake doesn’t have a formal downtown area, it has plenty of large, brand-name shops for daily amenities. In addition, Tacoma is a half-hour away with multiple museums, art galleries, and breweries. Seattle is just under an hour north and features Pike Place Market, one of the oldest continuously operating farmers markets in the country.
Cost of Living & Taxes
The cost of living in Bonney Lake is higher than the national average, which is mainly because of high housing costs. Transportation costs are also above average. Like the rest of Washington, utilities and health care are far below the national average.
Washington has no state income tax, meaning all forms of retirement income are untaxed. State property taxes are low, whereas Bonney Lake’s 9.3 percent sales tax is among the highest in the country.
Health Care
The Seattle metro area ranks in the top 55 communities on Gallup’s Well-Being Index. According to the same survey, Washington ranks in the top 13 states.
There are no hospitals in Bonney Lake. The closest high performing hospital rated by U.S. News is MultiCare Good Samaritan Hospital, located six miles away in Puyallup. Other high performing hospitals in Tacoma include St. Joseph Medical Center-Tacoma and MultiCare Tacoma General Hospital. Additionally, Seattle has two nationally ranked hospitals: University of Washington Medical Center and Virginia Mason Medical Center.