SUMNER, Wash. — KING 5 Mornings is out and about this week, seeing what various areas around western Washington have to offer. The series "5 cities, 5 days" spotlights five western Washington communities and the true gems that make these places special.
We visited Sumner, a city in Pierce County about 10 miles east of Tacoma.
5 things you didn't know about Sumner:
- Sumner is the Rhubarb Pie Capital of the World. The city is a leading producer of rhubarb and commemorates the title with an annual Rhubarb Days festival.
- It is the largest manufacturing center in Pierce County. While 10,000 people live in Sumner, 16,000 people work here, mostly in the Industrial Park in the north part of the city. Large companies like REI, Helly Hansen and the WOW Baking Company have headquarters in Sumner.
- The city of Sumner is one of few places where you can walk down the street and hear music playing through speakers. It's an effort to enhance the downtown area. The city also partnered with students from the University of Washington Tacoma to develop a plan to spruce up the alleys to make them more attractive and improve Main Street to be more walkable and welcoming.
- One of the best views of the White River and Mount Rainier is on the Sumner Link Trail, 5.5 miles of paved trail with picnic areas, workout facilities, trailheads and more. The goal is to someday connect this trail to the Interurban Trail to the north and the Foothills Trail to the south, linking Seattle all the way to Mount Rainier.
- Sumner is home to a large furniture warehouse that is a destination for people all over the Pacific Northwest. The Old Cannery Furniture Warehouse is one of the largest family-owned furniture stores on the west coast, but it’s more than just a store. It has a fudge shop where you can get more than two dozen different flavors of homemade fudge and seven scale-miles of suspended model trains.