Downtown Puyallup vs. South Hill: What Is the Difference?

If you only learn one thing about Puyallup's geography, make it this. Downtown and South Hill share a name and a ZIP code prefix, and they are different places to live.

Buyers who are certain they want one sometimes tour the other and change their minds. Here is the comparison I give before the first showing.

The short comparison

Where exactly is each one?

Downtown is the area around Meridian, Pioneer Avenue, and Main Avenue, on the south side of the Puyallup River. The fairgrounds sit just southwest of the center. The older residential blocks spread out from there to the east, west, and south until the ground starts to rise.

South Hill begins where Meridian climbs out of the valley. The lower part, including the hospital area, the regional mall, and neighborhoods such as Manorwood, is inside the Puyallup city limits. Keep driving south and you leave the city, though nothing on the road tells you so. From there it is unincorporated Pierce County for miles, home to roughly 65,000 people according to the last census.

So "South Hill" covers two governments. That detail matters when you get to utilities and services.

The feel

Downtown feels like a town. Low buildings, a park in the middle, a library, a train platform, and people on foot. On a Saturday in summer the farmers market fills the park. On a weekday morning it is quiet.

South Hill feels like a suburb. Meridian is a wide commercial road lined with shopping centers. Turn off it and you are in residential neighborhoods, many with entrance signs, curving streets, and cul-de-sacs.

Neither description is a criticism. People choose each one on purpose.

Homes

Downtown and the valley

• Age: A large share were built before 1960. Craftsman bungalows, farmhouses, cottages, and mid-century ramblers.
• Character: Covered porches, original trim, mature trees.
• Lots: Modest frontage, often deep. Alleys in some blocks.
• Garages: Frequently detached, single-car, or converted.
• Newer options: Townhomes, condos, and apartments have been built near the station and the core.

What buyers should expect: older systems. Ask about wiring, plumbing, the sewer line, insulation, and the foundation. A good inspection is essential. I often suggest a sewer scope on older homes.

South Hill

• Age: Lower South Hill has homes from the 1960s through the 1980s. Farther south, the 1990s, 2000s, and current construction dominate.
• Style: Split-levels and ramblers in the older parts. Two-story homes with attached two- or three-car garages in the newer parts.
• Lots: Wider in the older subdivisions. Smaller in the newest ones.
• Associations: Common in developments from the late 1980s on.
• Planned communities: Sunrise, Silver Creek, Gem Heights, and Lipoma Firs are among the larger names.

What buyers should expect: more predictable systems, with roofs, furnaces, and water heaters on a replacement cycle. Check whether the home is on sewer or septic, and read the association documents.

Daily errands

Downtown: You can walk to coffee, a meal, the library, the park, and the market. For a full grocery run or a hardware store, most residents drive a few minutes.

South Hill: Every national retailer you can think of is along Meridian. You will drive to all of it, and you will learn which times to avoid.

A fair summary: downtown has less, closer. South Hill has more, farther.

Traffic and commuting

This is where the two differ most in daily experience.

From downtown, you are minutes from State Route 512, State Route 167, and River Road toward Tacoma. The Sounder station is in the center of town. Morning and evening backups on the highways affect you, but you do not have a long surface-street drive before you reach them.

From South Hill, your first leg is local roads. Meridian is the main route north to State Route 512, and it is slow at peak times. Residents use parallel routes such as 94th Avenue East, Shaw Road, and Canyon Road, depending on where they live. From the southern end of the plateau, the drive to a freeway can take as long as the freeway portion of the trip.

If you commute five days a week, test the South Hill leg at rush hour before you fall for a house there. I cover the corridors in my post on South Hill traffic.

Schools

Both areas are served mainly by the Puyallup School District, which has schools in the valley and on the hill. The district's three comprehensive high schools are spread between them.

Assignment depends on the address, and some parts of the plateau fall into neighboring districts. The district posts boundary maps. Verify with the district for any home you are considering. I do not rate schools.

City services versus county services

Inside the city limits, which includes downtown and lower South Hill, you generally have:

• Puyallup Police Department
• City water, sewer, and stormwater in most areas
• City-contracted garbage collection, which is required
• City permitting and zoning
• Resident rates for city recreation programs

In unincorporated South Hill you generally have:

• Pierce County Sheriff
• Water from a mutual water company or other provider
• Sewer in some areas and septic systems in others
• Your choice among the haulers that serve the address
• County permitting and zoning
• Non-resident rates for city programs

Check any address on the city's maps page or the county's About My Property tool.

Natural hazards

Downtown and the valley floor sit in a mapped lahar zone from Mount Rainier. Parts are also in the Puyallup River floodplain. The county operates warning sirens and tests them at noon on the first Monday of each month. Valley soils are also more prone to shaking and liquefaction in an earthquake.

South Hill is above the lahar and river flood zones. Its hazards are more ordinary: local drainage, and steep slopes along the edges of the plateau.

For some buyers this decides the question. For others, the valley's advantages outweigh it. Either way, look at the maps and talk to an insurance agent about flood and earthquake coverage. See my post on natural hazards in Puyallup.

Weather differences

A 450-foot difference in elevation is enough to notice.

• Snow: South Hill gets more, and it stays longer.
• Fog: The valley collects it on still mornings.
• Getting between them: The hills on Meridian, Shaw Road, and other connecting routes are the trouble spots on icy days.

It only matters a few days a year. If you live on one and work on the other, those days are memorable.

Noise and activity

Downtown: Train horns from the tracks through the center of town. Fair crowds, concerts, and fireworks for about three weeks around Labor Day. Parade and event days. Otherwise calm.

South Hill: Road noise near Meridian and the other arterials. Small-plane traffic near the county airport, Thun Field, at the south end. Inside most subdivisions, it is quiet.

Price patterns

I will not quote prices, because they change. The patterns hold up over time.

• A given budget usually buys a newer and larger house on South Hill than downtown.
• Updated older homes close to the downtown core carry a premium for location and character.
• The newest construction is on the south and east edges of the plateau.
• Condos and townhomes near downtown offer a lower-priced way into the walkable area.

Compare two homes at the same price, one in each area. It is the fastest way to see the trade.

Parks and recreation

Both areas are well served, in different ways.

Downtown and the valley have Pioneer Park at the center of town, the Riverwalk Trail along the river, the recreation center, the sports complex, Clarks Creek Park, and DeCoursey Park. Most are city parks, and several connect on foot or by bike.

South Hill has Bradley Lake Park and Wildwood Park inside the city, plus Pierce County's South Hill Community Park and Heritage Recreation Center fields farther south. Many planned communities add their own neighborhood parks and trails for residents.

If you want one large central park you can walk to, downtown has it. If you want a playground at the end of your own street, the planned communities on the plateau are more likely to offer that.

Internet, utilities, and bills

Monthly costs differ less by area than by the individual house, but a few patterns show up.

• Heating. Older valley homes may have older furnaces, less insulation, and original windows, which raises heating use. Newer South Hill homes are tighter.
• Water and sewer. City customers get one combined utility bill. On unincorporated South Hill you may have a separate water company and either a sewer bill or the periodic cost of pumping a septic tank.
• Association dues. Rare downtown outside of condos and townhomes. Common in the planned communities.
• Yard care. Mature trees and deep lots downtown mean leaves and pruning. Small newer lots mean very little.

Ask for twelve months of utility bills on any home you are serious about. It turns a guess into a number.

Resale considerations

Buyers sometimes ask which area holds value better. Over the long run, both have followed the broader Pierce County market. What differs is what future buyers will weigh.

Downtown homes sell on character, location, and walkability, and condition varies widely from house to house. A well-kept older home near the core has few direct substitutes.

South Hill homes sell on size, age, and condition, and there are usually several similar homes to compare against. That makes pricing more predictable and makes upkeep and updates more important to standing out.

In either area, the fundamentals I look at are the same: the lot, the layout, the street, and how well the home has been maintained.

Which one fits which priorities

Downtown tends to fit if you want:

• To walk to a park, restaurants, and the train
• A home with age and character
• A short hop to the highways
• City services and a say in city government

South Hill tends to fit if you want:

• A newer home with an attached garage
• More square footage for the money
• A subdivision setting with cul-de-sacs
• Shopping close at hand
• To be above the valley's flood and lahar zones

The middle ground

If you want some of each, look at:

• Lower South Hill inside the city. Established neighborhoods, city services, a few minutes to downtown and to State Route 512.
• The east side above Shaw Road. Newer homes with a quick drive down to the east end of downtown and to Sumner.
• The blocks just uphill from downtown. Older homes, out of the lowest ground, still walkable for the ambitious.

How to compare them in person

1. Park downtown and walk for 30 minutes. Go through the park and down two residential blocks.
2. Drive south on Meridian to the top of the hill at about 4:30 p.m. Notice the traffic.
3. Turn into a subdivision and walk a loop.
4. Drive from that subdivision to State Route 512 and time it.
5. Tour one home in each area at the same price.

Most people know within the hour.

Frequently asked questions

Is South Hill part of Puyallup?

Partly. The lower portion of South Hill is inside the Puyallup city limits. Most of it is unincorporated Pierce County that uses Puyallup mailing addresses.

Is downtown Puyallup or South Hill better?

Neither is better. Downtown offers walkability, older homes, and the train. South Hill offers newer homes, more shopping, and a location above the valley's flood and lahar zones, with more traffic.

Is downtown Puyallup in a lahar zone?

Yes. Much of the valley floor, including downtown, is in a mapped lahar hazard zone from Mount Rainier. South Hill is on higher ground outside it.

Why is traffic worse on South Hill?

Most of the area's retail and a large share of its housing are on the plateau, and Meridian is the main road for all of it. Residents rely on local roads to reach the freeways.

Are homes newer on South Hill?

Generally yes. Most South Hill homes were built from the 1970s onward, with new construction still going up, while downtown has many homes from the early and middle 1900s.

Related reading

• Is Puyallup a Small Town or a Busy Suburb?
• Puyallup Mailing Address vs. City Limits: Why It Matters
• How Bad Is Traffic on South Hill?
• Walkable Puyallup: Where to Live Near Shops and Restaurants

Equal Housing Opportunity. Austin Robertson, License # 21036843, Austin Robertson and Allena Robertson Real Estate Brokers, regulated by the Washington State Department of Licensing (DOL). This article is general information only. It is not legal, tax, insurance, lending, or construction advice, and it is not an appraisal of any property. Robertson & Co. supports fair housing and does not describe or recommend neighborhoods based on who lives there. Costs, rates, and rules change. Confirm the details with the sources linked above before you act.