Kent is the fourth largest city in King County in the Puget Sound region of Washington State. Located directly between the cities of Seattle and Tacoma, Kent has several distinct neighborhoods and commercial districts within its boundaries.
Get in
By car
- Intestate 5 (I-5) passes through Kent near the western city limit. There are several exits from the highway.
- Pacific Hwy passes through alongside the western portion of Kent between S 272nd St and Kent-Des Moine Hwy (SR-516), between Federal Way and Sea-Tac along the westside of I-5. State Route (SR) 99 divides Kent (on eastside) from Des Moines (west of SR 99).
- from Main freeway connecting exit #2 of I-405 through Renton, (downtown) Kent, Auburn, Sumner and Puyallup. It runs parallel to I-5 in the Kent Valley. Going north of I-405, this freeway ends but SR-167 continues north on Renton Ave as a 4 lane road through Renton towards Rainier Ave in South Settle.
- from West Valley Hwy serves as the major thoroughfare through Tukwila, from Exit 1 of I-405 into Kent and ends at SR-516 (Kent-Des Moines Hwy). W Valley Hwy continues south, into Auburn, as a two lane road.
- 108th Ave SE serves as the main north-south boulevard through the eastside of Kent and Renton.
- from & Kent-Des Moines Hwy goes east and west from Hwy 99, across I-5 and down the hill to downtown Kent. Continues east along Smith Ave, up the hill, into S 256th.
By bus
Like the rest of the Seattle Area, Federal Way is served by King County Metro Transit and Sound Transit. The transportation hub (bus and train station) is in downtown Kent Kent Station 📍 on Railroad Ave between E James & Smith St. The station offers routes with service to Sea-Tac Intl. Airport, Seattle, Tukwila/Southcenter, Bellevue, Auburn, Burien (via SeaTac); Puyallup, Renton, Federal Way, and other surrounding cities. Connections to Greyhound, FlixBus and other inter-city buses are in Downtown Seattle, the airport, and Tacoma.
By train
Sound Transit operates the Sounder Train between King Street Station in downtown Seattle and Lakewood Station (south of Tacoma) via Tukwila, Kent Station, Auburn, Sumner, Puyallup, Tacoma-Dome, S Tacoma (S Washington Ave between S 57th & 58th). Nearest transfer stations to Amtrak trains are in Tacoma-Dome Station and Seattle King Street Station. Additional connections to King County Metro and Pierce Transit buses are at each station. Check schedules as trains run only one way north in the mornings and one way south in the afternoons.
Get around
Visitors are often surprised to find out just how large Kent actually is. Most tourists would want to concern themselves with the historic downtown area and nearby shopping centers.
See
Do
Buy
Eat
Drink
Sleep
- Best Western Plaza by the Green, 24415 Russell Rd, +1 253 854-8767.
- Holiday Inn Hotel & Suites, 22318 84th Ave South, +1 253 395-4300.
- TownePlace Suites Seattle Southcenter, 18123 72nd Avenue South, +1 253 796-6000.
- Red Lion Inn & Suites -, 25100 74th Avenue South, +1 253 520-6670.
- Quality Inn Hotel, Kent - Seattle (Quality Inn), 1711 W. Meeker Street, +1 253 854-1950, gm.wa211@choicehotels.com. Check-in: 3PM, check-out: 11AM. Amenities include free hot breakfast, free WiFi, and an onsite business center and a fitness center. All guest rooms feature coffeemakers and hair dryers. Some rooms include flat-screen televisions, desks, microwaves, refrigerators, sofa sleepers, and irons with ironing boards. 2015-07-07
- Hawthorn Suites by Wyndham Seattle South/Kent, 6329 South 212th Street, +1 253 395-3800.
- Comfort Inn, 22311 84th Ave. S, +1 253 872-2211.
- Extended Stay America - Seattle - Kent, 22520 83rd Ave. S, +1 253 872-6514, knt@extendedstay.com.
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