DuPont

Sister cities

• Qionghai

History

There was a Native American presence in the area for the last 10,000 years. At the time of contact the Nisqually Tribe lived in relative peace and prosperity in their aboriginal homeland of about two million acres (810,000 ha) near the present-day towns of Olympia, Tenino, and DuPont, and extending to Mount Rainier. Tribal life changed radically with the advent of Euro-American settlement about 150 years ago. Forced to compromise its interests and rights over the years, the Tribe always sought to maintain its integrity and dignity. Subsisting on shellfish from the beaches and salmon from Sequalitchew Creek. Captain George Vancouver mapped the area in 1792, and in 1833, the Hudson's Bay Company established a fur trading post at Fort Nisqually as a halfway point between Ft. Vancouver and Ft. Langley. The fort was relocated upstream in 1843. It was relocated to expand on the fort to house more workers and to have better access to fresh water. Charles Wilkes of the United States Exploring Expedition held the first American Independence Day celebration west of the Mississippi River in the present-day DuPont area on July 5, 1841. The first school in the area was the Nisqually Methodist Mission school, which operated from 1840 through 1842. Chloe A. Clark was appointed teacher at the school. The first public school was established in 1852. By 1869, the Hudson Bay Company had to sell the land to the U.S. government for $650,000. The Oregon Treaty of 1846 gave the land of the Oregon Territory to the U.S. but still allowed the HBC to continue operating in the area. American farmers in the area resented this decision and pushed out the company by establishing their own market place and squatting on company land. By 1865, there were about 150 illegal squatters on company property…

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which is land and is water. Within the city limits of DuPont, next to the city hall, lies the Sequalitchew Creek trail which can be accessed by the old narrow gauge railway roadbed which ran from the old Powderworks plant to Puget Sound. The trail leads to Sequalitchew Beach. The creek corridor hosts hundreds of species, including bald eagles, hawks, McKay's bunting, song birds, herons, ducks, owls, frogs, salamanders, snakes, beaver, raccoons, coyotes, deer, and rabbits. The waters off Sequalitchew Beach are inhabited by harbor seals, marbled murrelet and gray whales. DuPont's other trails and its parks offer similar access to wildlife and exceptional opportunities for outdoor activity. The trail and greenbelt system provides a wide cross-section of DuPont's geographic and natural environments, while maintaining an urban feel. Full maps can be obtained from the visitor center, city hall, and the history museum.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• Song Sparrow

  Melospiza melodia (A.Wilson, 1810) · Aves
  31,304
• American Crow

  Corvus brachyrhynchos C.L.Brehm, 1822 · Aves
  31,154
• American Robin

  Turdus migratorius Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  29,166
• Black-capped Chickadee

  Poecile atricapillus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  26,715
• Mallard

  Anas platyrhynchos Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  25,446
• Spotted Towhee

  Pipilo maculatus Swainson, 1827 · Aves
  22,803
• Northern Flicker

  Colaptes auratus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  20,213
• European Starling

  Sturnus vulgaris Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  20,186

Largest nearby schools

• Mount Tahoma High School
  High · Tacoma · 1,430 students · 20.4:1 ratio
• Curtis Senior High
  High · UNIVERSITY PLACE · 1,349 students · 23.3:1 ratio
• Clover Park High School
  High · Lakewood · 1,315 students · 18.8:1 ratio
• Lakes High School
  High · Lakewood · 1,286 students · 21.4:1 ratio
• Washington High School
  High · Tacoma · 997 students · 16.1:1 ratio
• Thomas Middle School
  Middle · Lakewood · 974 students · 20.3:1 ratio
• Steilacoom High
  High · STEILACOOM · 946 students · 20.1:1 ratio
• Curtis Junior High
  Other · UNIVERSITY PLACE · 911 students · 22.2:1 ratio

Most recent

• M 3.75 — 2026-09-05
  20 km E of Castle Rock, Washington
• M 2.5 — 2026-06-26
  11 km E of Carnation, Washington
• M 2.84 — 2026-05-27
  4 km W of Wauna, Washington
• M 2.52 — 2026-03-17
  7 km SE of Mineral, Washington
• M 2.86 — 2026-03-11
  2 km W of Home, Washington
• M 3.02 — 2026-02-24
  4 km ESE of Cathcart, Washington