Roy

History

Roy was officially incorporated on January 16, 1908. It is a rural city outside Tacoma and primarily features ranch-style homes and farms. Roy was one of the early communities in the area, a prosperous boom-town and a major stop on the railroad line. But 3 major blows reduced this once-thriving town to its current form. A major fire in 1929 wiped out most of the downtown businesses just before the Depression started. The railroad eventually discontinued using Roy as a main stop. The Army annexed most of the surrounding land to the north and west, limiting expansion and the local tax base, and erasing the nearby community of Loveland. Major features and/or attractions in Roy and the vicinity include the Roy Pioneer Rodeo, attracting participants and spectators from several states and Canada.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all of it land. Although the intersection of SR 7 and SR 507 is known as the Roy "Y", the intersection is in Spanaway, about seven miles northeast of Roy.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• Song Sparrow

  Melospiza melodia (A.Wilson, 1810) · Aves
  18,128
• American Robin

  Turdus migratorius Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  16,516
• American Crow

  Corvus brachyrhynchos C.L.Brehm, 1822 · Aves
  14,842
• Black-capped Chickadee

  Poecile atricapillus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  14,823
• Mallard

  Anas platyrhynchos Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  14,500
• Bald Eagle

  Haliaeetus leucocephalus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  13,357
• Spotted Towhee

  Pipilo maculatus Swainson, 1827 · Aves
  12,759
• European Starling

  Sturnus vulgaris Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  12,567

Largest nearby schools

• Bethel High School
  High · Spanaway · 1,739 students · 22:1 ratio
• Cedarcrest Middle School
  Middle · Spanaway · 764 students · 21.2:1 ratio
• Pioneer Middle
  Middle · DUPONT · 711 students · 18.7:1 ratio
• Bethel Middle School
  Middle · Spanaway · 697 students · 21.1:1 ratio
• Cougar Mountain Middle School
  Middle · Graham · 614 students · 20.5:1 ratio
• Shining Mountain Elementary
  Elementary · Spanaway · 608 students · 16:1 ratio
• Rainier Elementary School
  Elementary · JBLM Lewis Main · 574 students · 17.9:1 ratio
• Elk Plain School of Choice
  Elementary · Spanaway · 570 students · 15.8:1 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 2.6 — 2026-01-25
  1 km ENE of Enetai, Washington