Live Where theSound Meetsthe Neighborhood
Waterfront mornings, marina walks, and a community that knows your name.
About Des Moines, WA
Des Moines, WA is a waterfront city of about 33,000 on the eastern shore of Puget Sound, in King County, 20 minutes south of downtown Seattle and 5 miles from Sea-Tac International Airport. It incorporated in 1959 and has spent the seventy years since building its identity around the water — six miles of shoreline, a 900-slip marina, a state park, and a community that genuinely uses all of it. The unofficial nickname, Waterland, isn't marketing copy. People here actually use it.
The people trend professional, well-traveled, and rooted. Median household income is around $111,000, owner-occupancy sits just over 60%, and roughly a quarter of residents were born outside the U.S. The frequent-flyer advantage — Sea-Tac is eight to sixteen minutes by car off-peak — pulls in airline employees, consultants who fly weekly, and Boeing engineers. K–12 students are served by Highline Public Schools; most kids track through Mount Rainier High, Pacific Middle, and one of three elementaries depending on neighborhood.
What it feels like depends on where you stand. The Marina District is the social heart — you walk past the Saturday farmers market in July, see ten people you know, and end up at Wally's for chowder. Zenith is quieter, view-driven, mostly 1980s ranch homes with sweeping looks at Maury Island and the Olympics. Redondo has its own thing entirely: the boardwalk, the MaST aquarium, the sea lions, and yes, the recently-designated Sixgill Shark Capital of the World. Woodmont is the calmer family side west of Pacific Highway 99, where the math on a yard still works.
Two honest notes. Sea-Tac flight paths cross over parts of the city, and for some streets the noise is real — most flights are high enough to fade into background, but if you're noise-sensitive, ask about the specific block before you write an offer. Same with Pacific Highway 99: the closer you live to the corridor, the more it shows up.
- Population
- ~33,000
- Median Sale Price
- ~$530K
- Sea-Tac Distance
- 5 mi
Schools in Des Moines, WA
Des Moines is part of Highline Public Schools, an 18,000-student district that also serves Burien, SeaTac, White Center, and Normandy Park. Most kids in the city track through Mount Rainier High, Pacific Middle, and one of three elementaries — Des Moines, North Hill, or Woodmont — depending on neighborhood. Raisbeck Aviation High is the option school worth knowing: an aerospace-focused magnet that ranks 4th in Washington, district-wide and admitted by application.
Mount Rainier High School
Grades 9–12
The comprehensive public high school for most of Des Moines. AP program, full-size athletics.
Raisbeck Aviation High School
9/10Grades 9–12
STEM/aerospace magnet ranked 4th in Washington. Application-only, district-wide. A legitimate standout.
Pacific Middle School
Grades 6–8
Main feeder middle school for Mount Rainier. Serves much of the city's central and southern neighborhoods.
North Hill Elementary
7/10Grades K–5
Top 30% of the state, four-star rating. The strong neighborhood pick on the north end.
Des Moines Elementary
Grades PK–5
K–5 in the central neighborhood. About 500 students, walkable for most of the Marina District and Zenith.
What schools serve Des Moines, WA? Des Moines is in Highline Public Schools. Most students attend Mount Rainier High School, Pacific Middle School, and one of three elementaries — Des Moines, North Hill, or Woodmont. Raisbeck Aviation High School, an aerospace-focused magnet ranked 4th in Washington, is also district-wide and open to Des Moines students by application.
Where to Eat in Des Moines, WA
Des Moines is a small city that punches well above its weight on food, especially within walking distance of the marina. The chowder is the obvious answer (Wally's, Anthony's), but the deeper menu runs through wood-fired Neapolitan pizza, scratch-bread breakfast, and the kind of long-running family-owned spots that don't need to chase trends to stay full.
Wally's Chowder House
PNW seafoodMarina District
Award-winning New England-style chowder, fish and chips, Sound views. The one everyone recommends to visitors.
Anthony's HomePort Des Moines
PNW seafoodMarina District
Sweeping Sound views from the marina. Sunset is the move; the seafood is consistent.
Marina Mercantile
Modern AmericanMarina District
Classy lunch and dinner, Sunday brunch, afternoon tea, plus retail wine and tinned fish on the side. Slightly under the radar.
via Marina
Italian / pizzaMarina District
Authentic Neapolitan wood-fired pizzas. The pizza spot in town.
Auntie Irene's
Cafe & coffeeMarine View Dr
Family-owned. Soups, sandwiches, pastries, ice cream, drive-thru, deck seating with Sound views. Open 5:30 AM weekdays.
Alina's Cafe
All-day AmericanCentral
Breakfast, lunch, and dinner — everything from scratch including the bread and the daily pastries. The neighborhood scratch kitchen.
Mandarin Kitchen
ChineseCentral
Family-owned Hunan, Szechuan, and Cantonese. Long-running for a reason.
PortoVino Ristorante Italiano
ItalianCentral
A quieter date-night pick — proper Italian in a town more known for chowder.
DAO Thai Street Food
ThaiCentral
Casual Thai with the street-food angle — fast, generous, the kind of place you go back to.
Where do locals eat in Des Moines, WA? The Marina District concentrates the most-recommended spots — Wally's Chowder House and Anthony's HomePort for waterfront seafood, Marina Mercantile for an under-the-radar lunch, Auntie Irene's for the early-morning drive-thru, and via Marina for Neapolitan pizza.
Shopping & Local Markets
Honest take: Des Moines is not a destination retail city. For a Target run or a department store, locals drive to Burien or Federal Way. What it does have is the marina-centric core — a Saturday farmers market in season, a wine and specialty shop with tinned fish, and a community-focused coffee bar — the kind of small-inventory neighborhood life that's hard to fake.
Des Moines Marina
Marina & waterfront · Marina District
900 slips, full-service. The literal anchor of the city — fuel dock, fishing pier, walking path, restaurants on the water.
Des Moines Waterfront Farmers Market
Farmers market (seasonal) · Marina District
Saturdays, June through September, 22307 Dock Ave S. Now in its 21st year. Produce, flowers, crafts, live music.
Marina Mercantile
Wine & specialty grocer · Marina District
Curated wine, tinned fish, deli — the gift-shop you actually use. Pairs as a sit-down restaurant.
Quarterdeck Coffee
Coffee & community space · Marina District
Local art on the walls, hosts events, the morning gathering point for the marina crowd.
Things to Do in Des Moines, WA
Des Moines is a small city defined by what's outside the front door. Six miles of saltwater shoreline, Washington's only full-log cabin, the state's only underwater artificial reef, and a community calendar that orbits the waterfront from Memorial Day through holiday tree-lighting. Here's what's actually worth your time.
Parks, Trails & Landmarks
Saltwater State Park
State park · 137 acresSouth Des Moines
Washington's most-visited state park on Puget Sound. 350,000 visitors a year, two miles of shoreline, sandy beach with tide pools, and the only underwater artificial reef in the state — a designated dive destination.
Des Moines Beach Park
Park · 20 acresMarina District
635 feet of saltwater beach, a salmon-bearing stream, meadows, woodland trails, Olympic views. Houses the historic Covenant Beach event center.
Redondo Beach Boardwalk
Boardwalk · 1.1 miRedondo
Sea lions, sunsets, and the recently designated Sixgill Shark Capital of the World. Divers come from everywhere; the rest of us come for the walk.
Des Moines Creek Trail
Multi-use trail · ~4 miCreek Corridor
The local default for walks, runs, and easy bike rides. Connects the city east-to-west through wooded creek bottoms.
Des Moines Field House Park
Historic parkNorth Hill
Washington's only full-log cabin — WPA-built in 1939–40, King County Historic Landmark since 1984. Pickleball, tennis, skate park, ball fields. Locals walk past every day.
MaST Center Aquarium
Marine aquarium · free SaturdaysRedondo
Highline College's marine biology research aquarium. 250+ native Puget Sound species across 11 tanks, plus touch tanks. Free to the public on Saturdays — wildly underrated for a small coast town.
Annual Events
Waterland Festival & Parade
Annual festival · JulyCitywide
The city's signature summer event. Parade, music, food, family activities along the waterfront. The marina is the gravitational center for the whole weekend.
Waterland Wheels Car Show
Annual event · summerMarina District
Classic-car show with the marina as the backdrop. Hot rods, customs, and the cars locals roll out once a year.
Smoke on the Water BBQ
Annual event · summerMarina District
Waterfront community BBQ. Great name. Better view.
4th of July
Annual event · JulyMarina District
Fireworks over Puget Sound from the marina. Bring a chair early — the good spots fill up by noon.
Tree Lighting Ceremony
Annual event · DecemberMarina District
Holiday season kickoff at the marina. Lights, hot chocolate, the same group of regulars every year.
What is there to do in Des Moines, WA? The city's outdoor scene is built around the water — Saltwater State Park, Des Moines Beach Park, the Redondo Beach Boardwalk, and the Des Moines Creek Trail anchor the year-round options. Saltwater State Park is the regional shore-dive destination thanks to Washington's only underwater artificial reef. MaST Center Aquarium in Redondo is open free to the public on Saturdays. The summer event calendar centers on the Waterland Festival, the Wheels Car Show, and Smoke on the Water BBQ.
Getting Around Des Moines, WA
By Car
I-5 sits two miles east of the waterfront, with quick access via Kent–Des Moines Road. Pacific Highway S (SR-99) runs the full length of the city, and SR-509 connects north to Burien and Sea-Tac. Marine View Drive S is the slow scenic spine along the water — locals use it on purpose.
By Transit
King County Metro Route 156 runs Des Moines to Sea-Tac in about 25 minutes for $3. The Sounder commuter train from Kent reaches Seattle's King Street Station in 35 minutes — better than fighting I-5. The Sound Transit Link extension to Federal Way is scheduled to open in 2026, putting light rail one short bus connection away.
By Air & Sea
Sea-Tac International is 5 miles north — eight to sixteen minutes by car off-peak. There's no direct ferry from Des Moines, but the Fauntleroy and Point Defiance terminals are short drives, putting Vashon Island, Southworth, and the Kitsap Peninsula in easy weekend reach.
Commute times
| Destination | By car (off-peak) | By transit |
|---|---|---|
| Downtown Seattle | 20 min | 50 min |
| Sea-Tac Airport | 12 min | 25 min |
| Bellevue | 30 min | 70 min |
| Tacoma | 25 min | 60 min |
| Kent | 15 min | 25 min |
| Federal Way | 12 min | 30 min |
What's the commute from Des Moines, WA to downtown Seattle? About 20 minutes by car off-peak via I-5 or SR-509, or 35 minutes from Kent on the Sounder train. Sea-Tac is 8–16 minutes north depending on traffic — the airport proximity is one of the city's defining lifestyle perks.
The Map
Neighborhoods
Marina District
The waterfront village core — marina, beach park, farmers market, and the highest density of restaurants and walkability.
Zenith
Quiet 1980s ranch streets in the central south, view-driven, walkable to Saltwater State Park.
Redondo
Boardwalk, pier, and the MaST Aquarium on the south end — eclectic, sea-lion adjacent, slightly its own thing.
Woodmont
The calmer family side west of Pacific Highway 99 — schools, neighborhood parks, more yard for the dollar.
Homes for Sale in Des Moines, WA
The Des Moines market splits cleanly by neighborhood. Marina District trends toward condos, walkable lifestyle, and the highest per-square-foot pricing. Zenith and Redondo carry the views — ranch-style and split-level homes from the 1970s–80s. Woodmont is where the math on a yard and a fourth bedroom still pencils. Median sale price across the city is roughly $530K, down a few points year-over-year.
Featured listings coming soon. In the meantime, see all active homes:
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