Tukwila is a suburban city in King County, Washington, immediately south of Seattle. The 2020 census counted 21,798 residents. The city's name comes from a Salish word for the hazelnut forests that once covered the area, and the Duwamish people were its earliest inhabitants, living along the Black and Duwamish rivers. Tukwila's location at the confluence of the Duwamish, Green, and Black rivers — now marked by Fort Dent Park — made it an early crossroads of river commerce and settlement. Tukwila has long been a center of trade and transportation. Today it functions as one of the region's busiest commercial hubs, anchored by Westfield Southcenter, one of the largest shopping centers in the Pacific Northwest, along with a dense corridor of retail, hotels, and light industry. The city's freeway network — Interstate 5, Interstate 405, and State Routes 518 and 599 — plus mainline railroads and Seattle-Tacoma International Airport immediately to the south, make Tukwila a logistical crossroads for the Puget Sound region. The Link light rail's 1 Line runs through Tukwila, with the Tukwila International Boulevard station providing a roughly five-minute ride to SeaTac Airport and a direct connection to downtown Seattle in about thirty minutes. That transit access, combined with the airport's proximity, makes Tukwila a practical home base for aviation, hospitality, and logistics workers. Education is provided by the Tukwila School District, a compact five-school system known for its diversity. The city's housing is a mix of older single-family neighborhoods, mid-century apartments, and newer multi-family development near the light rail. For residents, Tukwila offers regional employment, major retail, and transit links in a central location just south of the Seattle core.