Black Diamond has always felt like a town apart—not just in distance from Seattle (39 miles), Renton (18 miles), and Bellevue (28 miles), but in pace and personality. Located in southeastern King County, the former coal mining hotspot dates back to the late 19th century, taking its name from the Black Diamond Coal Mining Company. That history is still visible along Railroad Avenue, where the Black Diamond Historical Museum occupies the town’s former railroad depot.

“I love its rural charm,” says Alyssa Saas, executive director of the Maple Valley-Black Diamond Chamber of Commerce, who moved to the area in 2003. “It still feels like a place where you know your neighbors, kids can walk to school, and people really care about the community.”

That small-town character now exists alongside rapid growth. In 2023, Black Diamond was the fastest-growing small city in King County, driven by new housing construction and buyers looking for more space outside of Seattle’s urban core.

Much of that growth is concentrated in Ten Trails, a master-planned community that broke ground in 2017 and spans roughly 2,200 acres. When complete, Ten Trails is expected to include about 4,800 new homes; approximately 1,600 had been built as of December. The development includes the 1.2-acre Civic Park, miles of walking and biking trails, and retail anchored by a Safeway grocery store. The site also includes plans to build a $65 million elementary school.

The scale of Ten Trails has created two Black Diamonds side by side. Outside the development, longtime residents continue to live in what’s referred to as Old Black Diamond, where families have roots stretching back generations. Inside Ten Trails, newer residents are drawn by a range of housing options and amenities designed for contemporary lifestyles, including working from home.

“It’s rural, but it’s not isolated,” says Dawn Cruff, a realtor with the Amber Bills Real Estate Group. She describes Black Diamond as a place where open space and newer development coexist, a balance that’s drawing people. “It’s [a] very urban style,” Cruff says. “So, you’re in a beautiful rural setting, but you have this built-in community.”

Public amenities have expanded alongside housing. Last year, the city opened the KJ Gardner Skatepark, a 19,000-square-foot concrete facility that replaced an older modular park. Black Diamond is also connected to the Green to Cedar Rivers Trail, a regional multi-use trail that links communities across southeast King County.

Lake Sawyer, the fourth-largest natural lake in the county, is also a major draw, offering boating, swimming, and fishing within city limits. Nearby, Black Diamond Open Space adds 1,240 acres of forested land and trails. And the city sits in the foothills of the Cascades, where Mount Rainier doesn’t loom in the distance but is close enough to know intimately, with its familiar ridges and snowfields bright against the sky.

Population: 7,435
School Districts: Auburn, Enumclaw, Kent, Tahoma
Attractions: Black Diamond Bakery, Lake Sawyer, Green River Gorge, Flaming Geyser State Park, Franklin Coal Mine
Community Events: Miner’s Day, Lake Sawyer Fourth of July, Black Diamond Labor Days, Hometown Christmas
Average Home Sale Price: $840,026 (over the past 12 months)

See the full Best Places to Live series here.