city, King county, western Washington, U.S., on the flats of the Cedar River at its mouth on Lake Washington, 20 miles (32 km) southeast of Seattle. Settled on the site of a Duwamish Indian village in the 1850s and platted in 1876, it was named for William Renton, an industrial pioneer. Coal deposits nearby, exploited since the 1870s, played a significant role in the city's development. Renton maintains lumber, steel, and clay industries and is the site of a large Boeing aircraft plant and a railroad-car foundry. It is served by ocean transportation via Puget Sound, Ballard Locks, and Lake Washington. The area supports truck and poultry farms. Inc. 1901. Pop. (1990) 41,688; (2000) 50,052.