Lakeland Hills: Auburn’s Hilltop Master-Planned Community
Lakeland Hills sits on a south-facing rise above the Auburn valley — 1,500 acres of master-planned single-family homes, parks, schools, and curving streets that look great on a real estate flyer. Planning started in 1979; construction broke ground in 1985 and the first three years brought 80 homes. By 2007 the community had grown to 3,600 homes and 6,000 residents — and it’s kept building since. Today Lakeland Hills is one of Auburn’s largest and most-recognized neighborhoods: family-heavy, school-anchored, still growing.
The hilltop sits across the King–Pierce county line. The Pierce County portion was annexed by Auburn in 1997 after a tug-of-war with Bonney Lake — most of Lakeland Hills you see today is officially within Auburn city limits, even the streets that look like they should belong to Bonney Lake.
Here’s what you should know about Lakeland Hills if you’re moving in, moving out, or just trying to figure out where to take that old hot tub.
Lakeland Hills Sub-Communities
Lakeland Hills has been built out over four decades in phases, by a rotating cast of builders. The result is a varied housing stock — older 80s/90s subdivisions on the lower slopes, mid-2000s phases mid-hill, and ongoing new construction near the top and on the Hidden Valley shoulder.
Confirmed sub-areas:
- Lakeland Hills (original) — the north-side phases, organized into HOA-managed Divisions 1, 2, and 4A under the Lakeland Hills Homeowners Association (5801 Lakeland Hills Way SE). Established single-family, mature landscaping.
- Lakeland Hills South — the Pierce County side, governed as a separate planned-unit development under Auburn City Code Chapter 18.76. Mid-to-newer construction.
- Lakeland Hills Estates — a separate D.R. Horton-built subdivision with its own HOA.
- Hidden Valley — adjacent planned development on the shoulder overlooking North Lake Tapps. Newer construction; the water-access lots command a premium.
Across the whole hill: a mix of upscale single-family, custom builds, occasional townhome clusters, and new construction. If you’re moving in, expect packing boxes for a couple of weeks. If you’re remodeling or downsizing, expect more.
Schools Serving Lakeland Hills
Lakeland Hills straddles two school districts depending on which side of the hill your address is on:
- Auburn School District serves most of Lakeland Hills. The neighborhood’s anchor elementary is Lakeland Hills Elementary (Hazelwood Lane SE, on the hill itself). Ilalko Elementary also serves the area.
- Dieringer School District — a small, nationally recognized public district — serves a portion of Lakeland Hills’ younger students. Dieringer regularly tests above state averages, which is one of the reasons families with school-age kids gravitate to specific addresses.
Middle and high school assignments depend on the district. Confirm your address’s exact boundary on the district’s school locator before relying on assignments — both districts re-zone periodically.
Amenities
- Lakeland Hills Park — a 5-acre wooded hillside park managed by the City of Auburn. Active recreation facilities at neighborhood scale and a paved trail loop around the perimeter.
- Trail access — Lakeland Hills connects into Auburn’s broader parks system: 33 developed parks, 26+ miles of trails citywide, plus the 4.5-mile Interurban Trail nearby (bike/walk/run).
- Lake Tapps access — the east side of Lakeland Hills (and Hidden Valley) sit walking distance to Lake Tapps. Boat launches, fishing, swimming in summer.
- Shopping & services — a neighborhood retail node near 15th & A Streets SE, plus Auburn’s broader retail along Auburn Way and the SuperMall.
- Commute — SR-167 sits at the base of the hill for north/south commuters to Tacoma, Kent, Renton, and Seattle. I-5 is a short connection west.
Living in Lakeland Hills
Lakeland Hills is the kind of place where moving in is rarely a quiet event. New construction means a few weeks of move-in boxes, packing materials, and “what do we do with the dead fridge from the old place” — multiplied by hundreds of households a year. That’s where we come in.
We do single-item pickups for the rogue mattress, estate cleanouts for downsizers, post-construction debris removal for new builds, and 14 or 20-yard dumpster drops for renovations.
Hoss in Lakeland Hills: – Same-day pickups when possible – Owner-led, Tacoma-based – Flat-rate posted pricing — see the pricing section
Call (253) 553-2978.
Providing Junk Removal Services to Lakeland Hills & Auburn
Hoss covers the entire Lakeland Hills footprint plus the rest of Auburn. Single-item pickups, full property cleanouts, post-renovation hauls, and roll-off dumpster rentals — same crew, posted prices, no franchise markup.
FAQs
Can you get a roll-off into a Lakeland Hills driveway? Yes, in almost all cases. Our 14-yard and 20-yard bins are low-profile and driveway-friendly. We confirm tree clearance and turning room on the booking call so there are no surprises on delivery day.
Are there HOA rules I need to worry about? Lakeland Hills has more than one HOA depending on which sub-area you’re in — the original Lakeland Hills HOA (Divisions 1, 2, 4A), the Lakeland Hills South PUD, and Lakeland Hills Estates each have their own rules about curbside placement and commercial vehicles. Tell us your address on the booking call and we can usually advise.
Do you handle new-construction debris? Yes — drywall, lumber, tile, fixtures, packaging. Drop a 20-yard for the duration of the build phase, or call us for a one-time post-completion haul.
Same-day pickups in Lakeland Hills? Often, yes. Auburn’s on our regular route. The closer you book to morning, the more likely we can route a truck that afternoon.
