Mike DeMaio’s Bonney Lake
For this episode we head to Bonney Lake for a quick chat with local mortgage lender Mike DeMaio, who shares a few personal highlights from life in this fast-growing corner of Pierce County.
For Mike, it’s the little things that make Bonney Lake feel like home—like the neighborhood dog park, where both pups and people come to connect. It’s a place where conversations start easily, friendships form, and the community feels just a little bit closer.
Then there’s that moment—familiar to anyone who’s driven Highway 410—when Mount Rainier suddenly appears, massive and majestic, right in front of you. “The mountain,” as locals call it, never fails to impress.
Mike also imagines what could make Bonney Lake even better: a family fun center. A place to play, laugh, and gather—especially needed in a town that’s growing fast but still values tight-knit connection.
Whether you’ve lived in Bonney Lake for years or are just curious about this pocket of Washington, Mike’s perspective offers a reminder of what makes our towns and cities feel like home: people, places, and the dreams that tie them together.
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Explore Washington State has been covering the real Washington for more than a decade. State parks, small towns, back roads, rest stops, and the people who make this place worth exploring. What started as a hyperlocal project covering individual communities grew into a full media project with more than 340 podcast episodes, a weekly newsletter with over 6,500 subscribers, and coverage of more than 140 Washington state parks. The content here comes from people who have actually been to these places: locals, regulars, and lifelong Washington residents who care more about getting it right than getting clicks.
