Rainier began in the 1870s as a stop on the Northern Pacific Railroad line between Kalama, Washington and Tacoma.

Situated amidst the ‘ten al quelth’ prairies – Lushootseed for "the best yet" – it was named for its view of Mount Rainier.

[6] In 1896, the community's first full-time school as well as a Lutheran church were built by Albert Gehrke and his two brothers, Theodore and Paul;[5] the buildings are now state historic landmarks.

[7] In 1906, the Bob White Lumber Company opened, bringing prosperity to the area through logging and sawmilling.

[5] Other lumber companies, such as Deschutes, Gruber and Docherty, and Fir Tree, were soon attracted to the area as well.

In the late 1920s and early 1930s, several of these mill operations and many of the local buildings were destroyed by a series of fires, leading many residents to seek work at Weyerhaeuser Lumber at nearby Vail, which is now a ghost town.

[8] In 1941, the WPA Guide to Washington described Rainier as "the social center for farmers and loggers of the vicinity, although its closed mills and vacant houses mark it as a ghost lumber town.

[11][12] Classes were cancelled for the remainder of the school year; a set of 13 portable classrooms were constructed adjacent to the destroyed building by local residents and soldiers from nearby Fort Lewis.

The portable buildings had been sold at cost by Seattle Public Schools after they were withdrawn from a surplus auction.

It was assembled from several prefabricated pieces, forming the manufactured building that serves as the Town Hall.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 1.73 square miles (4.48 km2), all of it land.

To the northeast of downtown Rainier on a trestle support over Washington State Route 507 is a mural known as the Sgt.

[29] The community regularly hosts Relay for Life, during which, over an 18-hour time frame, participants walk around the high school track to raise money for the American Cancer Society.

[32] In 2005, the Rainier Food Bank was opened at the site, serving patrons on Wednesdays and Saturdays.

In November 2009, the Rainier Volunteer Library opened at the center, featuring a collection of donated books available for borrowing.

The building, which had been near demolition, was returned to the school district to be used for offices in 2015, its centennial year, and the library and thrift store were closed.

[38] Nearby, Wilkowski Park is the site of the Rainier Roundup, the city's annual bluegrass music festival occurring on the fourth weekend in August.

[27][28] Beside the park, the Yelm–Rainier–Tenino Trail connects the cities of Yelm, Rainier, and Tenino in a paved pathway for pedestrians and cyclists.