Because South Hill is unincorporated, its addresses are part of the Puyallup "postal city" or ZCTA.

Most commercial areas are located along the main thoroughfare, Meridian Avenue (State Route 161).

Several logging camps, farms, and hunting grounds sprouted up as the area was settled.

It also was the main route to the towns of Kapowsin and Eatonville (Meridian Avenue or SR 161).

Population growth was slow until after World War II, when roads improved and people could commute to nearby Tacoma, Fort Lewis, and Seattle.

The community's name describes its location above the south side of the Puyallup River valley.

This also contrasts with the nearby Edgewood and Milton areas, which are known informally as North Hill.

15.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 4.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

According to the Pierce County website, the Nathan Chapman Memorial Trail was named after Sgt.

Nathan Chapman, a South Hill resident and the first American soldier to die in the war in Afghanistan.

[15] The site was previously an amphitheatre owned by Champion Center Church and home to the annual Jesus of Nazareth passion play from 1982 to 2006.