 Owing to its location at the confluence of three major freeways (I-5, I-405, and SR 167), Renton's economic development team has lured a number of specialty retailers that draw consumers from around the region, including Fry's Electronics and IKEA.Some retail establishments were unwanted though, and the city successfully defended zoning restrictions on pornographic theaters before the U.S. Supreme Court in "Renton v. Playtime Theatres, Inc."

The Renton Public Library was built directly over the Cedar River and opened in 1966.It stretches across the river, next to Liberty Park, and was the main branch of the city's independent library system until its 2010 annexation into the King County Library system.