The Puyallup River flows from the slopes of Mount Rainier and enters Puget Sound in a broad delta at the head of Commencement Bay. For millennia the Puyallups lived along the river embracing a semi-nomadic and tribal lifestyle with governmental organization and land ownership unknown concepts in their culture. When the first white settlers arrived in 1852, there were several extended family groups living on the delta with the hills that would one day be Tacoma to the west. The natives fished, hunted, and trapped and never had to go far to fulfill their village needs. They called this inland sea “Whulge”, or big saltwater and the mountain in the sky “Tacobet”, mother of waters. First, Nicolas De Lin and later, pioneer and postmaster Job Carr, a Civil War veteran settled in Tacoma. Carr, a land speculator, hoped to profit from the selection of Commencement Bay as the terminus of the transcontinental railroad. In 1864 Carr built a cabin at De Lin’s site but later sold most of his claim to developer Morton McCarver, who named his project Tacoma. Tacoma incorporated in 1875 and McCarver’s gamble paid off when the railroad chose the new city as its Puget Sound terminus and began operations in 1887. With a transcontinental rail connection and statehood in 1889, Tacoma’s motto looked to be truly prophetic, “The City of Destiny.” The population grew from 1,098 in 1880 to 36,006 in 1890. Streetcar lines reached out from downtown to new neighborhoods. The Tacoma smelter was built and its minerals as well as lumber, coal, wheat, and immigrants flowed through the city. Rudyard Kipling visited in 1889 and described Tacoma as, “literally staggering under a boom of the boomiest”.

Located just 36 miles south of Seattle and 28 miles north of the state capital of Olympia, Tacoma is a National Press Club 3-time All American City and the dominant city in the south of the NW Metroplex. It is home to 200,000 residents and is the hub of the service area for over 700,000. The University of Washington opened a downtown Tacoma campus and the 136,680 square foot Greater Tacoma Convention and Trade Center opened in 2004. The city owns a telecommunications system that offers high-speed Internet access to every corner of the city. Three world class museums sit on Pacific Avenue including the Museum of Glass, the tribute to Tacoma native Dale Chihuly. Next to it is an urban village of condos, apartments and retail built on 27 acres. Light rail serves the Pacific Avenue corridor and Tacoma is attracting artists and professionals from more expensive housing markets in Seattle, 50 minutes away by commuter rail. Tacoma is once again the “boomiest.”

Greater Tacoma is a magnet for national and regional headquarters and for production facilities for dozens of firms. The Port of Tacoma is the nation’s 6th and the West Coast’s 3rd busiest container shipping port and the city is well known as a gateway to the Pacific Rim. SeaTac International and Tacoma Industrial Airports are both just minutes away. Interstate Freeways 5 & 509 and State Routes 512 and 518 traverse the community and surface street access is plentiful. The only highway connection to the growing West Sound peninsula is across the Tacoma Narrows Bridge, SR 16, on the west side of town. Pierce County’s Sound Transit reaches every part of the community, the county and connects with King County’s Metro Transit in Federal Way. The commuter train, the Sounder runs morning and evening and major freight rail and truck systems connect in Tacoma.

A National Tree City USA designee for 14 consecutive years, the action always begins with Metro Parks. It boasts over 72 parks, dozens of community centers, playgrounds, sports fields, fitness facilities & camps, classes, adult & youth athletics, art & theater, and events from April Pools Day to Zoobilee. Other festivals and events include First Night, Daffodil Festival, Taste of Tacoma and ZooLights. Tacoma was named in Money Magazine’s Top 10 Best Places To Live in Washington in part due to its vibrant nightlife options. Exploding arts districts at both the north and south ends of downtown with cafes, bistros, micro-breweries and nightclubs provide lots of excitement. As do popular Tacoma mainstays such as Jazz Bones, Engine House No. 9 and the Emerald Queen Casino. The Tacoma Dome has events year round such as concerts, car shows, professional wrestling, monster trucks and more. A full compliment of the arts, minor league professional baseball, soccer and basketball and a world class zoo and aquarium are available in town. Nearby quaint communities like Buckley or Gig Harbor with their artisan and gift shops offer Tacoma residents interesting “out of town” getaways for an afternoon. All the scenic wonder of the Northwest’s great outdoors from mountain top to ocean shore awaits with camping, sailing, skiing, salmon & fly fishing, hot air ballooning, white water rafting, wildlife viewing and unending possibilities.

Education takes no back seat in Tacoma. Tacoma School District is one of the largest and most diverse in the state with nearly 35,000 students. It is the district’s mission to provide excellent instruction that results in increased student achievement and to create a dynamic partnership with parents and its community. Technical schools like Bates and Clover Park serve hundreds of students each year. Tacoma Community College and Pierce College provide accredited 2 year education. There are traditional 4 year options including the University of Washington Tacoma, Pacific Lutheran University and the University of Puget Sound and there are newer options such as City University, DeVry University or Crown College.

Tacoma has an exciting variety of residential options, from waterfront homes to in-city condominiums. Mountain and salt-water views are common throughout the area. More affordable than most neighboring communities, Tacoma’s housing market is very active. There are many new construction projects from which to choose, several planned communities on the outskirts and plenty of existing homes making for a real mix of available properties.