Tacoma, Washington

:''Tacoma redirects here. For other uses, see Tacoma (disambiguation).

Old Town neighborhood in Tacoma, with Mount Rainier in background

Tacoma (IPA: ) is a mid-sized urban port city in Washington, USA. The city is situated on a peninsula on the southern end of Washington's Puget Sound, in an area 51 km (32 miles) southwest of Seattle, 50 km (31 miles) northeast of the State capitol, Olympia, and 93 km (58 miles) northwest of Mount Rainier National Park. According to 2005 Census estimates, Tacoma has an estimated population of 195,898. [1] Tacoma stands as the second-largest city in the Puget Sound area, the third-largest in the state, and the seat of government of Pierce County.

Tacoma adopted its name after the nearby Mount Rainier, which was originally called Mount Tacoma. It is known as the "City of Destiny" because the area was chosen to be the site of the western terminus of the Northern Pacific Railroad in the late 1800s. The decision of the railroad was influenced in part because of Tacoma's neighboring Commencement Bay. By connecting the bay with the railroad Tacoma's motto became "When rails meet sails." Today Commencement Bay serves the Port of Tacoma, a major player in international trade on the Pacific Coast.

Like most central cities, Tacoma suffered a prolonged decline in the mid-20th century as a result of suburbanization, divestment, and federal urban renewal programs. Recently the city has been undergoing a Renaissance of sorts (see below); investing great sums of money into the downtown core to establish the University of Washington ā€" Tacoma, Tacoma Link—the first modern electric light rail service in the state, various art and history museums, and a restored inlet—the Thea Foss Waterway.

The city has a long history of blue-collar labor politics owing to the relationship between the people and the railroad. Residents of Tacoma consider themselves Tacomans.
Tacoma-Pierce County has been named as one of the most livable areas in the country [2]. Tacoma was also recently listed as one of the most walkable cities in the country (19th) [3]. In contrast, the city is also ranked as the most stressed-out city in the country in a 2004 survey based on unemployment rate, divorce rate, commute time, violent crime, property crime, suicide rate, alcohol consumption, self-reported "poor mental health" and cloudy days [4].

History

The SR-509 Bridge leading into downtown.

Tacoma was inhabited for thousands of years by Native American people, predominantly the Puyallup people, who lived in several settlements on the delta of the Puyallup River and called the area where Tacoma would be built "Squa-szucks." It was visited by European and American explorers, including George Vancouver and Charles Wilkes, who named many of the coastal landmarks.

In 1852 a Swede named Nicolas Delin constructed a sawmill powered by water on a creek near the head of Commencement Bay, but the small settlement that grew up around it was abandoned during the Indian War of 1855-1856. In 1864, pioneer and postmaster Job Carr, a Civil War veteran and land speculator who hoped to profit from the selection of Commencement Bay as the terminus of the Transcontinental Railroad, built a cabin (a replica of Job Carr's cabin, which also served as Tacoma's first post office, was erected in "Old Town" in 2000 near the original site), and later sold most of his claim to developer Morton McCarver (1807-1875), who named his project Tacoma City. The name derived from the indigenous name for Mount Rainier, deriving from the Puyallup tacobet, "mother of waters."

Tacoma was officially incorporated on November 12, 1875. Its early hopes to be the "City of Destiny" were stimulated by its selection (thanks to lobbying by McCarver and others) in 1873 as the western terminus of the Northern Pacific Railroad. The transcontinental link was effected in 1887, but the railroad built its depot on "New Tacoma," two miles south of the Carr-McCarver development. The two communities subsequently grew together and joined. The population grew from 1,098 in 1880 to 36,006 in 1890. Rudyard Kipling visited Tacoma in 1889 and said Tacoma was "literally staggering under a boom of the boomiest" (quoted in Caroline Denyer Gallacci, The City of Destiny and the South Sound: An Illustrated History of Tacoma and Pierce County [Carlsbad, CA: Heritage Media Corp., 2001], p. 49).

George Francis Train was a resident of Tacoma for a few years in the late 1800s, and was an early civic booster. In 1880, he staged a global circumnavigation starting and ending in Tacoma to promote the city's centrality. A plaque in downtown Tacoma marks the start and finish point.

What came to be known as "Tacoma method" was used in November 1885 to expel several thousand Chinese peaceably living in the city. To quote from the account prepared by the Chinese Reconciliation Project: On the morning of Nov. 3, 1885, "several hundred men, led by the mayor and other city officials, evicted the Chinese from their homes, corralled them at 7th Street and Pacific Avenue, marched them to the railway station at Lakeview and forced them aboard the morning train to Portland, Oregon. The next day two Chinese settlements were burned to the ground."

Discovery of the gold in the Klondike in 1898 led Tacoma's prominence in the region to be eclipsed by the booming development of Seattle.

Downtown looking west from the Tacoma Sheraton

During a thirty day power shortage in the winter of 1929/1930, Tacoma was provided with electricity from the engines of the aircraft carrier USS Lexington.

Downtown Tacoma from the hill.

In 1935 Tacoma received national attention when George Weyerhaeuser, the nine-year-old son of prominent lumber industry executive J.P. Weyerhaeuser, was kidnapped [2] while walking home from school. FBI agents from Portland handled the case, in which payment of a demanded ransom of $200,000 secured the release of the victim. Four persons were later apprehended and convicted in connection with the crime. The last to be released was paroled from McNeil Island in 1963; George Weyerhauser went on to become Chairman of the Board of the Weyerhaeuser Company.

In 1951 a state legislative committee revealed widespread corruption in Tacoma's government, which had been organized commission-style since 1910. Voters approved a mayor/city-manager system in 1952.

The first local referendums in the U.S. on computerized voting occurred in Tacoma in 1982 and 1987. Each time voters rejected by a 3-1 margin computer voting systems that local officials were on the point of buying. The campaigns, organized by Eleanora Ballasiotes, a conservative Republican, focused on the vulnerabilities of computers to fraud (Ronnie Dugger, "Counting Votes," New Yorker, Nov. 7, 1988).

In 1998, the city of Tacoma decided to install a high-speed fiber optic network throughout the community, the municipally owned power company took the initiative to wire an entire city of 187,000 people, thus making Tacoma America's #1 wired city.

Tacoma struggled with crime in the 1980s and early 1990s near the Hilltop neighborhood, but it has declined significantly in recent years as many neighborhoods have enacted community policing and other policies. Today, much of the concern with gang related crime is located in East Tacoma. Many of these troubled areas have made way for new residential development including mid-rise and high-rise condominiums and apartments.

On April 26, 2003 Tacoma's Chief of Police, David Brame, shot and killed his wife and himself in Gig Harbor, Washington.

Tacoma was ranked among the top 30 in America's Most Livable Communities in 2004. The annual Survey is conducted by the Partners for Livable Communities.

Tacoma is also notable for having an extensive network of tunnels underneath its streets. Although not open to the public, the passageways have been explored by "urban tunnelers" and discovered to run at least as far as from Stadium High to Tacoma General Hospital.

Downtown Renaissance

In the last 15 years, Tacoma has taken a number of steps to revilatize itself, especially downtown.

The University of Washington established a branch campus in Tacoma in 1990. The same year, the historic Union Station was restored.The Museum of Glass opened in downtown Tacoma in 2002, showcasing glass art from the region and around the world. It includes a functional glassblowing studio.

Tacoma's downtown Cultural District is also the site of the Washington State History Museum (1996) and the Tacoma Art Museum (2003). America's Car Museum is currently breaking ground in Tacoma. The grand glass and steel Tacoma Convention and Trade Center opened in June of 2004.

Starting in 2002, the interest in living downtown flourished and downtown Tacoma has seen a significant number of people wishing to live downtown.

Geography

Location of Tacoma, Washington

Tacoma is located at 47Ā°14'29" North, 122Ā°27'34" West (47.241371, -122.459389). Its elevation is 116 meters (380 feet).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 162.2 kmĀ² (62.6 miĀ²). 129.7 kmĀ² (50.1 miĀ²) of it is land and 32.5 kmĀ² (12.5 miĀ²) of it is water. The total area is 20.01% water.

Tacoma has its feet in Commencement Bay, with several cities surrounding it. Most of Tacoma has an excellent view of Mt. Rainier. On clear days, it is part of the city.

The city is situated in close proximity to several military installations: Fort Lewis (an army base), Madigan Army Medical Center, Raft Island naval center and McChord Air Force base.

Demographics

City of Tacoma Population by year[3]
1910	83,743
1920	96,965
1930	106,817
1940	109,408
1950	143,673
1960	147,979
1970	154,581
1980	158,501
1990	176,664
2000	193,556
2005	195,898

The census of 2000 indicated that 193,556 persons, 76,152 households, and 45,919 families resided in Tacoma. Four years later, the U.S. Census Bureau estimated that Tacoma's population had increased by 1.7%, to 196,800 (Trends, No. D3 [Sept. 2004]).

In 2000, Tacoma's population density was 1,492.3/kmĀ² (3,864.9/miĀ²). There were 81,102 housing units at an average density of 625.3/kmĀ² (1,619.4/miĀ²). The racial makeup of the city was 69.08% White, 11.24% African American, 1.96% Native American, 7.57% Asian, 0.93% Pacific Islander, 2.94% from other races, and 6.28% from two or more races. 6.85% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 76,152 households in Tacoma in 2000; 30.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.6% were married couples living together, 13.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.7% were non-families. Almost one third of households (31.7%) were made up of individuals living alone; 10.4% of these were 65 years of age or older. The average household size in 2000 was 2.45 and the average family size was 3.10.

In 2000, the population's demographics were evenly distributed: 25.8% under 18, 10.4% from 18 to 24, 31.6% from 25 to 44, 20.3% from 45 to 64, and 11.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34. For every 100 females there were 95.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.3 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $37,879, and the median income for a family was $45,567. Males had a median income of $35,820, versus $27,697 for females. The per capita income for the city was $19,130. 15.9% of the population and 11.4% of families were below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 20.6% of those under the age of 18 and 10.9% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line. Average rents in Tacoma in 2005 were $577 for a one bedroom apartment, and $844 for a two bedroom apartment. Tacoma

Commerce & Industry

Tacoma is the home of such international companies as Labor Ready, Inc. and the Russell Investment Group.

Beginning in the 1930s, Tacoma became known for its malodorousness, nicknamed the "Tacoma Aroma" by the locals - a distinctive, acrid odor produced by local paper manufacturing on the industrial tide flats. In the late 1990s, Simpson Tacoma Kraft reduced total sulfur emissions by 90%. This largely eliminated the problem; where once the aroma was ever-present, it is now only noticeable occasionally, primarily when the wind is coming from the west.

Urban Form & Transport

Tacoma's system of transportation is based primarily on the automobile. The majority of the city has a system of gridded streets oriented in relation to A Street (one block east of Pacific Avenue) and 6th Avenue, both beginning in Downtown Tacoma. Within the City, numbered streets run east to west and are labeled "North" or "South" according to their relationship with 6th Avenue or Division Street. North- and south-running streets are given a name or a letter, and are also labeled "North" or "South" in relation to 6th Avenue. This can lead to confusion, as Union Avenue intersects both North and South 11th Streets. Many first-time visitors have encountered difficulty with this. To the east of the Thea Foss waterway and "A" Street, streets are similar divided into "East" and "Northeast," with 0 Street East being equivalent to the Pierce-King line. "Northeast" covers a small wedge of Tacoma and unincorporated Pierce County lying across the tideflats from downtown. Tacoma's system of number extends to the furthest reaches of Pierce County, except for the Key Peninsula, which retains the same basis for north-south streets but chooses the Pierce-Kitsap line as the zero point for east-west streets.
In portions of the city dating back to the Tacoma Streetcar Period (1888-1938), denser mixed use business districts exist alongside single family homes. Twelve such districts have active, city-recognized business associations and hold "small town"-style parades and other festivals. The Proctor, Old Town, Dome, Sixth Avenue, Stadium and Lincoln Business Districts are some of the more prominent and popular of these and coordinate their efforts to redevelop urban villages through the Cross District Association of Tacoma. In newer portions of the city to the west and south, residential cul-de-sacs, four-lane collector roads and indoor shopping centers are more commonplace.
The dominant intercity transportation link between Tacoma and other parts of the Puget Sound is Interstate 5. I-5 links Tacoma with Seattle to the north and Portland, Oregon, to the south. Washington State Route 16 runs along a concrete viaduct through Tacoma's Nalley Valley connecting Interstate 5 with West Tacoma, the Tacoma Narrows Bridge, and the Kitsap Peninsula. Seattle-Tacoma International Airport lies about 22 miles to the north in the city of SeaTac.

Public Transport

Light Rail in Tacoma

Tacoma's alternative transportation services include buses, commuter rail, light rail, and ferries. Public bus service is provided by Pierce Transit, which serves Tacoma and Pierce County. Pierce Transit operates a total of 55 bus routes on buses powered by natural gas. Most bus service operates at 30 minute frequencies on weekdays, some routes once an hour, while three heavily-ridden "trunk" routes are served every 15 minutes on weekdays and every half hour on weekends.
Sound Transit, the regional transit authority, provides daily Sounder Commuter Rail service and express bus service to and from Seattle seven days a week. (To and from Olympia is serviced by Pierce and Intercity Transit.) Sound Transit has also established Tacoma Link light rail, a 2.5 km (1.6-mile) electric streetcar line linking Tacoma Dome Station with the University of Washington, Tacoma, Tacoma's Museum District, and the Theater District. Expansion of the City's rail transit system either in the form of electric streetcars or light rail is under consideration by the City of Tacoma and Pierce Transit and is being supported by a local grassroots organization, Tacoma Streetcar.

The Washington State Ferries system, which has a dock at Point Defiance, provides ferry access to Tahlequah at the southern tip of Vashon Island, typically on the ferry M/V Rhododendron.

Tacoma also has Greyhound and Amtrak service, accessible via Tacoma Dome Station.

Tacoma Highways

I-5, I-705, WA-16, WA-7, WA-509, WA-512, WA-161, WA-167, WA-410

Public Utilities

Tacoma's relationship with public utilities extends back to 1893. At that time the city was undergoing a boom in population, causing it to exceed the available amount of fresh water supplied by Charles Wright's Tacoma Light & Water Company. In response to this demand and a growing desire to have local public control over the utility system, the city council put up a public vote to acquire and expand the private utility. The measure passed on July 1, 1893 with 3,195 in favor of acquiring the utility system and 1,956 voting against. Since then Tacoma Public Utilities has grown from a small water and light utility to be the largest department in the city's government employing around 1,200 people.

Tacoma Power, a division of TPU, provides the residents of Tacoma and several bordering municipalities with electrical power generated by eight hydroelectric dams located on the Skokomish River and elsewhere. The capacity of Tacoma's hydroelectric system as of 2004 was 713,000 kilowatts, or about 50% of the demand made up by TPU's customers (the rest is purchased from other utilities). According to TPU, hydroelectricity provides about 87% of Tacoma's power; coal 3%; natural gas 1%; nuclear 9%; and biomass and wind at less than 1%. Tacoma Power also operates the Click! Network, a municipally-owned cable television and internet service, one of the first public utilities to provide such a service. The residential cost per kilowatt hour of electricity stands at a little more than 6 cents.

Tacoma Water provides the customers in its service area with water from the Green River Watershed. As of 2004, Tacoma Water provided water services to 93,903 customers. The average annual cost for residential supply was $257.84. Tacoma Rail, initially a municipally owned street railway line to the tideflats, converted to a common carrier rail switching utility. Tacoma Rail is self-supporting and employs a little over 90 people.

In addition to those services, the City of Tacoma offers commingled recycling services for paper, cardboard, plastics, and metals ā€" as well as municipal garbage services.

Parks

One of the largest urban parks in the U.S, Point Defiance Park, is located in Tacoma. Within the park, the scenic Five Mile Drive allows access to many of the park's attractions, such as Owen Beach, Camp Six, Fort Nisqually, the Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium, and many other smaller sightseeing locations. There are many historic structures within the park such as the Pagoda located near the park entrance.

Another larger park is Wapato Park, which has a lake and walking trails that circle the lake. Wapato is in the south end of Tacoma, of Sheridan and 72nd st. Titlow Beach, located at the end of 6th Avenue, is a popular scuba diving area. Wright Park, located near downtown, is a large, English-style park designed in the late 1800s by E.O. Schwagerl and Ebenezer Rhys Roberts. It contains Wright Park Arboretum and the W. W. Seymour Botanical Conservatory. Wright Park is home to the city's annual gay and lesbian pride march the city throws every July.

Schools & Universities

Tacoma's main public school district is Tacoma Public Schools. The school district contains 36 elementary schools and 11 middle schools. The district also has 5 high schools, one alternative high school, and one School of the Arts. One of the district's high schools, Henry Foss High School, operates an acclaimed International Baccalaureate program. Another high school, Mt. Tahoma, has just been rebuilt in a new location, and offers a state of the art football stadium, theater, and classrooms. Also, one of the elementary schools, Sheridan Elementary, operates three foreign language immersion programs (Spanish, French, and Japanese). Two high schools, Stadium High School and Woodrow Wilson High School are currently being remodled/refurnished in Tacoma and plan to open in September 2006. The fifth high school, Lincoln High School is to begin remodeling in the near future from funds provided by the Bill and Melinda Gates foundation. Tacoma is also home to a number of private schools.

In addition to primary schools Tacoma has a number of institutions of higher learning: including University of Puget Sound, Tacoma Community College, Bates Technical College, and the University of Washington, Tacoma. Pacific Lutheran University and Pierce College also lie within the greater Tacoma area (Parkland and Lakewood/Puyallup respectively).

Mass Media & Local Blogs

The city's only daily newspaper is The News Tribune, since 1986 a subsidiary of McClatchy Newspapers. The paper's circulation is about 128,000 (Sundays 144,000), making it the third-largest newspaper in the state of Washington. A daily newspaper has been in circulation in Tacoma since 1883; in the period from 1907 to 1918, three dailies were published: The Tacoma Ledger, The News, and The Tacoma Tribune.

Tacoma also has local papers such as the Tacoma Weekly and the volcano.

A sample of local blogs that typically report on events and happenings in Tacoma include Exit133.com, KevinFreitas.net, Tacomaness.com, The Flying Turtle Post Intelligencer, ThriceAllAmerican.com, and Cassioposa.net.

Professional Sports Teams