Visit Tacoma
Tacoma is the state’s third largest city at nearly 200,000 residents, yet offers a small town feel and a truly unique array of geographic gifts. It is nearly surrounded by the scenic waters of Puget Sound and the more distant Cascade and Olympic mountain ranges, affording breathtaking natural views and myriad outdoor recreational opportunities. Additionally, Tacoma’s downtown has undergone a transformation, allowing residents and visitors to experience arts and cultural elements common to large cities, including museums, music and theatre venues and excellent restaurants, to name just a few. Additionally, it is just 30 minutes south of Seattle. So if your appetite for city life is great, your options are greater!
Economically, Tacoma has much to offer. The Port of Tacoma is among the largest and fastest growing deep-water container ports in the United States, and a major gateway to Asia and Alaska. Tacoma is home to two large military bases; Fort Lewis (Army) and McChord Air Force Base. Recently, hundreds of high-tech companies have been attracted to locate here for the city’s unique combination of skilled labor, reliable transportation and excellent lifestyle. Products made in the areas in and around Tacoma include lumber products, pulp, paper, clothing, chemicals, furniture, flour, candy, railroad wheels, furnaces, food products, meat and fish.
History
The original residents along the shore of Commencement Bay were the Nisqually and Puyallup Native American tribes. Captain George Vancouver arrived in 1792 by ship. He named Mount Rainier for Peter Rainier, an officer in the British Navy, although the mountain had been referred to by natives as Talol, Tahoma, or Tacoma, depending who you asked. European settlers came originally as a result of very successful sawmills in the 1850s. Transcontinental rail service to Tacoma was completed in 1887 further bolstering lumber and coal industries. Record numbers of people settled and the town flourished. When the railroads collapsed and banks closed, Tacoma experienced turmoil and didn’t recover until the creation of the Weyerhaeuser Timber Company in 1900. Shipping boomed during World War I the shipping industry boomed, and the city benefited by having an Army base. Commencement Bay was declared an official U.S. Port of Entry in 1918.
In the 1930s, the Great Depression brought more instability to Tacoma, but World War II stimulated industrial growth, again due to the military presence here. Extensive city planning in the 1950s ut Tacoma on firm economic footing, which it has enjoyed ever since.
Shopping & Dining
Tacoma has a thriving infrastructure. It is home to a regional mall, The Tacoma Mall, featuring retailers such as Nordrom, Macy’s, Sears and JCPenney. Tacoma’s downtown commercial core is bustling with shopping and dining, as well as a campus of The University of Washington, bookstores, coffee and tea shops, bistros, and more. The 6th Avenue Business District boasts many great retail and dining establishments, such as Masa’s, Asado and Primo Grill to name just a few. The Proctor area has an abundance of charming shops and dining establishments such as Europa. It is home to Metropolitan Market, a boutique gourmet grocer, as well as a farmer’s market on Saturdays.
No description of Tacoma’s would be complete without mention of Frisco Freeze, an iconic hamburger drive-in that opened in the 1950s. This 700 square foot building is at once a gathering place, a nostalgic slice of Tacoma’s past, and a place to stop in for a great burger!
Arts and Entertainment
Tacoma has long possessed a thriving music scene. In the 50’s, bands like The Fabulous Wailers and The Ventures gained national prominence. Both grew out of the Tacoma scene. To this day there are great places to go hear live music, whether it is rock and roll, jazz or blues. Each summer Tacoma is host to several jazz and blues festivals. And in the winter there is Wintergrass, a very popular bluegrass festival. Tacoma School of the Arts is a public high school with many music-related programs and an overall emphasis on the performing and visual arts. The school is helping to foster a new generation of talented musicians.
There are grand, historic theaters located in downtown Tacoma, such as the Pantages and Rialto (Broadway Center for the Performing Arts), as well as smaller neighborhood theaters in operation such as the Tacoma Little Theater and Tacoma Musical Playhouse.
If you enjoy museums, Tacoma has much to offer! Downtown you can visit the exiting and always interesting Museum of Glass, The Tacoma Art Museum, the Washington History Museum and The Children’s Museum. Further north at Point Defiance Park is The Fort Nisqually, Camp 6 Logging Museum and The Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium.
Outdoor Recreation
Outdoor recreational opportunities abound in Tacoma, and you don’t have to go far. At the northern tip of the city lies a 702-acre park called Point Defiance. It features gardens and old growth forests, hiking & running trails, scenic drives, beaches, a lodge and pagoda, a marina, and much more. The Puget Sound itself provides opportunities for boating, kayaking, scuba diving, fishing and clam-digging.
Tacoma lies at the base of the tallest peak in the Cascade Mountain Range, Mount Rainier. It is a short drive away and great for day trips. Mount Rainier National Park offers stunning hikes, mountain climbing, camping and an overnight historic lodge, recently restored. Or head west instead to Olympic National Park, where you will find Pacific Ocean Beaches, rain forest valleys, glacier-capped peaks and a wide range of plants and animals.
Health Care
Tacoma General Hospital (Multi-Care) is a center of excellence for many medical specialties including cancer care, cardiology, obstetrics and neurology. It has always taken a pioneering approach to providing superior care using the latest procedures and technologies.
St. Joseph Hospital (Franciscan Health Systems) is a regional medical center featuring the South Sound’s largest heart and vascular center, a Level II Trauma Center and other advanced programs including robotic surgery, Gamma Knife, “Joint Camp” for joint replacement, and one of the largest hospital-based nephrology (kidney care) programs on the West Coast.
