Embarrassing but ........ can sombody tell us about this neighborhood in Tacoma? (Seattle: apartment, lease)

[DutchessCottonPuff]

Due to credit problems really beyond our control ,, I think I am fixing to have to rent a house in tacoma on South 8th street,kinda near division and sprague . I dread this.. we have been offered yet a THIRD,, really good aviation job that we are going to have to turn down if we cant find something .

Something bad happened to us credit wise and we just cant rent there anywhere.. I obsess over craigslist everyday , post ads there look everywhere..... can anyone tell me about this area.. we've lived in tough parts of Houston , Dallas and Amsterdam but we have two ( Old) teens with us and our 9 year old. Is this as bad as it appears??.. We've been in aviation 25 years and I really do not want to pass this one up.

[Hemlock140]

You can research this sort of thing online, here a site to start below. I wouldn't say it was anywhere near the worst part of Tacoma, but I would try to get something better when you can. Have you tried Federal Way, Auburn, or across the bridge in Gig Harbor or Port Orchard?

Arrest - S 8TH ST/S SPRAGUE ST, TACOMA, WA - 12/26/2010 10:17 PM

[Inkpoe]

Its just up the hill from the DT Tacoma area. Very old and a bit run-down neighborhood, very blue collar. It doesn't compare to the tough parts of DFW nor Houston (more safe). I think its prime for gentrification, but that probably will take awhile. Not too far off from the Children's Hospital and the Wright Park, the Point Defiance zoo and park is about a 20 min drive away. Couple colleges in the area. Definitely a busy area in terms of traffic. You're pretty close to North End, Old Town, Fircest/University Place which are the best parts of Tacoma.

Your older kids will most likely go to Stadium HS... if they're curious about what it look like. Rent "10 things I hate about you" with Heath Ledger, Julia Stiles and Joseph Gordon-Leavitt. The HS shown in the movie is actually located in the Tacoma area. Very gorgeous HS (Stadium HS). (Though, don't use the neigborhood/houses as a point of reference, as that part was filmed in parts of Seattle.)

All in all, I wouldn't say its "bad"... but it is Tacoma and a lot of Seattleites likes to put down Tacoma. My personal opinion? Tacoma is underrated. Good luck in getting the place! I'm sure you'd enjoy the PNW.

[Sobefobik]

It's not the best area, but it's certainly not the worst. Where are you from? If you're new to the area and have bad credit, this is a decent area to start with. I actually lived around here and I really liked it. You're close to Wright Park and Ruston Way, which are both very nice places to walk around. And you're also close to the zoo and downtown.

If it were me and I liked the apartment, I would rent it. Remember, you can always move once your lease is up to a new place if you decide. And once you get into Tacoma, it's always easier to find a place to rent because they're not skeptical about somebody from further away and scammers.

[DutchessCottonPuff]

Thank you all very much , right now we are in Port Aransas Texas an island off of Corpus Christi,, actually my home but like above , I have truly lived everyhere,, and yes I have tried everywhere from from Everett to Olympia and everywhere in between.. yes they are out there , I just cant rent them and with each app fee I am losing just hundreds of dollars( 30.-50 per app per person over 18 ) just to be turned down ..Its gotta stop or I gotta stay ..layoffs are coming to the NAS here though so I have to take some sort of action.. I think I am going to try to go for this .