Moving to WA: Tacoma vs. Gig Harbor? (Lakewood, Puyallup: insurance, crime) - City-Data Forum

victor.m · 06-08-2011, 01:44 AM

Howdy,

So my girlfriend and I have long decided that we want to move to Washington. We are just now finalizing our plans, and look to be moving there early in July. We are both college-aged but not currently in college.

We are having a bit of trouble deciding where to live..initially we had planned on moving to Tacoma, because the cost of living was more in line with what we were comfortable with. I have a couple of interviews lined up in the field of work I am in (Food Service Management), but nothing certain yet. She will be looking for a job when she gets there. We are moving with approx $7,400 saved.

Unfortunately after some more research I have read numerous horror stories about how "ghetto" and run down Tacoma is. While I'm sure this is not the whole city, I am afraid of moving into a part of town that's not quite as decent as I would expect..we don't have a budget to go visit before we move and I truthfully have a hard time distinguishing what parts of town are good to live in.

So I did some more research and found Gig Harbor..seems like a really nice place to live! My issue is that neither of us have definite jobs right now, while I do have a very good prospect of immediately having a job when I get there, I am still schedule to go through and interview. She will be looking for a job.

I guess my questions are: How much more expensive, in general, is it to live in Gig Harbor than Tacoma? I noticed utilities seem a bit more expensive.

What parts of Tacoma are good and safe to live in for a young couple, while moderately priced? I am currently looking at a 1/1 in Gig Harbor that would run us $842/mo with our pet. Would I be able to find a decent place in a nice part of Tacoma for that price?

How bad is Tacoma, really? I've heard many places call it "Tacomption"..

And also, how many opportunities are there in the area? How is employment and industry for two people without college degrees in the Tacoma/Gig Harbor area?

Any insight and advice would be greatly appreciated, thanks in advance!

- Vic

Hemlock140 · 06-08-2011, 06:24 AM

If it were me I'd prefer Gig Harbor to live, but then I'm not your age. Gig Harbor is a sleepy little rural town, not much to do and no real jobs there.
If you work in Tacoma you will have a bridge toll to pay every morning.
Tacoma has it's ghetto areas but does also have decent and even really nice areas. If you search there have been several threads on this before. I'd suggest the University District (UW Tacoma)

mthomson · 06-14-2011, 08:25 AM

Horror stories of Tacoma are grossly exaggerated. I make a living selling homes in Gig Harbor, and I'd still say Tacoma is a better bet for you. As bisjoe stated, college-age is going to be a bit a tough to find in Gig Harbor. Cost of living isn't terribly different. Home prices are more in Gig Harbor, but property taxes, home owners and auto insurance are more in Tacoma.
University Place, Fircrest, most of North Tacoma, and much of Central Tacoma are fine.
Tacoma is a city. Cities have more crime than suburbs. Compared to most cities, Tacoma is very mild. We lived there for 4 years before moving to Gig Harbor, and it's just not bad.

Ira500 · 06-14-2011, 09:01 AM

In general, the parts of Tacoma that people choose to avoid are south Tacoma and east Tacoma.
The parts of Tacoma that are hip and cool include 6th Avenue, the Stadium District, Old Town, Proctor, Ruston, and Point Defiance. The part of downtown Tacoma where UW is and the history museum are more urban but also popular among the young and cool. The Tacompton label describes maybe 10% of Tacoma, and is mostly given to Tacoma by people who either have never been there or haven't been there in 30 years.

knoxwell · 06-14-2011, 04:47 PM

I agree with bisjoe... I would much prefer to live in Gig Harbor vs Tacoma... but I am not your age either. I love being near the water and love the slow, small town feel. If you like lots of excitement and night life... Gig Harbor is not for you. Tacoma's downtown area has grown tremendously in the last 5 to 10 years. Now that UW campus is there... it is much more hip and has some great pubs and restaurants. North end of Tacoma is beautiful (I grew up there)... but I doubt if it is inexpensive. University Place and Fircrest are problably the only other options. Even Lakewood is iffy nowadays. Where are you living now?

ukiyo-e · 06-18-2011, 09:23 PM

My son is a college student and lives in North Tacoma. As knoxwell said, that part of town is actually quite nice. He shares a house with 5 girls (go, son!) who also attend his college. I've been over there a number of times and my impression is that there are some very nice areas of Tacoma and some very seedy areas. It seems like you can get a pretty good "feel" for them just by driving around. If I were your age, I'd rather live in Tacoma than Gig Harbor. GH is very nice, but more for families and older people. Tacoma has more nightlife.

disaksen · 06-20-2011, 07:17 PM

Make your decision about where you're going to buy based on where you're going to work. In my opinion, a better nearby place to settle down would be the town of Puyallup or Sumner, ... both of which are located a short distance east of Tacoma. If it were only between Gig Harbor and Tacoma, make the choice on whether you live on the Gig Harbor or Tacoma side of the Narrows Bridge. Continuous travel across the Narrows can really increase one's cost of living.

mthomson · 06-30-2011, 11:09 AM

I'd argue that the travel across the Narrows Bridge does not increase your cost of living. It's a $2.75/day increase. Property taxes in Tacoma are far higher than they are in Gig Harbor. Auto insurance is costlier in Tacoma than it is in Gig Harbor (as it is in any high density city versus a low density town).
Taxes and insurance alone will cost you more than gas and toll.

oddcompany · 07-06-2011, 08:19 PM

For what yor looking for, I agree with Ira500, 6th Avenue, the Stadium District, Old Town, Proctor, Ruston, and Point Defiance are the best places for you to start, then after a year or so, you can move.
Good luck. I have lived in one of the areas above for over 10 years.

Social Democrat · 10-08-2012, 02:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mthomson

I'd argue that the travel across the Narrows Bridge does not increase your cost of living. It's a $2.75/day increase. Property taxes in Tacoma are far higher than they are in Gig Harbor. Auto insurance is costlier in Tacoma than it is in Gig Harbor (as it is in any high density city versus a low density town).
Taxes and insurance alone will cost you more than gas and toll.

This is an older thread but the statement about the difference in property taxes from Gig Harbor to Tacoma caught my attention.
Why would the property taxes be higher in Tacoma than in Gig Harbor? For example, wouldn't a 350K house in Gig Harbor have the same property tax as a 350K house in Tacoma?