tacoma neighborhoods (Seattle, Lakewood, Olympia: real estate, rent, crimes)

[back2sa]

I don't know about that list. First, it's 5 years old. Second, some of those cities that are in the top 10...that's crazy. I've lived in San Antonio and OKC and can't believe they are ranked so high as an unsafe place. And Honolulu...number 10? I've been there many times and feel safe everytime I'm there. West Palm Beach, #11. It's a very high end city with a crazy number of rich people.

Some of those places near the top I would have thought would be closer to the bottom. Interesting.

[PG77]

Originally Posted by VelcroQueen

One mall and one confused child in a whole city, county, state, country, that one night. Nebraska is a good place with good people. Don't let one little boy who was out of control control you.

I was just making the point that crime can happen anywhere whether you are in Washington or Nebraska. It happens in both the rich and poor neighborhoods. Yes, it might happen less in some areas, but it can still happen, no one is exempt.

[gr8homes]

Originally Posted by maka36

My husband and I are considerng Tacoma for a possible move from the Midwest next year (he has an upcoming job interview). We have two children - infant and toddler - and we plan to rent, as we may not live there for more than a year.

We will be visiting Tacoma this weekend. Any advice on safe neighborhoods to consider that wouldn't require a long commute to downtown?

We are looking to rent a home or townhome (or spacious apartment) in a pretty safe area that holds parks and/or open spaces for walking, running or hiking.

Thanks a lot for your tips!

P.S. I did see the map in an earlier post by magrack and found it helpful, but I still would appreciate any extra advice.

Just wondering, how was your visit and what were your thoughts on Tacoma?

[gr8homes]

Originally Posted by cvanripe10

People always make Tacoma sound like a war zone. Is it really that much of a ghetto dump??

I'm from New Jersey and someone told me that the bad areas in the northwest are a joke compared to the ones back east.

A friend of mine from the mid-west/east wanted to see the "ghetto" areas of Tacoma/Seattle. She saw them and said "This is not a ghetto. You guys here don't know what a ghetto is".

[bellabella2]

Please...NE Tacoma can't compare with North Tacoma, areas of the north west end, and the Proctor district.. These are truly nice areas to live in and raise children.

[ysabella]

In NE Tacoma, SoundBuilt Homes wants to replace the North Shore Golf Course with 800 new homes. I would have serious doubts about the infrastructure handling that kind of a load.

[mconzemius]

Yes, the shooting in Omaha, NE recently is disturbing. However, I lived in Tacoma when the shooter came to the Tacoma Mall and shot and killed people. As a matter of fact, I worked at the Toys 'R Us right next to it at the time it happened. Maybe it's a sign that we aren't safe anywhere....really. Does it matter really where you are? You can become a victim of crime, etc...anywhere. Hopefully living in a nicer neighborhood will help protect you and your family some.

[irrational exuberance]

Tacoma has definitely cleaned up since I been here. When I got here in 2001 I was expecting the city that led the murder rate in the 90s but I have traveled around and the worst place I have been is Miami Florida. I guess its all perception to most people. A bullet is a bullet no matter where your at. Would you rather be caught in a situation where you downplay the area of one that is known for notorious violence and crime? Point being you can find yourself in a bad situation no matter where your from and how tough your neighborhood was back home.

[julz6769]

I grew up in Tacoma in the 70" and 80's. It was really nice then. I used to ride my horse down what is a four land highway now. There is distinct areas there that have a life of their own. I am partial to the "Summit" area. It is approx. 20 minutes from downtown. People still have cows and horses and actually talk to their neighbors. It is kinda smack dab in the middle of everything, but the majority of people held onto their large chunks of property so it has a rural feel. I have noticed a growth of crime, population explosion and traffic in the last thirty years so I chose to move to the Eastern side of the state. It depends on what you are seeking... To me, the Midwest sounds nicer. But, if you're up for adventure.. give it a try!

[htcballer]

Actully i know preety much all there is to know about tacoma and i would say yes the areas that r nice in tacoma would defiently be the north end but the east side of tacoma is bad. its true that it dosnt look that junky but looks r nothing the main areas in the tacoma u want to stay way from is definetly the hill top and the eastside neightbor hoods one thing is we dont have alot of murders at all but we have so much violence drugs robberys car thefs etc etc and look at any stats tacoma has one of the most rape crime in the nation we also have alot of gangs over 50 diff types of gangsif u wnat me to name then id be happy to ( : i know i lived in all these areas but my family moved to renton to get away so overall i wouldnt reccomend living in tacoma and almost all the schools r gettin bad definetly lincoln foss and m.t thos areas r mainly ghetto because of low income houses and we have alot of peeople form the rougher ghettos like compton flint south central etc etc comin here so if u have ot live in tacoma try stayin by the up area