Tacoma??? (Seattle, Bellevue, Everett: homes, neighborhood, school)

[Seattletony]

Back in 1987, Tacoma was voted by a national publication as being the most livable city in the country than the problems started to arise i.e. gangs and drugs. Tacoma is grittier than Seattle no doubt but like the previous post it does have some nice areas. The organization I work for has does extensive work on Ft. Lewis so I travel the area quite a bit. The waterfront has potential the zoo is world class and areas such as North Tacoma and University place are decent to good. Honestly I don't consider Tacoma seperate from Seattle I consider it to be a part of Seattle metro.

[gogreen]

yet... is it safer than puyallup?

[gogreen]

Originally Posted by Seattletony

Back in 1987, Tacoma was voted by a national publication as being the most livable city in the country than the problems started to arise i.e. gangs and drugs. Tacoma is grittier than Seattle no doubt but like the previous post it does have some nice areas. The organization I work for has does extensive work on Ft. Lewis so I travel the area quite a bit. The waterfront has potential the zoo is world class and areas such as North Tacoma and University place are decent to good. Honestly I don't consider Tacoma seperate from Seattle I consider it to be a part of Seattle metro.

a couple years ago it was voted most deppressing city in america!

[nwraider]

Who says you gotta live right in Tacoma? We moved up here from SoCal (Riverside) a couple years ago and settled in Fife, then moved to Milton 6 months later. We're only about 5-10 miles from downtown Tacoma and maybe another 10 minutes away from places like the Zoo or the Tacoma Mall. Milton itself is a nice, smaller town, but close enough to get out and do stuff on weekends, or go into Tacoma or Puyallup or even Federal Way for shopping, and only about a half hour from Seattle if you want to go do some sight-seeing or whatever up there.. I'm sure there are other areas, but these are what I'm familiar with in my short time in the Pacific NW... Check some of these places out, you may find something you like..

[worldpremier_slott]

I have lived in Tacoma in the outer skirts of the South end. I particularly did not like the crime rate there. Tacoma itself is not a bad place, in my opinion, to visit. Like other areas, you can find a more suitable place to live outside the city. Im just not one to live there.

Closer to Seattle you have places like Auburn, Kent or Renton. South of Tacoma you have Steilacoom (pricey) Puyallup, and Lacey.

The southern cities have more of a drive however they do have a train service that goes from Olympia all the way to Seattle that takes about 20-30 minutes.

All in all, the Pacific Northwest is a great place to live with many diverse and cultural ammenities.

If Tacoma is the place that your heart desires because of the older vintage buildings and such..just remember to stay away from Hilltop, a single woman there is not the place to be.

[marmelade]

Tacoma gets such a bad rap on these boards--sometimes undeservedly, I think. Here are some pros and cons:
Pros: The Stadium District and North End are good places to live. Some water views available, and the cost of housing is not too awful compared to SD or Seattle.
Downtown is revitalizing--slowly. Tons of condos going in, more good restaurants, some great museums, a small light rail system, and Sounder trains to Seattle, if you need a big city fix or some major nightlife. We've found some good coffee shops and live music venues around tacoma.
Some great parks (Pt. Defiance) and a decent zoo ...
Cons: There is crime, though personally I felt a lot less safe when I lived in San francisco than living in Tacoma. That said, the police are really a weak spot in this town. They are not that proactive or effective. They rarely write up traffic tickets, aren't too interested in investigating break-ins, and always have the excuse that they have to fight the "gangs." Their attitudes are just awful, frankly. City government is also inbred and somewhat corrupt. A new city manager is trying to change that ... but who knows. This probably wouldn't impact your life too much unless you buy a house and get involved in civic stuff.
Con: Very inbred population. Maybe it's different if you're in your twenties, but we've older and moved here several years ago and find most people have grown up here and have long-established cliques of friends. Its' been harder to make friends here than anywhere else I've ever lived.
As far as the aroma, I have smelled it only once in 2 years here. Not sure what people are talking about .. but I live in the north end so maybe we just don't get it where I am.
Have you thought about the weather? Coming from SD it might be a shock to go from sun to rainy cloudy days 6 months out of the year.
As far as living in a suburb like Puyallup or Renton, I would have been bored stiff as a twenties-something woman in such places. But it depends on what kind of lifestyle you want--that's really the question.

[jgw1283]

Tacoma is awful, plain and simple. San Diego is heaven compared to Tacoma (and most everywhere else in my opinion ). The only place to live in WA is Bellevue/east side area, but thats over an hour away from UW-T. Tacoma is being overrun with dangerous ghetto folks with no standards. Also, there is no singles life in Tacoma. Most guys are dooshbags and the girls are a joke. Tacoma is one of the worst places I've ever been. The only "nice" part is near Staduim/"North end" but its old and slowly being overrun by awful people. Stay in SD

[compltlyme]

Originally Posted by jgw1283

Tacoma is awful, plain and simple. San Diego is heaven compared to Tacoma (and most everywhere else in my opinion ). The only place to live in WA is Bellevue/east side area, but thats over an hour away from UW-T. Tacoma is being overrun with dangerous ghetto folks with no standards. Also, there is no singles life in Tacoma. Most guys are dooshbags and the girls are a joke. Tacoma is one of the worst places I've ever been. The only "nice" part is near Staduim/"North end" but its old and slowly being overrun by awful people. Stay in SD

come on... most anyplace compared to SD is awful!!!

But yeah living up here in WA Tacoma isn't my favorite place. I don't think I would ever live there.

[fraugibbs]

Originally Posted by risa1230

WOW, so far I haven't heard anything good about Tacoma! I'm single in my late twenties, so I don't have to worry about kids and family. Is Tacoma really that bad??? Aren't there any nice parts??

The Point Defiance Zoo is nice. And the neighborhoods surrounding it seem nice. There are some convenient shopping areas and restaurants in Tacoma. BUT...I don't think I would ever want to live there. I grew up in Bellevue, moved back to WA with my husband after college. We lived in Lakeland in Auburn. Not exactly a hopping area for singles...but I'm not sure what the singles scene is like in Tacoma.

And I would have to say that the commute time to Seattle is closer to 30 minutes with no traffic. People drive s...l...o...w in WA. Good luck and congrats on your offer with UW.

[zeric]

I was born and raised there, do not live there now. My prespective is, it is what you make of the place. There are simply places you avoid, as a kid growing up there in the late 60's and early 70"s, even back then you did not go to the hilltop area, which you will read about in most threads. I suggets you do a serach on the hilltop area you will find some news stories about the place. Another search you can do is on Wright Park which is near the area you are thinking about moving to.
I think Tacoma is the subject of allot bad press, it is in a good loaction in relation to Seattle and points to the south of the city. I believe part of the problem in the bad parts of town is the increased presence of drugs and thugs are simply more brazen then they were 20 or 30 years ago, which is sad. It still would not stop me from moving there, in fact I'm seriously thinking of moving back, although giving up the Florida sunshine is going to tough. I'm not saying I'm some expert on the place because I haven't lived there in years, you would probaly better served by people that are living there now, despite some of the problems you read about I did not think it was all that bad. Good Luck in whatever you decide