Anyone knows Tacoma? (Seattle, Yakima, Arlington: top neighborhood, for sale, 2009)

[xianese]

Since no Tacoma sub-forum, I post my question here.

I am thinking buying a house in Tacoma near downtown. Does anyone know the 98405 area? Is it a good neighbor?

Thanks.

[mthomson]

It's a very nice neighborhood. I have a home for sale in that zip code, right across from a good school with a nice park just up the street.
Lots of nice older homes in the area, with a few newer ones. You've got several parks nearby, bus routes all throughout, a couple of grocery stores, several churches, and very close to a good variety of places to eat.
I lived in that zip for 4 years when I first moved to Tacoma and was very happy there.

[T-TownNicky]

I live in 98405 and have for much of my life. You want to keep west of Sprague Avenue or you'll be living on Hilltop and that is one of the most notorious neighborhoods in Tacoma (see this link Hilltop Neighborhood, Tacoma, Washington - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia). While there has been a lot of cleanup, it is still not somewhere you'd want to live unless you are very familiar with what you're getting yourself in to, especially since there are major differences from one block to another.

I work downtown and my commute is a whole 5 minutes, 7 minutes if I hit every light. Nearly all streets in Tacoma lead to downtown and getting around is simple.

Good luck with where ever you decide!

[bellabella2]

I like the 98407 area best

[Jake840]

There are different sections of 98405. The area west of Sprague Ave. has seen increased crime. Hilltop, east of Sprague Ave, actually has one of the lowest crime rates in the city. I had a house listed for sale on the Hilltop and did some crime research. The crime rate was about the same as the Proctor District. I currently live in 98405 in the section that is being redeveloped (McCarver Neighborhood) with many condos and townhomes along Yakima Ave. I would say check that area out. The prices on townhomes have dropped a lot.


If looking on Hilltop I would say the central section is the best. Between 19th and 9th Street. There is a lot going on on the Hilltop (art galleries, nightlife, new office/retail, new apartments and condos) so I would say long run it is one of the best places to buy in the city for appreciation. But it is an urban area so there are things that might be different then say if you live in the burbs but all in all crime is pretty low. I have never had a problem. I have walked home from lounges up off MLK and never had a problem. My car has never been broken into and it is parked outside. The city, residents, and police are VERY involved in the area. So if there is a problem it gets taken care of quickly.

[PG77]

I live in the 98407 area. Very nice.

[jam5]

I was considering starting my own thread but since this one is readily available...

I am of mixed race (half white, half Japanese) and am currently living in Arlington, Virginia. I am thinking of moving to Tacoma (contingent, of course, on whether I can land a job there) sometime later next year -perhaps late summer into fall 2009 if everything falls into place. The climate is not an issue since I was a student at the University of Washington in Seattle for four years until 2005 and loved it there, and I have family throughout the Puget Sound region, so I will hardly be an outsider. I do have one concern -I have looked at Uwajimaya and H-Mart, and neither have branches open in Tacoma. Are there any Asian grocery stores in Tacoma? I am the type who likes to have (sticky) short-grained rice with my meals, and would value a rice-cooker far more than a coffeemaker.

[PG77]

Originally Posted by jam5

I was considering starting my own thread but since this one is readily available...

I am of mixed race (half white, half Japanese) and am currently living in Arlington, Virginia. I am thinking of moving to Tacoma (contingent, of course, on whether I can land a job there) sometime later next year -perhaps late summer into fall 2009 if everything falls into place. The climate is not an issue since I was a student at the University of Washington in Seattle for four years until 2005 and loved it there, and I have family throughout the Puget Sound region, so I will hardly be an outsider. I do have one concern -I have looked at Uwajimaya and H-Mart, and neither have branches open in Tacoma. Are there any Asian grocery stores in Tacoma? I am the type who likes to have (sticky) short-grained rice with my meals, and would value a rice-cooker far more than a coffeemaker.

Did a search on google. I found the following in Tacoma:

East Asian Supermarket
Boo Han Oriental Food Supermarket

[mthomson]

There's one on 38th and Pacific. I think it's the East Asian Market PG77 mentioned.

[Luke9686]

Be carefull buying in the 98405. There are some nice parts and some very shady parts. 98407, 98406 are very nice.