Tacoma - What's the real story? (Seattle, Federal Way: upper-class, real estate, crime rate)

[Crom72]

Hi,

My wife and I are contemplating a move to the Seattle area. On this board almost no one has any positive things to say about Tacoma yet when I search for real estate in the Seattle area I find some really nice looking and well maintained homes in Tacoma. It doesn't make sense to me that Tacoma would be such an awful place to live yet people would take the time to invest in older homes and rehab them. Are there no nice places to live in Tacoma?

We're looking for neighborhoods with a nice mix of people (in this mix families are a plus) within walking distance to restaraunts and shops - the University of Puget Sound area keeps coming up in real estate searches as appearing to be nice. We're not committed to living in Tacoma, just curious as to why what we see appears to be pretty nice but almost all commentary is anti-Tacoma.

Thanks

[magrack]

Use the search function; type in "Tacoma" or click on my name to see my posts re Tacoma for a different view.

I don't feel like going over this again.

Keep in mind, many people posting, "Tacoma-all bad, all the time" never lived there or are mis-informed or are repeating gossip or are narrow minded enough to exclude anywhere except where they live, as an option or are just being foolish...you choose.

[scirocco22]

Hi Crom. magrack is absolutely right.

Tacoma often gets a bad rap and its reputation has been tarnished for many reasons. It does have a numerous crime ridden areas which gives it the very high crime rate you'll see published but it also has extremely nice neighborhoods too. I have several friends living on both sides of SR-16. They are all in midde to upper-class neighborhoods. Yes, one even lives relatively close to UPS and they have a very nice house.

You're also correct when observing the reformation of many of the older neighborhoods ...and neighborhoods that were once considered places to stay away from. It's similar to what is going on in Seattle where many once undisirable areas are now becoming the place to be and are commanding extremely high prices.

I'd also urge you to look up magrack's previous posts. magrack has an extremely balanced view of things and posts with extreme clarity.

Thanks, more later...

--'rocco

[AZ_singlemother]

If you don't have kids, okay, give it a go with University of PS. Be careful where you buy a house there. I know some out of staters who bought houses in the East side/hilltop area, regretted moving there as the violence and crime is high, then was unable to sell their house and was exceptionally miserable.

North end - University of PS, okay. Since you have no kids, get a feel for the area and really research the school system - try for private schools and you should be fine.

[escapetacoma]

Originally Posted by AZ_singlemother

North end - University of PS, okay. Since you have no kids, get a feel for the area and really research the school system - try for private schools and you should be fine.

And if someone is really interested in a nice place near the University of Puget Sound ping me privately as we'll be selling our's later next month Note that if it weren't for the weather we wouldn't be moving but I've had all of the grey that I can take for a while.

[magrack]

Originally Posted by scirocco22

....
I'd also urge you to look up magrack's previous posts. magrack has an extremely balanced view of things and posts with extreme clarity.

....

Thanks 'rocco, but reading that caused me to think that I really haven't been as clear as I could be, so I'll be a little more specific.

First I'd like to apologize to those who might be on dial-up...loading graphics can be a pain for them, but this might be the best way to pass a lot of information in the most efficient manner possible.

The following is a series of maps that I have marked to show the areas where I would choose to live in Tacoma.

I drew color coded boundaries around most of the areas in Tacoma.

Green is where I would live without reservation.

Red is the places I wouldn't.

Blue is the places I would consider if "I" thought the house had merit (price/amenities/neighbors who kept their houses up/blah, blah)

Red/Blue is the places that I would consider if that's all I could afford, but I'd be alert.

It's not exact because I didn't go street by street. Too much effort. The maps are only supposed to be a starting point for someone to do more and better research. Might be a slight overlap or two in there, but I got lazy.

Within the Red areas there are some OK spots, but they would be difficult to find without being there.

If you live in Tacoma and I've marked your area in Red, don't be insulted; it's not meant that way. My purpose is to give starting points for people considering a move to Tacoma who know absolutely nothing about the area.

Remember also, these are my opinions and the reader must make a decision as to the merit of my posts.

This is Tacoma (and a bit of SW Federal Way):


Browns Point/Northeast Tacoma:


North End:


Western Slope/Part of South End:


UP/Fircrest/Part of Lakewood/South End:


East Side/Part of South End:


South/East End/Portions of Midland/Parkland (Tacoma ends at 96th St)/Small bit of Lakewood:

[Crom72]

Magrack,

You went above the call of duty. Thanks for the maps, they are super helpful!

Crom

[magrack]

No problem.

Keep in mind, the areas marked in red are not red just because of crime stats although that was a consideration.

Some of the red is value of homes vs asking price and expected appreciation; traffic considerations and school reputations also played a part.

Transient population as opposed to more permanent residents was a big part. It's no secret that I prefer a neighborhood with a high density of owner occupied homes.

Seems to me, people who invest money/time in their homes often make better neighbors than folks who only stay a short time, but that is one of my personal feelings, and may not hold any more weight than believing that Chevys are better than Fords.

Like I said, it's just a starting point.

ETA: Some of the Red marked areas are in transition. I don't know how they'll be in a year or two.

[faulkton]

every state has a city that they like to talk **** about.. it makes them feel better about where they live.. Tacoma just happens to be that place in Washington.. Does it have some problems? Of course.. but there are also very nice and safe neighborhoods...

[brightcopperkettles]

Magrack, WOW!! I was just reading here, but I have to stop to say what a great job you did with the map! Awesome job!