crime in Tacoma (Seattle, Bellevue, Puyallup: low income, real estate, insurance)

[rosacalabaza]

my husband and i are eagerly looking to move to Tacoma in early 2016 (currently living in the Willamette Valley in Oregon). we have some great friends in Tacoma and, like them, have fallen in love with the jazz and art scenes, the historic buildings, good food, downtown, Point Defiance, and overall good vibes.

all that being said, i want more current perspectives on CRIME (property and violent) in Tacoma from people who have lived/spent significant time there. no specific questions - just a big, hairy, open-ended request to learn more about crime in Tacoma from locals.

thanks much for your time and insights!

[Tall Traveler]

People up here make a big deal about the Tacoma crime because it is higher than Seattle and just about anywhere in Washington. But to put it into perspective, I compared the crime rates of Tacoma with Seattle, Portland, SF, and Oakland and used a 5 year avg to calculate a standard murder rate average.

Tacoma - 5.6 murder avg per 100K population
Portland - 3.0
Seattle - 3.2
Oakland - 25.6
San F - 6.4

For property crimes and overall crime, they are above the national average but not excessively so.

To me, Tacoma is a bargain and I'm considering moving there or at least in that area.

Average house price in Portland is $355K. Seattle is $500K, Tacoma is $200K.

[CrazyDonkey]

Rising real estate prices and rents, fueled by speculation as much as by demand, is causing a cascade effect as those no longer able to afford to live in Seattle flow south.

Seattle is likely in a speculative boom that is heading to a bust. Nothing, it seems to me, justifies Seattle real estate being 150% more expensive than Tacoma real estate. I'd be wary of Seattle real estate values once the carpetbaggers, deeming the bubble is near popping, cash out, leaving everybody else holding the bag.

[Tall Traveler]

Originally Posted by CrazyDonkey

Rising real estate prices and rents, fueled by speculation as much as by demand, is causing a cascade effect as those no longer able to afford to live in Seattle flow south.

Seattle is likely in a speculative boom that is heading to a bust. Nothing, it seems to me, justifies Seattle real estate being 150% more expensive than Tacoma real estate. I'd be wary of Seattle real estate values once the carpetbaggers, deeming the bubble is near popping, cash out, leaving everybody else holding the bag.

I agree but to be fair, Seattle does have enormous economic might and amenities that Tacoma just doesn't have. But I think prices that average 2.5 times higher than Tacoma 35 minutes away are not justifiable.

[TacTown]

Property crime is bad in just about every major city these days. I moved to Puyallup in 2004ish and would much prefer to visit Tacoma. If you can afford a home in the Proctor District I would go for it. It seems like a lot of agents are trying to sell the Hill Top area as cleaned up but it still has few more years to go.

[Tall Traveler]

Originally Posted by TacTown

Property crime is bad in just about every major city these days. I moved to Puyallup in 2004ish and would much prefer to visit Tacoma. If you can afford a home in the Proctor District I would go for it. It seems like a lot of agents are trying to sell the Hill Top area as cleaned up but it still has few more years to go.

Agree on Hill Top. I've heard in general the north (including northeast) and west side of Tacoma are pretty safe. Can you give a quick overview of your thoughts about that and do you recommend Puyallup over Tacoma? My son and 2 grandsons are in Bellevue and we are thinking about relocating in Tacoma area to be closer and would like some input. We are looking at Tacoma, Puyallup, Gig Harbor, Bonney Lake. Our budget I would say is $400K-$450K.

[TacTown]

Originally Posted by Tall Traveler

Agree on Hill Top. I've heard in general the north (including northeast) and west side of Tacoma are pretty safe. Can you give a quick overview of your thoughts about that and do you recommend Puyallup over Tacoma? My son and 2 grandsons are in Bellevue and we are thinking about relocating in Tacoma area to be closer and would like some input. We are looking at Tacoma, Puyallup, Gig Harbor, Bonney Lake. Our budget I would say is $400K-$450K.

I do recommend Puyallup over Tacoma if you have a young working family or like a small town vibe.When I refer to Puyallup I mean downtown not South Hill Puyallup. The biggest glaring draw back is Mt. Rainier. If it goes so does your house and most of everything in the Valley. I don't worry about it though I've lived under it my whole life.

I wouldn't move to Bonney Lake. It feels so artificial to me and there's not a lot up there. You'll always be driving out of the area to do anything. The only bonus I see is you'll get a lot more bang for your buck but what good is that when your always driving some place else.

Gig Harbor is a cool area if you have money. It's biggest drawback is the Narrows Bridge.

With your budget you can get a beautiful house in just about any area you listed. If it was my budget I would buy a bigger house in Downtown Puyallup. I live a pretty active Lifestyle my daughter loves her high school and my friends love to visit the area. Puyallup just offers everything I need even though we have gotten priced out of the area.

[TacTown]

I forgot to add in something about crime. I don't worry so much about it because I've come to an understanding. Violent crime has happened to me plenty and I've witnessed a lot. 99% of that can be attributed to what I was doing. If you're hanging out in line for a club at midnight you are very likely to be a victim at some point. If you have some shady friends at some point you will be a victim. If you try to save money by living in low income areas you will become a victim. Sure random crime will happen but if you don't put yourself in those situations you don't have anything to worry about.

[CrazyDonkey]

Originally Posted by TacTown

Property crime is bad in just about every major city these days. I moved to Puyallup in 2004ish and would much prefer to visit Tacoma. If you can afford a home in the Proctor District I would go for it. It seems like a lot of agents are trying to sell the Hill Top area as cleaned up but it still has few more years to go.

It's a trade-off. If you're willing to deal with the transition, by buying good insurance, installing a security system, joining/forming a block watch, etc., you'll get more house for your money, with a good chance of solid appreciation and a fully gentrified neighborhood in the future. You also might be able to find properties with the good or better assigned schools.

[TacTown]

Originally Posted by CrazyDonkey

It's a trade-off. If you're willing to deal with the transition, by buying good insurance, installing a security system, joining/forming a block watch, etc., you'll get more house for your money, with a good chance of solid appreciation and a fully gentrified neighborhood in the future. You also might be able to find properties with the good or better assigned schools.

The Hilltop area was one of the worst areas in Tacoma. It's still a low income area that they've been trying to convert to middle class. They tore down the crack houses and built new, but the dealers are still there. I drove down MLK yesterday and they have built some fancy new condos in the area but the criminal element was still in plain sight. If you can't walk down your own street at night there is no way I'm forcing my family to live through the transition. The people that are trying to avoid crime should not even consider Hilltop as an option. I'm sure if your from certain parts of California, Hilltop would feel like the burbs.