Profile for Tacoma, Washington, WA

Tacoma is on Commencement Bay of Puget Sound.

Tacoma was founded as a lumber town; the population soared after the city became the western terminus of the Northern Pacific Railroad. The railroad moved its headquarters to Seattle in the 1920s.

Large investments of private and public funds since 1990 has sparked a resuscitation of downtown. Development includes new museums, a light rail system and housing rehabilitation.

Public transportation: Pierce Transit, Pierce County Ferries, Sounder Commuter Rail (See the transit and travel sections below.)

Crime: The number of violent crimes recorded by the FBI in 2003 was 2,154. The number of murders and homicides was 13. The violent crime rate was 10.8 per 1,000 people.

Filming location for:
· 1992 movie, "The Hand That Rocks the Cradle"

Well-known residents have included:
· Bing Crosby, singer and actor
· Dyan Cannon, actress
· Richard Brautigan, writer
· Robert Cray, musician
· Eleanor Donahue, actress
· Gary Larson, cartoonist

Coffee: National and regional coffee companies with outlets here include Starbucks

Local festivals include:

• Daffodil Festival Grand Floral Parade - April 21, 2007
• Jazz & Blues Festival - April 21, 2007
• Commencement Bay Maritime Fest - Sept. 15-16, 2007
• Ethnic Fest - July 28-29, 2007
• LouieFest - Aug. 18-19, 2007

Performing arts: Northwest Sinfonietta

Nearby parks & recreation: Point Defiance Park

Tacoma attractions: Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium

Sports teams: Rainiers (minor league baseball)

Historic sites and museums: Washington State History Museum, Fort Nisqually, Tacoma Art Museum, Camp 6 Logging Museum, Commencement Bay Maritime Center, Museum of Glass, Children's Museum of Tacoma, Job Carr Cabin Museum

Colleges and universities: University of Washington, University of Puget Sound, Pacific Lutheran University

Support for libraries: Local government funding for the local library system, in fiscal years 2001-2002, was above the national average. (See library links below.)

Gays & lesbians
National index: 100
Local index: 123

Listed places near Tacoma

Archives (1)

Attractions (3)

Cemeteries (10)

Colleges (7)

Communities (12)

Hotels (39)

Libraries (20)

Military bases (1)

Museums (7)

Parks (1)

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• Tacoma population
• Ancestry of people in Tacoma
• Housing in Tacoma
• Income in Tacoma
• Marital status of adults in Tacoma
• Place of birth of people in Tacoma
• Residence in 1995, of people in Tacoma
• School enrollment & education levels in Tacoma
• Transportation & commute times in Tacoma
• Pierce County data
• Fastest-growing counties in Washington
• State data - Washington
• Data by street address
• Historical census records (Ancestry.com)

Sections below provide additional information and links about Tacoma demographics, travel and tourism, nearby airports, cemeteries, the Pierce County economy, education, environment, genealogy, government, historic sites, Tacoma area jobs, libraries, maps, museums, newspapers and other media, nonprofit groups, real estate, recreation, religion, transportation, and weather in the 98405 ZIP code.

(Also see local map below.)

• Tacoma city government
• Pierce County government
• Tacoma Chamber of Commerce
• Tacoma tourism

15% of Tacoma residents report German ancestry, and 9% report Irish. For more info on local ancestry groups, see the Tacoma ancestry & family history guide.

• Cemeteries in or near Tacoma
• Cemeteries in Pierce County
• Records of immigrants arriving in Tacoma ( National Archives)
• Libraries in or near Tacoma

Post a query on a message board:

• Pierce County Ancestry forum
• GenForum

Records & databases:

• Ancestry.com - WA data
• Birth, marriage & death records
• Cemetery records
• County history catalog
• Census records (historic)
• Court, land & probate records
• Death index
• Family & local history
• Immigration records
• Military records (historic)
• Newspaper articles

Music

• Northwest Sinfonietta

• Tacoma area attractions
• Tacoma museums
• Tacoma historic sites
• Tacoma area parks
• Wineries near Tacoma

• Add a local cemetery to our listings
• Tacoma area cemeteries
• Cemeteries in Pierce County
• Cemetery record compendium
• Washington cemetery message boards
• National database of cemetery records
• Veteran grave locator

• Communities near Tacoma
• Nearby cities of 10,000 or more
• Nearby cities of 50,000 or more
• Communities in Pierce County

• Tacoma business guide
• Tacoma Chamber of Commerce
• Better Business Bureau
• Business licenses
• Corporate records search

• Courts in Washington
• Local ordinances in Washington

• Crime in Pierce County
• Arrests in Pierce County

• Obituaries - search nearby newspapers
• Obituary database - Ancestry.com
• Charitable donations

• Local information on disability access
• Americans with Disabilities Act
• Independent living centers in Washington
• National Council on Independent Living

At the time of the 2000 census, the per capita income in Tacoma was $19,130, compared with $21,587 nationally.

• Banks
• Building permits
• Current labor force
• Wage estimates
• Pierce County economic census
• Pierce County economic summary
• Pierce County employment growth
• Pierce County unemployment rate
• Washington economic data

20% of Tacoma residents age 25 and older have a bachelor's or advanced college degree.

• Colleges in or near Tacoma
• Colleges in Washington
• Learning Disabilities Association in Washington
• Schools in or near Tacoma
• School districts in or near Tacoma
• School report cards
• Yearbooks (old) of Washington high schools

• Movies & TV shows filmed in Tacoma
• Movies playing in or near Tacoma
• YouTube videos about Tacoma

• Air pollution in Pierce County
• Diesel soot in Pierce County
• Land contamination in Pierce County
• Nature Conservancy projects in Washington
• Ozone status & air pollution - American Lung Association
• Recycling info for Pierce County
• Toxic chemical releases in Pierce County
• Water levels & streamflow conditions in Washington

Tacoma festival dates:

• Daffodil Festival Grand Floral Parade - April 21, 2007
• Jazz & Blues Festival - April 21, 2007
• Commencement Bay Maritime Fest - Sept. 15-16, 2007
• Ethnic Fest - July 28-29, 2007
• LouieFest - Aug. 18-19, 2007

Dates often change. Check with local tourism officials to be sure.

Tacoma festival web sites:

• Daffodil Festival Grand Floral Parade

• ePodunk festival listings
• Washington county fairs
• Washington festivals (Washington tourism department)
• Send us festival info for Tacoma

• Confluence of latitude & longitude near Tacoma
• Geocaches in Washington

• Tacoma items now on sale

• Tacoma local government Web site
• Pierce County government
• Washington state government
• Driver's licenses
• Motor vehicles
• Passports
• Social Security
• Veterans affairs
• Where to write for birth, death, marriage or divorce records

• Ancestry & family history
• Business
• Demographics
• Health
• Moving
• Nonprofit resources
• Sports & rec
• Travel

• Tacoma medical services & health statistics

• Local historical society
• State historical society

• Historic sites in or near Tacoma
• Historic sites in Washington
• Museums in or near Tacoma
• Museums in Washington
• Washington state archives
• Washington state encyclopedia
• National Historic Landmark search
• Search the Library of Congress
• Search the National Register for historic properties
• Post history questions in Pierce County genealogy forum

Median rent in Tacoma, at the time of the 2000 Census, was $513.   Monthly homeowner costs, for people with mortgages, were $1,107.

• Research Tacoma Apartments
• Find Foreclosure in Tacoma
• Homes for sale in Tacoma
• Find a Tacoma Realtor
• Get free moving quotes
• Free home valuation
• Check Washington mortgage rates
• Property and neighborhood reports
• Mortgage calculator

• Jobs in the Tacoma area
• Job services in Washington
• Minimum wage laws by state

Libraries in Tacoma include Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Branch Library, Fern Hill Branch Library, Kobetich Branch Library, Moore Branch Library, Mottet Branch Library, Parkland/Spanaway Public Library, South Tacoma Branch Library, Summit Library, Swan Creek Branch Library, Swasey Branch Library ... View libraries

• Washington library

• Get directions from Tacoma
• Get directions to Tacoma
• Census map of Tacoma area
• Historic maps of WA cities - Library of Congress
• Historic maps of Washington
• Topographic map of Tacoma

Newspapers in Tacoma include News Tribune, Tacoma Weekly

TV stations in Tacoma include KBTC, KCPQ, KSTW, KTBW, KWDK.

National Public Radio programming is carried locally by KPLU-FM.

• Daily newspapers in or near Tacoma
• AM radio stations in or near Tacoma
• Commercial FM radio stations in or near Tacoma
• Public & educational radio stations in or near Tacoma
• TV stations in or near Tacoma
• Media ownership in the Tacoma area
• Search historic newspaper articles
• Search recent news archives in Washington

• Military bases in Washington
• American Legion post locator
• Veterans of Foreign Wars post locator

• Check daily newspapers in or near Tacoma
• Search obituaries in Washington
• Recent death notices - selected WA newspapers

• Tacoma Chamber of Commerce
• Community foundations (by state)
• Foundations (by name)
• Kiwanis clubs in Washington
• Lions clubs in Washington
• Nonprofit groups
• Nonprofit guide for Tacoma
• Rotary club search
• Volunteer opportunities in or near Tacoma

• Parks near Tacoma
• National forests in Washington
• Ski areas near Tacoma
• Ski areas in Washington
• State parks in Washington

• Find friends & family
• Photos of people from Tacoma

• Find a local animal shelter
• Report animal cruelty

• Aerial photo of Tacoma
• Historic photos of U.S. cities
• Panoramic photos of Washington communities
• Photos of Washington places
• Post cards of Washington communities

Pierce County supported John Kerry in the 2004 presidential election. For more information, see our Tacoma political report.

• Washington Democratic party
• Washington Republican party
• Pierce County elections board
• Washington elections board

• ZIP codes (by street address)
• ZIP codes (by city)
• ZIP code reverse lookup (find cities in a ZIP code)

• Churches, other places of worship in or near Tacoma
• Total membership by faith, in Pierce County

Tacoma restaurants taking online reservations include Asado, Blue Olive, C.I. Shenanigans, Indochine Asian Dining Lounge, Pacific Grill, Stanley & Seafort's, The Melting Pot - Tacoma, Varsity Grill ... View restaurants

• Nearby restaurants taking online reservations
• Chowhound message boards for WA

The average commute time for Tacoma workers is 25 minutes, compared with 26 minutes nationwide.

A total of 49 fatal motor vehicle accidents occurred in Tacoma between 2001 and 2003, according to reports gathered by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

This is a rate of 2.5 fatal crashes per 10,000 population, which was lower than the national norm.

• Bus schedules
• Train schedules

• Tacoma travel guide
• Airports near Tacoma
• Amtrak station in Tacoma
• Hotels near Tacoma
• Washington tourism bureau

• Monthly averages & records
• Major storms (searchable by county)
• Washington coastal water temperatures
• National weather map

• Audubon centers
• Birding spots in Washington
• Wildlife refuges in Washington

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