Tacoma, WA
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2/22/2010
I live here because I had a job opportunity. As a retired military person and military brat I have lived all over the USA and had tours in Asia and Europe. I live in Lakewood which is a town now that used to be considered part of Tacoma in a higher end neighborhood which is near Joint Base Lewis Mcchord; I have lived here off and on since 1983. However, the Clover Park School district which includes Lakewood leaves much to be desired. Personally if I were telling someone where to live I would recommend University Place (another town that used to be part of Tacoma) which has the best local schools or possibly Northeast Tacoma which is basically part of Federal Way, a bedroom community for Seattle. Affordability in University Place and Federal Way can be a problem, though. If you are military, there are several planned communities particularly Northwest Landing which is adjacent to Ft. Lewis which is part of the Steilacoom school district. Also, most of the growth in this area is in Pierce county, ie. Puyallup and Southhill, and North Thurston County. The demographics in these growth areas are more conservative and white--you will live further out and you will have a commute. If you commute, the major corridors I-5, I-405, SR 167, SR99, SR512, etc. will make you feel like you are wasting a lot of time sitting in traffic. There are some places you cannot get to without I-5 which is a problem, in my opinion. Some people have a problem with so much rain up here, but it really depends. There's plenty of culture here and you are within easy striking distance of mountains and seashore, and big cities sa. Seattle, Portland, and Vancouver BC. The state is pretty much dependent on property taxes and sales taxes which tend to be regressive and hurt people closer to the bottom of the income scale.
margaret | Lakewood, WA