SperlingViews - Tacoma, Washington

Climate: heavy rain with sunny days during springtime, summer is usually from mid 70s to mid 80s without a cloud in the sky, fall is cool and breezy but changes from dry to rain as it get closer to winter, when it usually snows or is cold enough that you're thinking "oh yeah, tomorrow its gonna snow". Lots of diversity as far as ethnicity is concerned (which includes a wide range of authentic cuisine from around the world), Carpooling and public transportation are goal of the state, eco-"friendly", great water (!!), very scenic with lots of trees and parks to preserve the natural beauty of the state, several recommended community colleges and universities, cultural recognition and appreciation from the community as well as a number of museums, parks, zoo and aquarium that are all positive aspects of Tacoma. Some of the challenging aspects of living in Tacoma are: high sales tax (right about 10% in 2011 and probably going to increase again soon), increasing housing and overall living costs, drivers who don't know how to drive in the snow very well, lower air quality, and beware of possible gang members/activity in downtown area (Bloods vs. Crips) and crime. Many houses are on the market for lower their value, but you can also find the best deals as a buyer that way, if you are lucky enough to get a loan or have the cash already. Commuting to and from work can be a while, depending on where you're living and how deep within the city limits you are working. People are generally nice as long as you're nice back and they've had an okay-ish day so far, but they don't like nosy people and can become confrontational real quick if they think you're in their business too much. Northeast Tacoma (across Commencement Bay) houses some of the more "rich" neighborhoods that are predominately white, mixed, or asian. Downtown Tacoma is a mix of black, mexican, and white but they have a much lower quality of life in comparision to the rest of Tacoma. South Tacoma is generally the mix of black, asian, russian, and mexican as well as many soldiers from the Army base nearby. Lots of big asian markets and restaurants (S. Tacoma Way is chock full of them), and mexican restaurants and communities are sprinkled into some of the low-income communities, and blacks are mostly living in the apartments or low-income communities. South Tacoma is neither "rich" or "poor". Many churches in the Christian faith, mostly Baptist, Pentecostal, or Methodist-type churches. There are a number of catholic churches and private schools as well. Also there are a couple of Buddhist temples and I have been able to see at least one mosque and one synagogue within the city (not next to each other of course). There seem to be a population of mormons (LDS) as well, but I have yet to find their gathering places. Anyways, hope this helps to inform you of different aspects of Tacoma.[read more...]

anyone trying to say there isnt a crime problem with tacoma is either blind or doesnt know about tacoma. i believe the main problem with the crime in tacoma is the legal system there being the pierce county superior court. this court runs on the belief turn them in and out as fast as you can, we dont want to spend any money on housing criminals.... just let them free. a prime example is maurice clemmons. in 2009 clemmons was arrested for child rape in the second degree, being a fugitive from justice, and 8 count of felony assault(which was on pierce county sheriff officers) mr clemmons had a long history of criminal behavior before these arrests and this court allowed him to walk free which eventually he committed multiple murders while on bail. my ex is a habitual felon in the tacoma area. she has been convicted since may of 2008 for unlawful possesion of a stolen vehicle, 2 counts of felony identity theft, another unlawful possesion of a stolen vehicle, and making a false statement to police, remind you these are just the charges she has been convicted on not any that are pending which is a few. she has done less than 6 months in county jail for all of this, only uses a public defender and has never even been put on probation. how does this town expect crime to get better when their own legal system allows criminals to know that they will not be punished for their crimes. it is a joke. get harder on crime by invoking stiffer punishments and you will see crime decrease. the best way to reduce crime is that a criminal knows they will get more than a slap on the wrist.[read more...]

maurice clemmons for example.. if you live or know anything about tacoma then this name should ring a bell. check pierce county legal information network exchange(pierce county linx) this man was set free by this court numberous times before his multiple murder and death. my ex is in this system and has commited on average 2 felonies a year since 2008 and gets nothing more than a slap on the wrist. there is no wonder why this town is so overwhelmed with crime.[read more...]

maurice clemmons for example.. if you live or know anything about tacoma then this name should ring a bell. check pierce county legal information network exchange(pierce county linx) this man was set free by this court numberous times before his multiple murder and death. my ex is in this system and has commited on average 2 felonies a year since 2008 and gets nothing more than a slap on the wrist. there is no wonder why this town is so overwhelmed with crime.[read more...]

the pierce county superior court is a joke. and criminals laugh at it. just take the maurice clemmons case for example this is a man who in may of 2009 punched sheriffs and was let out on bail, then in july of 2009 was charged with child rape and let out on bail, only to after that commit multiple murders. he had a long arrest history and record and was not dealt with properly by this court system. my ex lives in this area and is a known meth addict, since may of 2008 she has been convicted of 4 felonies on 3 occasions, she has done a total of 5 months in county jail and is currently in the drug court program, i would like to add that none of her charges are drug related. i know that in missouri and most any other state she would have done time in prison by now for sure. it is no wonder tacoma scores so high in crime, they only give criminals a slap on the wrist and release them to commit more crimes knowing that they will not have to face any serious punishment for those crimes.[read more...]

the pierce county superior court is a joke. and criminals laugh at it. just take the maurice clemmons case for example this is a man who in may of 2009 punched sheriffs and was let out on bail, then in july of 2009 was charged with child rape and let out on bail, only to after that commit multiple murders. he had a long arrest history and record and was not dealt with properly by this court system. my ex lives in this area and is a known meth addict, since may of 2008 she has been convicted of 4 felonies on 3 occasions, she has done a total of 5 months in county jail and is currently in the drug court program, i would like to add that none of her charges are drug related. i know that in missouri and most any other state she would have done time in prison by now for sure. it is no wonder tacoma scores so high in crime, they only give criminals a slap on the wrist and release them to commit more crimes knowing that they will not have to face any serious punishment for those crimes.[read more...]

the pierce county superior court is a joke. and criminals laugh at it. just take the maurice clemmons case for example this is a man who in may of 2009 punched sheriffs and was let out on bail, then in july of 2009 was charged with child rape and let out on bail, only to after that commit multiple murders. he had a long arrest history and record and was not dealt with properly by this court system. my ex lives in this area and is a known meth addict, since may of 2008 she has been convicted of 4 felonies on 3 occasions, she has done a total of 5 months in county jail and is currently in the drug court program, i would like to add that none of her charges are drug related. i know that in missouri and most any other state she would have done time in prison by now for sure. it is no wonder tacoma scores so high in crime, they only give criminals a slap on the wrist and release them to commit more crimes knowing that they will not have to face any serious punishment for those crimes.[read more...]

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.[read more...]

I lived in Tacoma for 28 years. Crime HAS gotten a little better, but not much! Lots of problems in Tacoma........I would not move back.[read more...]

Tacoma's okay, has its good and bad just like every other city. Mild climate just too wet. Lived here my whole life. Plan on moving someday, hopefully to a nice warm sunny place.[read more...]

Actually I live on McNeil Island off the coast of Tacoma, the site of the state prison. As a result our crime rate is extremely low.[read more...]

That is what the police said when we called to let them know, after only moving in one week prior, our lawn items had been taken. The police said that the "area" we were living in was in a "transition" phase, i.e., getting better. However, everyone who asks what area of Tacoma we live in basically tell us to move out asap. They say the only "safe side of Tacoma" is to live on the "North side". Very disappointed that our stuff was stolen, and we do get litter thrown in the yard almost on a daily basis. Have had no problems/issues w/the neighbors, as they do not seem to be of the talkative nature anyway. The people we meet in the stores are very nice, and we have had no trouble in that area. The surrounding beauty of trees, the water, etc., is great, and getting adjusted to all the rain. Just wondering, since we are will be living here for the next year or so, is it really as bad as people are telling us to live here?[read more...]

Tacoma...when I moved here thirty-five years ago, it was a town retaining a flavor of its' Scandinavian heritage. It was blue collar,...a working man's town. In the intervening years it has changed into two different towns. South Tacoma still retaining the working class image,...North Tacoma now very upscale and in some areas, very expensive. It seems sometimes that the Tacoma northend is more connected to Seattle than to Tacoma itself. The weather is overcast, dismal and rainy throughout most of the year. However, no matter where you are, if you keep track of the nightly national TV weather, you will see that the best summers in the nation are here in western washington around the Puget Sound. Seventy five, sunny and gorgeous with very little humidity. Fall can also be quite pleasant...dry, cool, crisp, with a bit of sunshine and flaming red, yellow and orange foliage. It is a time to look forward to the Hallowe'en trick or treaters coming around in their costumes.[read more...]

Tacoma will surprise you. In a great way! From the re-vitalized DownTown area, with great museums, Fine Dining, and Live music. Our World Class Waterfront offering spellbinding views of the Olympic Mountains across Puget Sound and the Magic of Mt. Rainier. Wander the many historic neighborhoods featuring beautiful Classic Homes. Enjoy a baseball game at Cheney Stadium watching the Tacoma Rainiers, the AAA league for the Seattle Mariners. A fantastic New Links Golf Course is minutes away in quiet University Place. Chambers Bay Golf course is the in a class by itself. Check it out, you'll be pleasantly surprised! Tacoma is situated within 45 minutes of Boeing and Microsoft, and home to the Frank Russell Company. There is also one of the largest ports on the west coast here, creating thousands of jobs and ensuring that Tacoma will always be in the forefront of World Class opportunities in employment and culture. With all that, Tacoma remains in the shadow of its big sister - Seattle. It gives Tacoma the opportunity to provide more affordable housing and a more relaxed lifestyle, while allowing you access to all that Seattle has to offer too! As I said in the title... Tacoma - Who Knew? Now you do![read more...]

We live in the south end of Tacoma, which is hit and miss in terms of good and not so good neighborhoods. Our particular neighborhood is filled with many good people who care about the quality of life of other residents and who are actively involved in trying to improve our area. Our biggest challenges, as with most neighborhoods in this area, are drug-related and property crime. Meth (locally produced and imported from Mexico) is a HUGE problem in this city, as is car theft and vandalism, and the police department has been working at addressing the concerns of citizens. Despite their hard work, however, the police department often complains of underfunding and lack of resources whenever neighbors ask for specific help dealing with specific houses or individuals. For a basic need like police or fire protection to be underfunded is inexusable to me when I consider how high taxes and housing costs are in this city. Overall, it's not a horrible city but it needs better leadership when it comes to dealing with crime.[read more...]

Avoid this city--you're much better off paying the extra money it takes to live in or around Seattle. This town will suck the life out of you--it's a big time downer.[read more...]

The whole area is beautiful, but you must be prepared for a couple of things that apply to more than Seattle. The joke is that Seattle is so tough, that even the sun doesn't come here. Tacoma is worse. The second thing is a phenomenon called "Seattle Freeze." Go to you tube to see some documentaries on it. The people here are polite but not very friendly. "Let's get together sometime," really means "get away from me." You must be prepared to have NO friends here for a loooooong time, unless you already know people out here. I cannot emphasize this enough. People in Tacoma look down their nose at you, which I think is funny given it is a working class town. The weather is gloomy, the people pretentious and gloomier, and you will need to deal with the isolation and gloominess yourself. If you can handle both, then you will be okay.[read more...]

Moderate temperatures in the spring and fall, beautiful sunrises and sunsets with views of Mt. Rainier.[read more...]

I'm not going to lie here I know Tacoma like the back of my hand and that means I know all about the crime (which is in a decrease) and the aroma. The aroma of Tacoma! The city can smell and the crime here is higher than any other city in the Pacific Northwest region. Other than this the city is enjoyable on a sunny day (Yes this is WA so there is rain and clouds). The downtown went through a makeover and Point Defiance Park and Zoo is way above exceptional. There are many things to do here and it is a stop for most "Road Tours" of famous bands due to the Tacoma Dome, the largest stadium in the state. Compared to the rest of the state traffic here is horrible, especially if you are coming from the south and heading north to Seattle. Tacoma has it's good parts and it's bad parts but if you look I think you'll see why so many call this city home.[read more...]

prices are soaring[read more...]