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Tacoma? Thoughts, feelings, stereotypes?


Randy@Tacoma

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Oh, I haven't been to tacoma since middle school (I'm in college now) and that smell is one of the only things I remember...I should visit downtown again to get a new impression. Can someone inform me as to what that smell was? And what happened to it?

But kudos for their new developments!! And I agree, they need a main retail core downtown...that'll rival the tacoma mall...Although that won't happen in this decade (or the next). If Seattle can survive with downtown retail + Northgate mall, Tacoma can sorta do the same but on a smaller scale.

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The smell was from the Simpson Kraft Mill. It was a paper producing mill in the Port of Tacoma. At first, I was under the impression that they closed the mill, but it turns out they just reconfigured the emisions system to where you cant smell it all. You can smell the smell at times only in the port and Downtown and it is extremely faint. As for the retail corridor that Tacoma is missing... the proximity of Tacoma Mall to Downtown (being that it is less than four miles away from Downtown) is what stole business from Downtown in the 70's. Northgate and Southcenter are more like 10 miles from Downtown Seattle, thus Seattle has kept more retail in Downtown. Tacoma can do it, but it will take a lot more effort than Seattle had to do.

And as for stuff to do in Downtown...

Museums:

Tacoma Art Museum

International Glass Museum

Washington State History Museum

Restaurants:

Numerous Restaurants clustered along Pacific Avenue.

Shopping:

Mom and pop boutiques and antique shops are all over Downtown, giving it a unique character, yet it still lacks any major Department stores or chain stores.

Also:

Theres the Thea Foss Waterway with it's nice prominade and Firemans Park and the new Tacoma Link Light Rail. Theres also a new Public Square in Downtown next to the new Courtyard Marriot. Aside from that, Tacoma just has a healthy vibe that it hasnt had in decades Im sure... so check it out again!

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  • 3 weeks later...

Anything esle anyone would like to know about Tacoma... vent about Tacoma.... show photos of Tacoma.... I really would like people to keep this (I dont know the right terminology.... forum, blog???) thing going...

I am going to start taking regular pictures of Tacoma.... the good, bad, and the ugly. I would like others to do the same! :-)

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I moved to Western Washinton 3-4 years ago. I knew nothing about the state before moving here. I had no prejudices about the state before moving here. I am 41-middle aged, for what that is worth.

I was told, early on when moving to Washington, not to live south of downtown Seattle in the Puget Sound. I have lived in Bellingham since 2003. I like Bellingham very much. I had no preconceived notions of Western Washington before moving here, yet I agree with this somewhat negative assessment.

Before moving here, I always tought that Western Washington was like Dallas/Ft. Worth or Minneapolis/St. Paul. Seattle/Tacoma is not the Twin Cities or the Metroplex. I was surprised to learn that Pierce County, with over 750,000 people was considered such a stepchild to Seattle. If you include all of the South Sound, including Olympia, there are over 1 million people in the South Sound. The 4 TV staions in Seattle don't mention much about Tacoma or Olympia. The traffic reports spend a lot of time talking about the traffic problems in King Co., but they never spend a lot of time mentioning the traffic problems in Pierce Co.. It is a very prejudice situation in my opinion. The South Sound is definantely a stepchild in relation the the Northsound. I am from Atlanta, which has a population of 4.7 million people versus Seattle with a population of 3.7 million. It's similar to the way the southside of Atlanta is handled in relation to the Northside.

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  • 5 weeks later...

Good point (even though I know this is really late)! The only mentions of Tacoma on the news are usuallu bad ones. It isnt fair. Tacoma will show Seattle.... you wait. People are getting pissed off paying those rediculously high prices in Seattle.... so tacoma gets to reap the benefits! Im going to go take pics of Tacoma on my day off. Ill do it really soon!

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The traffic wont be as bad next year after they open the new Tacoma Narrows Bridge! Boy is it coming a long ways! :-) Next time stop off in Tacoma... you might just be surprised!

For what it's worth, my experience with the entire Sea-Tac area is that Tacoma is simply understated and hence overlooked. In the long term, this may be a real blessing. Whatever the case, you live in a place most people ought to envy.

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  • 1 month later...

Ouch, that's gotta hurt.

Ranking of least, most dangerous cities

Updated 10/30/2006 10:24 AM ET E-mail {sodEmoji.{sodEmoji.|}} Save {sodEmoji.{sodEmoji.|}} Print {sodEmoji.{sodEmoji.|}} Subscribe to stories like this Subscribe to stories like this

The Associated Press

A list of the safest and most dangerous cities overall, as compiled by Morgan Quitno Press, which bases the rankings on FBI figures released in June. The list starts with the safest cities and ends with the most dangerous.

Only cities that reported crime rates were included in the list. For example, New Orleans was not included this year because its police department did not report figures.

1. Brick, N.J.

2. Amherst, N.Y.

3. Mission Viejo, Calif.

4. Newton, Mass.

5. Troy, Mich.

6. Colonie, N.Y.

7. Irvine, Calif.

8. Cary, N.C.

9. Greece, N.Y.

10. Coral Springs, Fla.

11. Thousand Oaks, Calif.

12. Orem, Utah

13. Round Rock, Texas

14. Dover, N.J.

15. Lake Forest, Calif.

16. Sterling Heights, Mich.

17. Simi Valley, Calif.

18. Roswell, Ga.

19. Lee's Summit, Mo.

20. Broken Arrow, Okla.

21. Chino Hills, Calif.

22. Gilbert, Ariz.

23. Edison, N.J.

24. Cranston, R.I.

25. Port St. Lucie, Fla.

26. Sandy, Utah

27. Nashua, N.H.

28. Danbury, Conn.

29. Huntington Beach, Calif.

30. Orange, Calif.

31. Hamilton, N.J.

32. Parma, Ohio

33. Overland Park, Kan.

34. Santa Clarita, Calif.

35. Stamford, Conn.

36. Cheektowaga, N.Y.

37. Livonia, Mich.

38. Sunnyvale, Calif.

39. Murrieta, Calif.

40. Canton, Mich.

41. Plano, Texas

42. Warwick, R.I.

43. Torrance, Calif.

44. Clifton, N.J.

44. Newport Beach, Calif.

46. Woodbridge, N.J.

47. Fargo, N.D.

48. Norman, Okla.

49. Olathe, Kan.

50. Boca Raton, Fla.

51. Livermore, Calif.

52. Centennial, Colo.

53. Fremont, Calif.

54. Clinton, Mich.

55. Vacaville, Calif.

56. Tracy, Calif.

57. Bellevue, Wash.

58. Carlsbad, Calif.

59. Pembroke Pines, Fla.

60. Farmington Hills, Mich.

61. Richardson, Texas

62. Rancho Cucamon., Calif.

63. Boulder, Colo.

64. McKinney, Texas

65. Rochester, Minn.

66. Beaverton, Ore.

67. Santa Clara, Calif.

68. Daly City, Calif.

69. Lewisville, Texas

70. Napa, Calif.

71. Burbank, Calif.

72. Arvada, Colo.

73. Alexandria, Va.

74. Virginia Beach

75. Ann Arbor, Mich.

76. Quincy, Mass.

77. Glendale, Calif.

78. Ventura, Calif.

79. Provo, Utah

80. Fullerton, Calif.

81. Lawrence, Kan.

82. Scottsdale, Ariz.

83. Carrollton, Texas

84. Hillsboro, Ore.

85. Somerville, Mass.

86. Kenosha, Wis.

87. Davie, Fla.

88. Chino, Calif.

89. Sunrise, Fla.

90. Cape Coral, Fla.

91. Henderson, Nev.

92. Billings, Mont.

93. Cedar Rapids, Iowa

94. Plantation, Fla.

95. Costa Mesa, Calif.

96. San Mateo, Calif.

97. Garland, Texas

98. Madison, Wis.

99. Corona, Calif.

100. Clovis, Calif.

101. Yonkers, N.Y.

102. Alhambra, Calif.

103. Buena Park, Calif.

104. Odessa, Texas

105. Chandler, Ariz.

106. Norwalk, Conn.

107. Upper Darby, Pa.

108. Peoria, Ariz.

109. Westminster, Calif.

110. Roseville, Calif.

111. Lakewood, Calif.

112. San Jose, Calif.

113. Honolulu, Hawaii

114. El Paso

115. Santa Barbara, Calif.

116. Temecula, Calif.

117. Cambridge, Mass.

118. Pasadena, Texas

119. Brownsville, Texas

120. Boise

121. Garden Grove, Calif.

122. Mesquite, Texas

123. Westminster, Colo.

124. Manchester, N.H.

125. Whittier, Calif.

126. Westland, Mich.

127. McAllen, Texas

128. Lincoln, Neb.

129. Pasadena, Calif.

130. Columbia, Mo.

131. Midland, Texas

132. Chesapeake, Va.

133. Santa Rosa, Calif.

134. Spokane Valley, Wash.

135. Anaheim, Calif.

136. Athens-Clarke, Ga.

137. Green Bay, Wis.

138. Irving, Texas

139. Fort Collins, Colo.

140. Escondido, Calif.

141. Miramar, Fla.

142. Concord, Calif.

143. West Covina, Calif.

144. Hampton, Va.

145. New York City

146. Denton, Texas

147. Palm Bay, Fla.

148. Sioux City, Iowa

149. Sioux Falls, S.D.

150. Thornton, Colo.

151. Salem, Ore.

152. Hialeah, Fla.

153. Baldwin Park, Calif.

154. Erie, Pa.

155. San Angelo, Texas

156. Oxnard, Calif.

157. Oceanside, Calif.

158. Austin, Texas

159. Evansville, Ind.

160. Lakeland, Fla.

161. Laredo, Texas

162. Raleigh, N.C.

163. El Monte, Calif.

164. Waterbury, Conn.

165. Vista, Calif.

166. Murfreesboro, Tenn.

167. Fontana, Calif.

168. Grand Prairie, Texas

169. Fort Wayne, Ind.

170. Santa Ana, Calif.

171. Santa Monica, Calif.

172. Lexington, Ky.

173. Colorado Springs

174. Suffolk, Va.

175. Hollywood, Fla.

176. Eugene, Ore.

177. Norwalk, Calif.

178. Santa Maria, Calif.

179. Downey, Calif.

180. Abilene, Texas

181. Chula Vista, Calif.

182. Ogden, Utah

183. Melbourne, Fla.

184. Clarksville, Tenn.

185. Sparks, Nev.

186. San Diego, Calif.

187. Carson, Calif.

188. Vancouver, Wash.

189. Greeley, Colo.

190. Springfield, Mo.

191. Mesa, Ariz.

192. Moreno Valley, Calif.

193. Tyler, Texas

194. Dearborn, Mich.

195. Des Moines

196. Lowell, Mass.

197. San Antonio

198. Corpus Christi, Texas

199. El Cajon, Calif.

200. Salinas, Calif.

201. Fairfield, Calif.

202. Lakewood, Colo.

203. Redding, Calif.

204. Ontario, Calif.

205. South Gate, Calif.

206. Topeka, Kan.

207. Arlington, Texas

208. Lawton, Okla.

209. Riverside, Calif.

210. Antioch, Calif.

211. Long Beach, Calif.

212. Anchorage

213. West Valley, Utah

214. Hawthorne, Calif.

215. Yuma, Ariz.

216. Louisville

217. Omaha

218. Clearwater, Fla.

219. Independence, Mo.

220. Spokane, Wash.

221. Reno

222. Grand Rapids, Mich.

223. Pueblo, Colo.

224. Hayward, Calif.

225. Tuscaloosa, Ala.

226. Berkeley, Calif.

227. Las Cruces, N.M.

228. Mobile, Ala.

229. Worcester, Mass.

230. Palmdale, Calif.

231. Modesto, Calif.

232. Wichita Falls, Texas

233. Lubbock, Texas

234. San Leandro, Calif.

235. Amarillo, Texas

236. Bakersfield, Calif.

237. Columbus, Ga.

238. Gainesville, Fla.

239. Gresham, Ore.

240. Charleston, S.C.

241. Tempe, Ariz.

242. Lynn, Mass.

243. Lafayette, La.

244. Newport News, Va.

245. High Point, N.C.

246. Fort Worth

247. Salt Lake City, Utah

248. Jacksonville, Fla.

249. Portland, Ore.

250. Los Angeles

251. Victorville, Calif.

252. Bellflower, Calif.

253. Glendale, Ariz.

254. New Bedford, Mass.

255. Pomona, Calif.

256. Racine, Wis.

257. Aurora, Colo.

258. Elizabeth, N.J.

259. Rialto, Calif.

260. Savannah, Ga.

261. Paterson, N.J.

262. Seattle

263. Albany, Ga.

264. Southfield, Mich.

265. Lancaster, Calif.

266. Waco, Texas

267. Fresno, Calif.

268. Killeen, Texas

269. Greensboro, N.C.

270. San Francisco

271. Fort Lauderdale

272. Durham, N.C.

273. Fort Smith, Ark.

274. Tallahassee, Fla.

275. South Bend, Ind.

276. Lansing, Mich.

277. Federal Way, Wash.

278. Huntsville, Ala.

279. Albuquerque

280. Visalia, Calif.

281. Winston-Salem, N.C.

282. Providence

283. Everett, Wash.

284. Davenport, Iowa

285. Hammond, Ind.

286. Roanoke, Va.

287. Norfolk, Va.

288. Fayetteville, N.C.

289. Kent, Wash.

290. Akron, Ohio

291. St. Paul

292. Wilmington, N.C.

293. Portsmouth, Va.

294. Oklahoma City

295. Columbia, S.C.

296. Canton, Ohio

297. Knoxville, Tenn.

298. Montgomery, Ala.

299. Allentown, Pa.

300. North Las Vegas, Nev.

301. Beaumont, Texas

302. Las Vegas, Nev.

303. Denver

304. Yakima, Wash.

305. Syracuse, N.Y.

306. Longview, Texas

307. Pittsburgh

308. Tucson

309. Bridgeport, Conn.

310. Inglewood, Calif.

311. Pompano Beach, Fla.

312. Albany, N.Y.

313. Phoenix

314. Boston

315. Chattanooga, Tenn.

316. Tampa

317. Jersey City

318. Milwaukee

319. Miami Beach

320. Indianapolis, Ind.

321. Shreveport, La.

322. Sacramento

323. St. Petersburg, Fla.

324. Tacoma, Wash.

325. Houston

326. Columbus, Ohio

327. Miami

328. Baton Rouge

329. Charlotte

330. Jackson, Miss.

331. Toledo, Ohio

332. Macon, Ga.

333. Nashville

334. Rochester, N.Y.

335. Tulsa

336. Stockton, Calif.

337. Hartford, Conn.

338. Dallas

339. Miami Gardens, Fla.

340. Buffalo

341. Springfield, Mass.

342. Kansas City, Kan.

343. Philadelphia

344. West Palm Beach, Fla.

345. Minneapolis

346. Dayton, Ohio

347. Orlando

348. San Bernardino, Calif.

349. Little Rock

350. Newark, N.J.

351. Reading, Pa.

352. North Charleston, S.C.

353. Washington

354. Cincinnati

355. Atlanta

356. Kansas City, Mo.

357. Richmond, Va.

358. Trenton, N.J.

359. Memphis

360. Baltimore

361. Richmond, Calif.

362. Gary, Ind.

363. Youngstown, Ohio

364. Oakland

365. Cleveland

366. Birmingham, Ala.

367. Camden, N.J.

368. Compton, Calif.

369. Flint, Mich.

370. Detroit

371. St. Louis

Source

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  • 2 weeks later...

And for the record:

Minneapolis is SAFER than Tacoma without a doubt, yet this survey has it listed as more dangerous than Tacoma. And I've also been to St. Louis, even the "ghetto" part. People there are SO nice. There's only crime with those involved with drugs and such. Thats where the majority of murders are accounted for and why the majority burglaries and assaults take place. Maybe this country should quit fighting fire with fire and actually FIX our drug problem. Then places like Detroit and St. Louis can actually recoop from the rampant crime that has plagued their lovely cities and Tacoma can recreate it's image so we won't people posting crap on our forums about crime this and crime that.... it's BS!

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Ya know I can't believe that Tacoma is listed as more dangerous than both Tucson and Phoenix.

I actually felt much safer in Tacoma than I do here and I actually know the town. But driving through there I saw lots of families walking on the streets, people doing yardwork, no bars on the windows or doors, no huge crowds of homeless people. It just did not seem that dangerous.

So what's the deal? I mean, Tucson had the highest property crime rate in the country in '04 and '05 and has an awful meth problem, but we're still safer than Tacoma??? I don't get it.

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Ya know I can't believe that Tacoma is listed as more dangerous than both Tucson and Phoenix.

I actually felt much safer in Tacoma than I do here and I actually know the town. But driving through there I saw lots of families walking on the streets, people doing yardwork, no bars on the windows or doors, no huge crowds of homeless people. It just did not seem that dangerous.

So what's the deal? I mean, Tucson had the highest property crime rate in the country in '04 and '05 and has an awful meth problem, but we're still safer than Tacoma??? I don't get it.

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  • 6 months later...

OK, I saw this thread and I had to respond. I was born and raised in Tacoma. I'm now 39. I left Tacoma at age 18 to go to college and never looked back. I always knew I wanted out. I grew up in East Tacoma, and remember the area before the Tacoma Dome went up.

I lived near I-5, and attribute this to many sicknesses and breathing problems I had growing up. My parents lived in the same house in Eastside/Hilltop (where I grew up) for 40 years. Just a few years back my parents had their house broken into three times in two weeks, once when my parents were sleeping a black man woke my mother, then left. I have spent too many years fearing for my parents' safety. My mother had to resort to getting a house alarm system. There was plenty of evidence of drug activity just across the street from my parents' house, as well as around the corner. My parents were too afraid to contact police, fearing retaliation and since they are elderly they felt quite vulnerable. There are still many rentals around, and as a young child I remember the screams of my neighbors as domestic violence was commonplace.

My parents have finally moved from that area. I am overjoyed that they have left, and am spending time fixing up their new house for sale. Just last month someone dumped two handfulls of roofing nails in the alley behind the house. This, of course, has happened numerous times over forty years. I just hope that what others see as improvements are truly happening! There are some newer and remodeled homes in the area, which are so nice to see. But has anyone noticed the potholes and rough road on Portland Ave/East 29-32nd streets? What about the changing faces of beggars that hang out near the freeway exits? One approached my car last month to ask something, but I immediately rolled up my window. No improvement for 40 years!!! Come on!! I DO NOT feel safe in Tacoma.

I have lived many years now in another state, and I would never move back to Tacoma. Sorry. Too many bad memories, not enough improvement in my own lifetime.

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^ That part of Tacoma is still struggling. The parts north and west of downtown are very trendy right now. Downtown is nothing like the one you left 21 years ago. Here are a few pics I took last week from an airplane:

tac1.jpg

Downtown:

tac2.jpg

UW Tacoma, Museum District, new condos:

tac8.jpg

Port of Tacoma (now busier than Seattle):

tac3.jpg

In the far right is the new Narrows Bridge span, a sort of fraternal twin suspension bridge. The trendy part of Tacoma is the west & NW end (areas to the right of the strip of density between downtown and Narrows Bridge):

tac4.jpg

Hilltop, Tacoma Dome, Puyallup River (future Rainier mudflows!):

tac7.jpg

South Tacoma, Lakewood, Ft. Lewis, McChord Air Force Base:

tac5.jpg

Tacoma sprawl (Puyallup South Hill, Canyon Rd, Fredrickson), & Fredrickson Industrial site:

tac6.jpg

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  • 2 weeks later...

Thought I'd relay the latest Tacoma visit:

I stayed on Hosmer near S 84th a couple of days ago. This area just sucks, although this is basically Lakewood. I also hated the motel, but it was about the cheapest place in Metro Seattle for those nights that wasn't a glorified crackhouse.

I actually set out one day looking for a laundromat and wound up on West 6th. Very cool! I didn't even know that Tacoma had something like that. For those curious, it's a 10-or-so block stretch of a very walkable street lined with little shops, cafes, restaurants, bars and even a few cool CD stores. It wasn't dense by any means and it's a little spotty (i.e. - shops are not always close together), but it also wasn't upscale or too high-brow (Actually, is anything in Tacoma high-brow in the least)?

Also stumbled upon Old Town. From its size I can see why I never really found it before, but it was also really nice. There seemed to actually be some tourist activity, and deservingly so. Beautiful!

Again, I really like Tacoma and have started disliking Seattle all the more. It's got a lot more character and is much more Americana, as opposed to Seattle's more pretentious and often corporate business districts.

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  • 1 month later...
  • 7 months later...

I swear this place doesnt have a high crime rate. Seattle must be paying whoever it is that makes this data to skew it. I've lived here for the past 7 years and have had a car stolen and a bike stolen. Thats it. I got the car back too! Tacoma is expensive, but cheaper than Seattle... its cause its in the Northwest...

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