Tacoma

Tacoma, Washington 

The county seat of Pierce County, Washington, in the United States is Tacoma (/tkom/ t-KOH-m). It is a port city along Washington's Puget Sound, 32 miles (51 km) southwest of Olympia, the state capital, and Mount Rainier National Park, and 51 miles (50 km) northeast of Olympia. 219,346 people called the city home as of the 2020 census. Third-largest in the state and the second-largest city in the Puget Sound region is Tacoma. The South Sound region, which has a population of around 1 million, likewise includes Tacoma as its commercial hub. 

Tacoma got its name from the adjacent Mount Rainier, which is referred to as tlqwub in the Puget Sound Salish language. Due to the location's selection as the western end of the Northern Pacific Railroad in the late 19th century, it is known locally as the "City of Destiny." The railroad's choice was influenced by Commencement Bay, a close-by deep-water harbor at Tacoma. Tacoma's tagline, "When rails meet sails," was made possible by linking the harbor and the railroad. Commencement Bay provides service to the Port of Tacoma, Washington's largest port and a major hub for international trade on the Pacific Coast. The Tacoma Narrows Bridge, known as "Galloping Gertie" because to the deck's vertical displacement in windy circumstances, collapsed in 1940, earning the city renown. 

Due to suburbanization and divestment, Tacoma saw a protracted decline in the middle of the 20th century, similar to the majority of industrial cities. Downtown Tacoma has had a phase of renovation during the 1990s. The University of Washington Tacoma, the T Line (formerly Tacoma Link), the state's first contemporary electric light rail service, the state's highest concentration of art and history museums, and a renovated urban shoreline, the Thea Foss Waterway, are all developments in the city center. 

Geography 

Tacoma may be found at 47.241371, -122.459389 (47.14′ 29′′N 122° 27′ 34′′W). Its 381-foot (116-meter) official elevation ranges from sea level to roughly 500 feet (150 m). 

The city has a total area of 62.34 square miles (161.46 km2), of which 12.62 square miles (32.69 km2) are water and 49.72 square miles (128.77 km2) are land, according to the United States Census Bureau. 

Tacoma is surrounded by numerous smaller communities and spans the nearby Commencement Bay. Tacoma has a lot of sites with views of Mount Rainier. The low-lying sections of Tacoma close to the Port of Tacoma are vulnerable to a lahar streaming down the Puyallup River in the event of a significant eruption of Mount Rainier. 

Several miles to the north of Joint Base Lewis-McChord—previously known as Fort Lewis and McChord Air Force Base—is the city. 

Government 

Tacoma's city government functions on a council-manager structure. Victoria Woodards is the elected mayor of the city, and there are eight other elected council members who represent the city as a whole and five separate council districts. All are elected every odd-numbered year to four-year tenure. The council selects residents to boards and commissions, defines city policy, adopts and alters local laws, and takes other acts. The council also meets in "standing committees," which look at the council's activities in more specific areas including "public safety, human services, and education," "neighborhoods & housing," and "environment & public works." Most Tuesdays at 5:00 p.m., the council convenes in its entirety in the council chambers at 747 Market St. Meetings allow for public involvement and are open to the public. 

On January 2, 2018, Victoria Woodards took office as mayor of the City of Tacoma. She is the second African-American female mayor, third mayor overall, and third mayor of Tacoma. She succeeded Marilyn Strickland, who was elected mayor of Tacoma in 2009, making history as the city's first female African-American mayor. 

The city manager of Tacoma, who is chosen by the city council, is in charge of running the regular day-to-day operations of the city government. On February 6, 2017, Elizabeth Pauli was named interim city manager. T. C. Broadnax, who had held the position from January 2012 but departed in 2017 to take the city manager position in Dallas, Texas, was succeeded by her. 

Tacoma is a component of three congressional districts on the national level. Derek Kilmer, who represents the 6th District, represents the western section of the city. Marilyn Strickland, who represents the 10th District, represents the eastern part. Adam Smith, who represents Washington's 9th District, represents Northeastern Tacoma. They are all Democrats. 

Economy 

The lumber company Simpson, the food firms Roman Meal and Brown and Haley, as well as the employment firm True Blue Inc. (formerly Labor Ready) are all based in Tacoma. 

In 1911, Frank C. Mars established Mars, Inc. in Tacoma. 

The "Tacoma Aroma," a distinct, bitter smell produced by pulp and paper industry on the industrial tide flats, first became famous in the city in the 1930s. Simpson Tacoma Kraft cut total sulfur emissions by 90% in the late 1990s. As a result, the issue was mostly resolved; instead of being constantly present downtown, the odor is only infrequently detectable, mostly when the wind comes from the east. The mill, which was formerly operated by the St. Regis Company and was later sold to RockTenn, makes pulpwood and linerboard products. WestRock became the mill's new name in 2016. 

In the Port of Tacoma, U.S. Oil and Refining runs an oil refinery on the tide flats. It was built near Tacoma, Washington, in 1952, and refines 39,000 barrels of oil every day. 

The main shopping complex in Tacoma is the Tacoma Mall. The Simon Property Group is the owner. Macy's, Nordstrom, and JC Penney are some of the anchor tenants. 

When Russell Investments, which had been headquartered in downtown Tacoma since its founding in 1936, announced it was transferring its headquarters to Seattle along with several hundred white-collar employees, it caused an economic blow for the city. Up until 2018, the structure housed a sizable regional office for State Farm before being bought by the 909 Destiny Fund LLC. The structure will reopen as a multi-tenant Class A building. TOTE Alaska is the building's anchor tenant and stated in 2019 that it would move its Federal Way offices to the top two floors of the 909 A Street structure. 

Franciscan Health System and MultiCare Health System run the hospitals in Tacoma. Hospitals including Mary Bridge Children's Hospital, MultiCare Allenmore Hospital, and St. Joseph Medical Center are available. Public health programs are overseen by the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department in both the city and the county. 

Education 

Tacoma Public Schools serves as the city's primary educational institution. The district has 36 elementary schools, 11 middle schools, and 10 high schools, as well as two alternative high schools and three non-traditional high schools (SAMi, SOTA, and iDEA) (Oakland and Willie Stewart Academy). Three charter public schools are also located in Tacoma: Summit Olympus High School, Green Dot Destiny Middle School, and SOAR Academy Elementary School. 

A program for the International Baccalaureate is run at Henry Foss High School. Three programs for immersion in foreign languages were run at Sheridan Elementary School (Spanish, French, and Japanese). In the fall of 2004, Mount Tahoma High School in South Tacoma inaugurated a new structure. In September 2006, Stadium High School and Wilson High School reopened after undergoing renovations. 

A high school with a concentration on the arts that was established in downtown Tacoma in 2001 is known as a national leader in educational innovation. SOTA is a public school that is a member of the Tacoma Public Schools. It was one of the first in the country to use standards-based learning, and as a result, it had a significant impact on how many other schools were built. SOTA leverages Community Museums and Universities as its educational spaces and has various locations across Downtown Tacoma. The Science and Math Institute, a second high school with a focus on STEM, opened its doors to SOTA's employees in 2009. (SAMI). In south Tacoma, the school district opened iDEA (Industrial Design, Engineering, and Art), a third non-traditional high school in the same vein as SAMI and SOTA. Only SAMI and SOTA in Tacoma provide alternatives for earning college credit through the University of Washington in the Classroom. 

In the fall of 2007, Lincoln High School reopened following a $75 million expansion and renovation. 

The Clover Park School District, Fife Public Schools, Franklin Pierce School District, and University Place School District are other school districts with jurisdiction over portions of Tacoma. 

Numerous private schools are also located in the region, including Covenant High School, Evergreen Lutheran High School, the Annie Wright Schools, Bellarmine Preparatory School, Life Christian Academy, and Parkland Lutheran School. 

The University of Puget Sound, Tacoma Community College, City University of Seattle-Tacoma, Bates Technical College, Corban University School of Ministry/Tacoma Campus, as well as satellite campuses of The Evergreen State College and the University of Washington, are some of the higher education institutions in Tacoma. South of the city, in Parkland, is where Pacific Lutheran University is located. Pierce College and Clover Park Technical College are also nearby in Lakewood. 

Population 

In Pierce County, Washington, there is a city called Tacoma. It serves as Pierce County's County seat as well. It will be the third-largest city in Washington and the 106th-largest city in the country in 2023 with a population of 225,631. Tacoma's population has grown by 2.87% from the most recent census, which showed a population of 219,346 in 2020, and is now rising at a pace of 0.94% annually. Tacoma, which spans more than 62 miles, has 4,534 inhabitants per square mile. 

With a 16.49% poverty rate, Tacoma has an average household income of $80,460. The median monthly cost of rent in recent years has been, and the median value of a home is. Tacoma's average age is 36 years, with 35.3 years for men and 36.9 years for women. 

Just a few miles from Olympia and Seattle, Tacoma is situated near Puget Sound. 

The population of the city has fluctuated over the years, although more recent renovation and redevelopment initiatives have been started in an effort to entice new residents.