Can anyone tell me what living in Tacoma Washington is like?

Question

I am planning to move to the Seattle/Tacoma area and a friend from work who lived there a while ago said that area of Tacoma is a rough poor area where crime is so high that you can't live there without having a gun. I am interested to find out if this is still true or if she is out of the ball park with statistics. Also, what is a good area in Seattle to live/rent? I am moving May of next year, don'tt need much space, and want a to have a cat or two.

Thanks all!

Answer 1

Tacoma is a very poor area but there are many places around Seattle that are nice.  As a matter of fact, the area around the college is nice.  I lived in Kirkland which was very nice and reasonable, Bellevue is nice, Redmond is really nice, microsoft is there so that you should be able to get a nice job, if you want. Woodenville is nice it is where Chateau St.Michelle.  I'm moving back in a couple of years but I'll be heading for Bremerton.  I want to  live near my daughter in Kitsap County.  Poulsbo is very nice.  There are so many nice places that it's hard to recommend.  Washington state offers so much that it is really hard to decide what is nicest in your opinion.  I loved living in kirkland but I would never live in Tacoma, DeMoines or places in the south end of the area. Across the bridge is Port Orchard and Olalla but you would have to catch a ferry if you worked in Seattle.

Answer 2

a good area to live in seattle would be the U district.  its central but not too pricy since its alot of univeristy students.  tacoma is rough and stinks literally from paper factories people from seattle try not to go there ew.

Answer 3

I think  Tacoma smells bad.... Seriously....

I also think it's ghetto.

SORRY TO ANYONE WHO LIVES THERE.

Answer 4

Tacoma is not full of crime or a total ghetto.  Like any city there are more desirable areas and less desirable ones.  In recent years the city has done a lot to move crime out and improve Hilltop.

You may want to look in Fircrest, parts of University place, North Tacoma, and around UPS.  Stay away from Lakewood (there are nice neighborhoods hidden in Lakewood), Stilacoom, Tillicum, around the hospitals, and some neighborhoods around the mall.

The best way to find a desirable neighborhood is to talk with a real estate agent who is knowledgeable about Tacoma.  They will know which areas are more desirable than others.

Answer 5

It depends on where you live in Tacoma.  I went to school there at the University of Puget Sound which is a small liberal arts school.  The North End, which is where our campus was, was a pretty decent area.  There were lots of nice houses nearby.  Downtown Tacoma and the Hilltop area are a little more seedy, but I hear that downtown is getting a lot better.  I went to school there 6 years ago and that was what it was like then, but I think that it's improved a lot.  Downtown is especially becoming more gentrified because of the UW of Tacoma campus, Museum of Glass, etc. are down there.  I wouldn't say it was a horrible place to live, not like Detroit or something, but if you're moving to the area, I'd move to Seattle, but if you have to commute between Seattle and Tacoma, I wouldn't do it, live where you're working.

I lived in Capitol Hill in Seattle.  It was reasonably priced and easy to get downtown.  There are a lot of little apartment buildings around there and I like it there because it has a more neighborhood feel than downtown (expensive) or U District.  Fremont and Ballard are also cool areas, but they're a little bit farther from downtown although they have cool neighborhoods of their own.

If you want to find places to rent, check out craigslist.org.  That's how I found my place, and I loved it!

Answer 6

hmmm i love tacoma !there isnt alot of crime trust me and usually its more of a cold weather. theres a lot of things to do .its just an all around good city/town. there is some ghetto people but theres absolutly no gang bangers.

Answer 7

That's like the Detroit of Washington. Really ghetto. A lot of gang bangers.