Free Tacoma Cruise Vacations Players Vacation Club

More about TacomaTacoma is the county seat of Pierce County6, situated on Puget Sounds Commencement Bay, Tacoma Narrows, and the estuary of the Puyallup River. The 2000 census reported Tacomas population as 193,556; the citys population on Apr. 1, 2004, was estimated by the U.S. Census Bureau to be 196,800, an increase of 1.7% since 2000 (Trends, No. D3 [Sept. 2004]). Tacoma is the home of such international companies as Labor Ready, Inc. and the Russell Investment Group, as well as institutions of higher learning, including Pacific Lutheran University, University of Puget Sound, Tacoma Community College, and the University of Washingtons Tacoma campus. Tacoma is a major international deep-water container port. The Museum of Glass opened in downtown Tacoma in 2002, showcasing glass art from the region and around the world. It includes a functional glassblowing studio. Tacomas downtown Cultural District is also the site of the Washington State History Museum (1996) and the Tacoma Art Museum (2003). The major local newspaper is the Tacoma News Tribune. A daily newspaper has been in circulation in Tacoma since 1883; at one time, three papers were being published. The paper serves over 128,000 customers, 144,000 on Sundays, making it the third largest newspaper in the state of Washington. One of the largest urban parks in the U.S, Point Defiance Park, which includes the Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium, is located in Tacoma. Another park in Tacoma is Titlow Beach, which is a popular scuba diving area. Wright Park, located near downtown, is a large, English-style park designed in the late 1800s by E.O. Schwagerl and Ebenezer Rhys Roberts. Beginning in the 1930s, Tacoma was for a time known in the Puget Sound region for its malodorousness, due to the "Aroma of Tacoma" -- a distinctive, acrid odor produced by local paper manufacturing. In the late 1990s, however, Simpson Tacoma Kraft reduced total sulfur emissions by 90%, largely eliminating the problem. (A faint smell is reportedly still detectable during temperature inversions.) A number of noteworthy individuals have come from Tacoma, among them singer Bing Crosby, authors Richard Brautigan and Frank Herbert, cartoonist Gary Larson, serial killer Ted Bundy, serial sniper John Allen Muhammad, actress Dyan Cannon, conspiracy gadfly Fred Crisman, Andrew and Thea Foss, first owners and operators of Foss Launch and Tug Company, Puyallup Indian rights activist Robert Satiacum, auto racer Pat Austin, prize fighter Sugar Ray Seales, NFL receiver Ahmad Rashad, Major League baseball player Ron Cey, glass artist Dale Chihuly, and musicians Jerry Cantrell and Neko Case. Chef-author Jeff Smith learned to cook and began his career in Tacoma at the Chaplains Pantry, later known as the Gourmet Pantry (now closed), on Tacoma Avenue. Tacoma Demographics The census2 of 2000 indicated that 193,556 persons, 76,152 households, and 45,919 families resided in Tacoma. Four years later, the U.S. Census Bureau estimated that Tacomas population had increased by 1.7%, to 196,800 (Trends, No. D3 [Sept. 2004]). In 2000, Tacomas population density was 1,492.3/kmÂ² (3,864.9/miÂ²). There were 81,102 housing units at an average density of 625.3/kmÂ² (1,619.4/miÂ²). The racial makeup of the city was 69.08% White, 11.24% African American, 1.96% Native American, 7.57% Asian, 0.93% Pacific Islander, 2.94% from other races, and 6.28% from two or more races. 6.85% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race. There were 76,152 households in Tacoma in 2000; 30.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.6% were married couples living together, 13.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.7% were non-families. Almost one third of households (31.7%) were made up of individuals living alone; 10.4% of these were 65 years of age or older. The average household size in 2000 was 2.45 and the average family size was 3.10. In 2000, the populations demographics were evenly distributed: 25.8% under 18, 10.4% from 18 to 24, 31.6% from 25 to 44, 20.3% from 45 to 64, and 11.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34. For every 100 females there were 95.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.3 males. The median income for a household in the city was $37,879, and the median income for a family was $45,567. Males had a median income of $35,820, versus $27,697 for females. The per capita income for the city was $19,130. 15.9% of the population and 11.4% of families were below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 20.6% of those under the age of 18 and 10.9% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line. Tacoma is served by the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, located between Seattle and Tacoma in the city of SeaTac. It serves Seattle, Washington, Tacoma and the Greater Puget Sound Metropolitan Area. There are also Amtrak train and Greyhound bus stations in Tacoma. Interstate Highway 5 links Tacoma with Seattle to the north, and Portland, Oregon to the south. Tacoma is also served by the Washington State Ferry system, which has a dock at Point Defiance, providing ferry access to Tahlequah at the southern tip of Vashon Island.

Tacoma

Free Tacoma Cruise Vacations

Hear what people are saying about Tacoma:

TRAVEL NOW PAY LATER!™