Tacoma draws praise for diversity and a down to earth community feel compared to nearby Seattle. (Reddit)
The city has a gritty, artistic character with a culture that supports small local businesses. (Reddit)
Nightlife for younger residents is viewed as weak, according to one commenter. (Reddit)
Jobs are described as hard to find right now, with the local economy leaning toward blue collar work. (Reddit, Reddit)
A video commentary argued Tacoma has property crime but is not the war zone some online discussions suggest. (youtube.com)
“I'm here forever! The mountain keeps me here” (a resident)
Who tends to love Tacoma, WA
Arts and culture fans: Museums, galleries, music venues and festivals are praised as vibrant and accessible.
Outdoor and pet lovers: Parks, trails, and dog friendly spots are plentiful and well liked.
Nightlife and food seekers: Dive bars, breweries, and local food spots get strong recommendations.
Community minded newcomers: Residents describe friendly neighbors and a welcoming vibe once connected.
Jobs and work
One resident called the job market brutal right now, noting Tacoma is better known for blue collar work. The job market here is absolutely brutal right now, Tacoma is more well known for blue collar work.(Reddit)
One resident said the City of Tacoma posts all of its jobs on LinkedIn. The City of Tacoma posts all of their jobs on LinkedIn.(Reddit)
One resident suggested the Pierce County restaurant workers Facebook page or applying at McDonald's, Mcmenamins, or Winco for work. Try the pierce county restaurant workers fb page. Also McDonald's is always hiring, so is mcmenamins and bjs bingo. Winco is hiring!(Reddit)
One resident noted that wages in Tacoma are depressed despite prices being comparable to Seattle due to a lower minimum wage. our food, gas, and housing prices being comparable to Seattle, wages are depressed in Tacoma because our minimum wage is much lower(Reddit)
Family and schools
One resident pointed to Lyon and Lowell as schools with the NEST program for autistic kids. In Tacoma you probably want one of the schools with the NEST program, Lyon and Lowell(I.(Reddit)
One resident recommends flying kites at Chambers Creek Park and riding kiddy bikes around Point Ruston with a spray park to cool off. Flying kites at Chambers Creek Park(Reddit)
Making friends
One resident says it is hard to make friends outside of work after moving to the area a year and a half ago. I have no idea to make friends outside of work(Reddit)
One resident notes that Meetup.com is quite active in the area with lots of weekend activities. Meetup.com is pretty active in this area. Lots of activities on the weekends(Reddit)
One resident feels that people tend to keep to themselves, making it hard to expand beyond their existing friend group. everyone likes to keep to themselves and just want to do their own thing(Reddit)
Events and festivals
One resident recommends Real Art in Tacoma as a small venue welcoming to all ages punk shows. It's a small venue open to small punk shows, mostly all ages shows(Reddit)
Seasons and weather
One resident says winters in Tacoma are generally mild and that snow causes things to shut down, with 4WD being helpful. Winters here are generally mild, and if we do get snow, everything pretty much shuts down(Reddit)
One resident finds this June unusually cold and damp compared to the typical slow PNW spring and early summer. this seems unusually cold and damp for June(Reddit)
Cost of living
One resident reported paying $1,500 per month in rent for a one bedroom apartment while living alone, which consumes one of their two monthly paychecks. I'm paying $1,500 for rent per month for a one bedroom and am living alone(Reddit)
One resident contradicts themselves, first saying Tacoma has very low cost of living then saying it is pretty high. it's very low. it's pretty high cost of living. better places to live.(Reddit)
Getting around
One resident said their rule of thumb is to leave 90 minutes before needing to get to work, though they usually arrive 20-30 minutes early, and traffic is better at 10am and 3pm. My general rule of thumb is leave 1.5 hrs before I need to get to work(Reddit)
One resident said traffic leaving Olympia at 1:30pm and Tacoma around 11pm isn't terrible, taking about 40 minutes, and the way home is fine if you leave after 6. Leaving oly 1:30p and Tacoma around 11p traffic isn't terrible. About 40 min at those times(Reddit)
One resident said their Tacoma-Seattle commute is about 60 minutes via the Sounder's S Line, while driving can take 45 minutes to 2 hours depending on time and weather. My Tacoma-Seattle commute is about 60 minutes via Sounder's S Line(Reddit)
One resident said the Sounder train is quick and reliably on time, and the 594 bus is decent too. The Sounder train is quick and easy, and exactly on time most of the time(Reddit)
Arts and culture
One resident said Tacoma has an unusually good concentration of museums for the Northwest, plus good options for films, food, and crafts, along with cheap rent. unusually good concentration of museums for the NW, plus good options for films, food, and crafts(Reddit)
One resident said the exhibits are beautiful and impactful and praised the active prioritization of local art. The exhibits are beautiful and impactful(Reddit)
One resident recommended the Tacoma night market as an awesome event where local artists sell handmade goods and there is music. It's an awesome event where local artists sell their goods. It's all hand crafted(Reddit)
One resident suggested following venues like New Frontier, Airport Tavern, Real Art Tacoma, and Tacoma City Theaters for local and touring acts. Follow places like New Frontier, Airport Tavern, Real Art Tacoma, Tacoma City Theaters(Reddit)
What Tacoma, WA is known for
In the Spirit Arts Market & Northwest Native Festival (August): Festival celebrating Native cultures with free museum admission
Tacoma Film Festival (October): Eight days of film screenings and workshops at Grand Cinema
Zoolights: Holiday lights display at Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium
More on Tacoma, WA
The full Varro guide adds rent and home prices, local taxes, schools, healthcare, getting around, weather by month, and a quiz that shows how Tacoma, WA fits what you want.