Shopping on line can be easy, simple and save you lots of money. It can also take a lot of your time, frustrate you, and result in unwanted purchases. Now the same can be said for regular high street shopping, but with the vast opportunity presented by the Internet it will pay you to spend a few minutes reading this and understanding how to better optimize your Tacoma shopping experience:

1. Compare - without doubt the biggest advantage that the Tacoma offers shoppers today is the ability to compare thousands of Tacoma at a time. This is a great thing, but not necessarily all the time! Too much can be daunting at times so take advantage of the great comparison sites and where possible let them do the hard work for you.

2. Research - if it has been said it will be on the internet. Ignorance is no longer a justifiable reason for buying the wrong thing. Take the time to research in detail everything that you could possible want to know about

3. Testimonials - don't know anybody that has bought a Tacoma? Wrong! If the Tacoma is good the internet will let you know. Use the Internet as a friend and get testimonials before you buy.

4. Questions - Got a question about Tacoma then search the Forums, FAQ's, Blogs etc. Don't be afraid to ask .....

5. Reputation - Never heard of the company selling Tacoma? Don't worry, no reason why you should know every company in the world, but you know someone that does! Use the internet to find out what people are saying about Tacoma and build up a picture of their reputation for sales, returns, customer service, delivery etc.

6. Returns - still worried that even after all of the above your Tacoma wont be what you want? Check out the returns policy. There is so much competition now that someone, somewhere is bound to offer the terms that you are comfortable with.

7. Feedback - happy with your Tacoma then let people know, after all you are depending on others people input in your buying decision, so why not give a little back.

8. Security - check for the yellow padlock on the Tacoma site before you buy, and the s after http:/ /i.e. https:// = a secure site

9. Contact - got a question about Tacoma, or want to leave a comment then check out the sites contact page. Reputable companies have them and respond.

10. Payment - ready to pay for your Tacoma, then use your credit card or PayPal! Be aware of companies that don't accept them, there may be genuine reasons but given the huge amount of choice you have when buying online there is no reason at all not to buy via credit card or PayPal.

Tacoma redirects here. For other uses, see Tacoma (disambiguation). {{Infobox Settlement|official_name = Tacoma, Washington|image_skyline = Tacdtaug05 1.jpg|settlement_type = City|subdivision_name = [United States|subdivision_name1 = [Washington|subdivision_name2 = [Pierce County, Washington|government_type =|leader_title = Mayor [Democratic Party (United States)|established_date =|area_magnitude = 1 E9|area_total_km2 = 162.2|area_land_km2 = 129.7|area_water_km2 = 32.5|population_as_of = 2007|population_note = 3,806,453(metropolitan area)|population_total = 201700 (city proper)|population_density_km2 = 1538.3|timezone = Pacific Standard Time Zone|utc_offset = -8|timezone_DST = Pacific Daylight Time|utc_offset_DST = -7|postal_code_type =|postal_code =|area_code = Area code 253|area_total_sq_mi = 62.6|area_land_sq_mi = 50.1|area_water_sq_mi = 12.5|elevation_m = 74|elevation_ft = 243|latd = 47 |latm = 14 |lats = 29 |latNS = N|longd = 122 |longm = 27 |longs = 34 |longEW = W|website = http://www.cityoftacoma.org/|blank_name = Federal Information Processing Standard|blank_info = 53-70000|blank1_name = Geographic Names Information System feature ID|blank1_info = 1512713|footnotes = |-->'Tacoma (International Phonetic Alphabet: ) is a mid-sized urban port city in Washington, United States. The city is situated on Washington's Puget Sound, in an area 32 miles (51 km) southwest of Seattle, 31 miles (50 km) northeast of the State capital, Olympia, Washington, and 58 miles (93 km) northwest of Mount Rainier National Park. According to 2007 Washington State OFM estimates, Tacoma has an estimated population of 201,700.http://www.ofm.wa.gov Tacoma stands as the second-largest city in the Puget Sound area, the third-largest in the state, and the seat of government of Pierce County, Washington.

Tacoma adopted its name after the nearby Mount Rainier, which was originally called Mount Tacoma or Mount Tahoma. It is known as the "City of Destiny" because the area was chosen to be the site of the western terminus of the Northern Pacific Railroad in the late 1800s. The decision of the railroad was influenced in part because of Tacoma's neighboring Commencement Bay. By connecting the bay with the railroad Tacoma’s motto became “When rails meet sails.” Today Commencement Bay serves the Port of Tacoma, a major player in international trade on the Pacific Coast.

Like most central cities, Tacoma suffered a prolonged decline in the mid-20th century as a result of suburbanization, divestment, and federal urban renewal programs. Recently the city has been undergoing a Renaissance of sorts (see below); investing great sums of money in the downtown core to establish the University of Washington, Tacoma; Sound Transit Tacoma Link, the first modern electric light rail service in the state; various art and history museums; and a restored inlet, the Thea Foss Waterway.

The city has a long history of blue-collar Labour (economics) politics owing to the relationship between the people and the railroad.

Tacoma-Pierce County has been named as one of the most livable areas in the country.http://www.mostlivable.org/cities/tacoma/home.html Tacoma was also recently listed as one of the most walkable cities in the country (19th).http://www.prevention.com/article/0,5778,s1-2-171-749-6707-1,00.html In contrast, the city is also ranked as the most stressed-out city in the country in a 2004 survey.http://www.cnn.com/2004/US/West/01/10/life.stress.reut/ However, in 2006, women's magazine Self named Tacoma the "Most Sexually Healthy City" in the United States.

History Bridge leading into downtown.

Tacoma was inhabited for thousands of years by American Indians, predominantly the Puyallup (tribe) people, who lived in several settlements on the delta of the Puyallup River and called the area where Tacoma would be built "Squa-szucks". It was visited by European and American explorers, including George Vancouver and Charles Wilkes, who named many of the coastal landmarks.

19th Century In 1852 a Swede named Nicolas Delin constructed a sawmill powered by water on a creek near the head of Commencement Bay, but the small settlement that grew up around it was abandoned during the Indian War of 1855-1856. In 1864, pioneer and postmaster Job Carr, a Civil War veteran and land speculator who hoped to profit from the selection of Commencement Bay as the terminus of the Transcontinental Railroad, built a cabin (a replica of Job Carr's cabin, which also served as Tacoma's first post office, was erected in "Old Town" in 2000 near the original site), and later sold most of his claim to developer Morton McCarver (1807-1875), who named his project Tacoma City. The name derived from the indigenous name for Mount Rainier, deriving from the Puyallup tacobet, "mother of waters".

Tacoma was officially incorporated on November 12, 1875. Its early hopes to be the "City of Destiny" were stimulated by its selection in 1873 as the western terminus of the Northern Pacific Railroad, thanks to lobbying by McCarver and others. The transcontinental link was effected in 1887, but the railroad built its depot on "New Tacoma", two miles south of the Carr-McCarver development. The two communities subsequently grew together and joined. The population grew from 1,098 in 1880 to 36,006 in 1890. Rudyard Kipling visited Tacoma in 1889 and said Tacoma was "literally staggering under a boom of the boomiest".Caroline Denyer Gallacci, The City of Destiny and the South Sound: An Illustrated History of Tacoma and Pierce County CA: Heritage Media Corp., 2001, p. 49

George Francis Train was a resident of Tacoma for a few years in the late 1800s, and was an early civic booster. In 1880, he staged a global circumnavigation starting and ending in Tacoma to promote the city's centrality. A plaque in downtown Tacoma marks the start/finish line.

What came to be known as "Tacoma method" was used in November 1885 to expel several thousand China peaceably living in the city. As described by the account prepared by the Chinese Reconciliation Project, on the morning of November 3, 1885, "several hundred men, led by the mayor and other city officials, evicted the Chinese from their homes, corralled them at 7th Street and Pacific Avenue, marched them to the railway station at Lakeview and forced them aboard the morning train to Portland, Oregon. The next day two Chinese settlements were burned to the ground."

The discovery of gold in the Klondike in 1898 led Tacoma's prominence in the region to be eclipsed by the booming development of Seattle.



20th Century During a thirty day power shortage in the winter of 1929/1930, Tacoma was provided with electricity from the engines of the aircraft carrier USS Lexington (CV-2).

In 1935 Tacoma received national attention when George Weyerhaeuser, the nine-year-old son of prominent lumber industry executive J.P. Weyerhaeuser, was kidnappedhttp://www.fbi.gov/libref/historic/famcases/weyer/weyer.htm while walking home from school. Federal Bureau of Investigation agents from Portland handled the case, in which payment of a demanded ransom of $200,000 secured the release of the victim. Four persons were later apprehended and convicted in connection with the crime. The last to be released was paroled from McNeil Island in 1963; George Weyerhaeuser went on to become Chairman of the Board of the Weyerhaeuser Company.

In 1951, an investigation by a state legislative committee revealed widespread corruption in Tacoma's government, which had been organized commission-style since 1910. Voters approved a mayor/city-manager system in 1952.

The first local referendums in the U.S. on computerized voting occurred in Tacoma in 1982 and 1987. On both occasions, voters rejected by a 3-1 margin the computer voting systems that local officials sought to purchase. The campaigns, organized by Eleanora Ballasiotes, a conservative Republican, focused on the vulnerabilities of computers to fraud.Ronnie Dugger, "Counting Votes," New Yorker, November 7, 1988

In 1998, the city of Tacoma installed a high-speed fiber optic network throughout the community. The municipally owned power company wired the city of 187,000 people, thus making Tacoma America's #1 wired city.

Tacoma struggled with crime in its Hilltop neighborhood in the 1980s and early 1990s."Off-Duty Soldiers Trade Gunfire At a House Linked to Drug Sales", The New York Times, September 27, 1989, p. A23 The problems have declined significantly in recent years as many neighborhoods have enacted community policing and other policies. Mayor Bill Baarsma is a member of the Mayors Against Illegal Guns Coalition, a bi-partisan group with a stated goal of "making the public safer by getting illegal guns off the streets." The Coalition is co-chaired by Boston Mayor Thomas Menino and New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

21st Century On April 26, 2003, Tacoma's chief of police David Brame shot and killed his wife and then himself in Gig Harbor, Washington.The (Tacoma) News Tribune's coverage of the Brame tragedy, including audio of 911 calls and dozens of news articles

In 2004, Tacoma was ranked among the top 30 in America's Most Livable Communities in 2004, in an annual survey conducted by the Partners for Livable Communities.

Downtown Renaissance Beginning in the early 1990s, Tacoma has taken a number of steps to revitalize itself and its image, especially downtown.

The University of Washington established a branch campus in Tacoma in 1990. The same year, the historic Union Station was restored.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.

Tacoma's downtown Cultural District is also the site of the Washington State History Museum (1996) and the Tacoma Art Museum (2003). America's Car Museum is currently breaking ground in Tacoma.The grand glass and steel Tacoma Convention and Trade Center opened in June 2004.http://www.tacomaconventioncenter.com

Downtown Tacoma is also host to a thriving theatre district, which is anchored by the 89 year old Pantages Theater. The Broadway Center for the Performing Arts manages the Pantages, as well as the historic Rialto Theater and the Theatre on the Square. Other cultural attractions include the Grand Cinema and the Temple Theatre.

The area around the theatre district has also become the center of Tacoma's LGBT culture. Two of the city's gay bars are located here as well as the Rainbow Center.http://www.rainbowcntr.org

Interest in living downtown has flourished and downtown Tacoma has seen a significant number of people living downtown.

Geography Tacoma is located at 47°14'29" North, 122°27'34" West (47.241371, -122.459389). Its elevation is 116 meters (380 feet).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 62.6 square miles (162.2 square kilometer). 50.1 square miles (129.7 km²) of it is land and 12.5 square miles (32.5 km²) of it is water. The total area is 20.01% water.

Tacoma has its feet in Commencement Bay, with several cities surrounding it. Most of Tacoma has an excellent view of Mt. Rainier.

The city is situated in proximity to several military installations: Fort Lewis (an army base), Madigan Army Medical Center, Fox Island naval center and McChord Air Force Base.

Demographics {| class="wikitable" style="float:left; margin-left:3px; text-size:80%; text-align:right"|align=center colspan=2| City of Tacoma
Population by yearhttp://www.census.gov/population/www/documentation/twps0027.html|-|1910 || 83,743|-|1920 || 96,965|-|1930 || 106,817|-|1940 || 109,408|-|1950 || 143,673|-|1960 || 147,979|-|1970 || 154,581|-|1980 || 158,501|-|1990 || 176,664|-|2000 || 193,556|-|2007 || 201,700|-|}The census 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 Tacoma's population had increased by 1.7%, to 196,800 (Trends, No. D3 2004).

In 2000, Tacoma's population density was 1,492.3/km² (3,864.9/mi²). There were 81,102 housing units at an average density of 625.3/km² (1,619.4/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 60.25% White (U.S. Census), 12.17% African American (U.S. Census), 2.01% Native American (U.S. Census), 8.23% Asian (U.S. Census), 0.93% Pacific Islander (U.S. Census), 3.02% from Race (U.S. Census), and 6.28% from two or more races. 7.11% of the population are Hispanic (U.S. Census) or Latino (U.S. Census) 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 Marriage 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 population's 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. Average rents in Tacoma in 2005 were $577 for a one bedroom apartment, and $844 for a two bedroom apartment.

Government City of Tacoma The government of the City of Tacoma operates under a council-manager system. The city council consists of an elected Mayor (Bill Baarsma) and eight elected councilmembers, five from individual city council districts and three others from the city at-large. All serve four-year terms and are elected in odd-numbered years. The council adopts and amends city laws, approves a two-year budget, establishes city policy, appoints citizens to boards and commissions, and performs other actions. The council also meets in "standing committees", which break down the council's work into more defined areas, such as "Environment & Public Works", "Neighborhoods & Housing", and "Public Safety & Human Services". The council meets as a whole most Tuesdays at 5:30pm in the Council Chambers at 747 Market St. Most meetings are open to the public and provide for public input.

Normal day-to-day operations of the city government are administered by the city manager, who is appointed by the city council.http://www.cityoftacoma.org/Page.aspx?nid=54

Commerce and industry , on Commencement Bay, is one of the largest seaports in the Pacific NorthwestTacoma is the home of several international companies, such as Labor Ready, Inc. and the Russell Investment Group.

Beginning in the 1930s, Tacoma became known for the "Tacoma Aroma", a distinctive, acrid odor produced by paper manufacturing on the industrial tide flats. In the late 1990s, Simpson Tacoma Kraft reduced total sulfur emissions by 90%. This largely eliminated the problem; where once the aroma was ever-present, it is now only noticeable occasionally, primarily when the wind is coming from the west.

U.S. Oil and Refining operates an oil refinery on the tideflats in the Port of Tacoma. Built in Tacoma in 1952, it currently refines 39,000 barrels of petroleum per day.

The Tacoma Mall is the largest shopping center in Tacoma. It is owned by Simon Property Group. Anchor tenants include JC Penney, Sears, Roebuck and Company, Macy's, and Nordstrom.

Urban form and transport Tacoma's system of transportation is based primarily on the automobile. The majority of the city has a system of street grid oriented in relation to A Street (one block east of Pacific Avenue) and Sixth Avenue, both beginning in Downtown, Tacoma, Washington. Within the city, numbered streets run east to west and are labeled "North" or "South" according to their relationship with Sixth Avenue or Division Street. (West of Division, Sixth Avenue is the lowest-numbered street.) North- and south-running streets are given a name or a letter, and are also labeled "North" or "South" in relation to Sixth Avenue. This can lead to confusion, as many named streets intersect streets of the same number in both North and South Tacoma. For example, the intersection of South 11th Street and Union Avenue is just ten blocks south of North 11th Street and Union Avenue. To the east of the Thea Foss waterway and A Street, streets are similarly divided into "East" and "Northeast", with 0 Street East being equivalent to the Pierce-King line. "Northeast" covers a small wedge of Tacoma and unincorporated Pierce County lying across the tideflats from downtown. This numeric system extends to the furthest reaches of Pierce County, except for the Key Peninsula, which retains the north-south streets but chooses the Pierce-Kitsap line as the zero point for east-west streets.In portions of the city dating back to the Tacoma Streetcar Period (1888-1938), denser mixed use business districts exist alongside single family homes. Twelve such districts have active, city-recognized business associations and hold "small town"-style parades and other festivals. The Proctor, Old Town, Dome, Sixth Avenue (Tacoma), Stadium and Lincoln Business Districts are some of the more prominent and popular of these and coordinate their efforts to redevelop urban villages through the Cross District Association of Tacoma. In newer portions of the city to the west and south, residential cul-de-sacs, four-lane collector roads and indoor shopping centers are more commonplace.

The dominant intercity transportation link between Tacoma and other parts of the Puget Sound is Interstate 5, which links Tacoma with Seattle to the north and Portland, Oregon, to the south. Washington State Route 16 runs along a concrete viaduct through Tacoma's Nalley Valley, connecting Interstate 5 with West Tacoma, the Tacoma Narrows Bridge, and the Kitsap Peninsula. Seattle-Tacoma International Airport lies 22 miles north, in the city of SeaTac, Washington.

Public transport Tacoma's alternative transportation services include buses, commuter rail, light rail, and ferries. Public bus service is provided by Pierce Transit, which serves Tacoma and Pierce County, Washington. Pierce Transit operates a total of 55 bus routes on buses powered by natural gas. Most bus service operates at 30 minute frequencies on weekdays, some routes once an hour, while three heavily-ridden "trunk" routes are served every 15 minutes on weekdays and every half hour on weekends.

Sound Transit, the regional transit authority, provides daily Sounder Commuter Rail service and express bus service to and from Seattle seven days a week. (Service to and from Olympia, Washington is serviced by Pierce and Intercity Transit.) Sound Transit has also established Sound Transit Tacoma Link light rail, a 2.5 km (1.6-mile) free electric streetcar line linking Tacoma Dome Station with the University of Washington, Tacoma, Tacoma's Museum District, and the Theater District. Expansion of the city's rail transit system (either in the form of electric streetcars or light rail) is under consideration by the city of Tacoma and Pierce Transit, and is supported by a local grassroots organization, Tacoma Streetcar.

The Washington State Ferries system, which has a dock at Point Defiance Park, provides ferry access to Tahlequah, Washington at the southern tip of Vashon Island, typically on the ferry M/V Rhododendron.

Greyhound Lines service is also accessible via Tacoma Dome Station. An Amtrak station one block east on Puyallup Avenue serves the Amtrak Cascades and Coast Starlight routes. Tacoma highways I-5, I-705, Washington State Route 16, Washington State Route 7, Washington State Route 509, Washington State Route 512, Washington State Route 161, Washington State Route 167, Washington State Route 410

Intercity Rail Transportation Amtrak, the national passenger rail system, provides service to Tacoma. Amtrak train 11, the southbound Coast Starlight, is scheduled to depart Tacoma at 10:31am with service to Olympia, Washington, Portland, Oregon, Sacramento, California, Emeryville, California (with bus connection to San Francisco), and Los Angeles Union Station. Amtrak train 14, the northbound Coast Starlight, is scheduled to depart Tacoma at 7:11pm daily with service to Seattle, Washington. Amtrak Amtrak Cascades trains, operating as far north as Vancouver, British Columbia and as far south as Eugene, Oregon, serve Tacoma several times daily in both directions.

Public utilities Tacoma’s relationship with public utilities extends back to 1893. At that time the city was undergoing a boom in population, causing it to exceed the available amount of fresh water supplied by Charles Wright’s Tacoma Light & Water Company. In response to both this demand and a growing desire to have local public control over the utility system, the city council put up a public vote to acquire and expand the private utility. The measure passed on July 1, 1893, with 3,195 in favor of acquiring the utility system and 1,956 voting against. Since then, Tacoma Public Utilities (TPU) has grown from a small water and light utility to be the largest department in the city’s government, employing about 1,200 people.

Tacoma Power, a division of TPU, provides residents of Tacoma and several bordering municipalities with electrical power generated by eight hydroelectric dams located on the Skokomish River and elsewhere. Environmentalists, fishermen, and the Skokomish Indian Tribe have criticized TPU's operation of Cushman Dam on the North Fork of the Skokomish River; the tribe's $6 billion claim "Court Ends Fight Over Dams", Foundation for Water and Engergy Education, quoting the Tacoma News Tribune was denied by the U.S. Supreme court Docket for 05-434 in January 2006. The capacity of Tacoma’s hydroelectric system as of 2004 was 713,000 kilowatts, or about 50% of the demand made up by TPU’s customers (the rest is purchased from other utilities). According to TPU, hydroelectricity provides about 87% of Tacoma’s power; coal 3%; natural gas 1%; nuclear 9%; and biomass and wind at less than 1%. Tacoma Power also operates the Click! Network, a municipally-owned cable television and internet service. The residential cost per kilowatt hour of electricity is just over 6 cents.

Tacoma Water provides customers in its service area with water from the Green River Watershed. As of 2004, Tacoma Water provided water services to 93,903 customers. The average annual cost for residential supply was $257.84.

Tacoma Rail, initially a municipally owned street railway line running to the tideflats, was converted to a common-carrier rail switching utility. Tacoma Rail is self-supporting and employs over 90 people.

In addition to municipal garbage collection, Tacoma offers commingled recycling services for paper, cardboard, plastics, and metals.

Parks Point Defiance Park, one of the largest urban parks in the country, is located in Tacoma. Scenic Five Mile Drive allows access to many of the park's attractions, such as Owen Beach, Camp Six, Fort Nisqually, and the Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium. There are many historic structures within the park, such as the pagoda near the park's entrance.

Another large park in Tacoma is Wapato Park, which has a lake and walking trails that circle the lake. Wapato is located in the south end of Tacoma, at Sheridan and 72nd St. Titlow Beach, located at the end of 6th Avenue, 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. It contains Wright Park Arboretum and the W. W. Seymour Botanical Conservatory.

Historical landmarks Engine House No. 9 is a fire station built in 1907. The building was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1975. Currently, the building houses a pub which microbrewery its own beer.

Stadium High School, part of the Tacoma School District and setting for the movie 10 Things I Hate About You.

Fireboat No. 1 (Tacoma, Wash.) was built in 1929 for the Port of Tacoma by the Coastline Shipbuilding Company. After 54 years of service in waterfront fire protection, harbor security patrols, search and rescue missions, and water pollution control, Fireboat No. 1 was put up on a permanent dry berth at a public beach near Tacoma’s Old Town neighborhood. She is one of only five fireboats designated as a National Historic Landmark. Visitors are able to walk around her exterior, but her interior is closed to the public.



Schools & Universities Tacoma's main public school district is Tacoma Public Schools. The district contains 36 elementary schools, eleven middle schools, five high schools, one alternative high school, and one school of the arts (Tacoma School of the Arts).

Henry Foss High School operates an International Baccalaureate program. Sheridan Elementary School operates three foreign language immersion programs (Spanish, French, and Japanese). Mount Tahoma High School opened a brand new building in South Tacoma in the fall of 2004. Stadium High School and Woodrow Wilson High School (Washington) were remodeled/refurbished and reopened in September 2006. Lincoln High School will reopen in the fall of 2007 after a $75 million renovation and expansion. "History intact at renovated Lincoln High", The News Tribune, March 22, 2007.

Private schools in the area include the Annie Wright School and Bellarmine Preparatory School (Tacoma).

Tacoma's institutions of higher learning include the University of Puget Sound, Tacoma Community College, Bates Technical College, and the University of Washington, Tacoma. Pacific Lutheran University, The Evergreen State College, Tacoma, Clover Park Technical College and Pierce College also lie within the greater Tacoma area.

Cultural Attractions Tacoma hosts part of the annual four-part The Daffodil Festival, which takes place every April in Tacoma, Washington, Puyallup, Sumner, Washington, and Orting, Washington.

The Tacoma farmers' market runs every May through September, every Thursday, in the Theatre District.

Mass media and local blogs The city's major daily newspaper is The News Tribune, a subsidiary of McClatchy Newspapers since 1986. Its circulation is about 128,000 (144,000 on Sundays), making it the third-largest newspaper in the state of Washington. A daily newspaper has been in circulation in Tacoma since 1883. Between 1907 and 1918, three dailies were published: The Tacoma Ledger, The News, and The Tacoma Tribune.

Local papers include the Tacoma Weekly, the Tacoma Daily Index and the South Sound weekly entertainment newspaper Weekly Volcano.

A sample of local blogs that typically report on events and happenings in Tacoma include Exit 133, In-Tacoma.net, KevinFreitas.net, The South Tacoma Way, BIA Blog, The Flying Turtle Post Intelligencer, Cassioposa.net, ErikEmery.com, Grit City, ThriceAllAmerican.com, and Spew, several of which have excerpts published via an RSS feed to Feed Tacoma.

Professional sports teams '''''Club''''' '''''Sport''''' '''''Founded''''' '''''League''''' '''''Venue'''''



[Tacoma Rainiers [Baseball [Pacific Coast League [Cheney Stadium

[Tacoma Jazz [Basketball [International Basketball League (2005-) [Tacoma Dome

[Tacoma Tide [Soccer [USL Premier Development League [Curtis Senior High School



The city has struggled to keep a minor league ice hockey franchise. The Tacoma Rockets of the Western Hockey League were lost to relocation, and the Tacoma Sabercats of the former West Coast Hockey League closed due to financial woes. The Tacoma Dome still hosts traveling sports and other events, such as pro wrestling, figure skating tours, and the Harlem Globetrotters. At one point, the Tacoma Dome was home to a professional indoor soccer team, the Tacoma Stars. For the 1994-1995 season, the Seattle SuperSonics played in the Tacoma Dome while the Seattle Center Coliseum was renovated (and renamed Key Arena). The Tacoma Dome also hosted the 1988 and 1989 Women's NCAA Final Four. In 2007, the Tacoma Dome will host four home games of the Tacoma Jazz, who recently replaced the Tacoma Jets on the IBL schedule.

Noteworthy Tacomans Sports

The arts Visual arts

Music

Performing arts

Writing

Criminal

Political and business

Tacoma in pop culture In music Frank Zappa referenced Tacoma in the song "Jewish Princess", in the line "with a garlic aroma that could level Tacoma", a reference to sulfur smell often associated with the city.

Neko Case's "Thrice All American" is an ode to Tacoma, which she considers her hometown. Furnace Room Lullaby, the album on which it appears, also includes a song called "South Tacoma Way".

Nirvana (band)'s "Polly (song)" was written about a girl who was raped while returning from a punk rock show in Tacoma.Azerrad, M. (1993). Come as You Are: The Story of Nirvana. Virgin Publishing. ISBN 0-863-69746-1

Tacoma is mentioned in the Steve Miller Band's "Rock 'N Me" ("I went from Phoenix, Arizona, all the way to Tacoma, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Atlanta, Georgia, Los Angeles, California").

Tacoma is mentioned in Sir Mix-a-Lot's "My Hooptie" ("Rollin' in Tacoma, I could get burned, (sound of automatic gunfire) Betta make a u-turn") and in "Jump on It" ("What's up, Tacoma, what's up? What's up, Tacoma, what's up? Tacoma, jump on it, jump on it, jump on it.")

Tacoma is mentioned in Luna (band)'s "Rhythm King" ("Headed for Tacoma, driving too fast, Nixon's in a coma, and I hope it's gonna last.")

Tacoma is mentioned in Norway punk rock band Turbonegro's "He's a Grungewhore."http://www.nomorelyrics.net/song/189553.html

The Norwegian band Euroboys referenced the city in their instrumental "Girlfriend in Tacoma".

Tacoma is mentioned in folk singer David Rovics's "After the Revolution.".

"Tacoma Trailer" is the name of an instrumental song by Leonard Cohen.

Tacoma is mentioned in the E-40/The Click song "Out my Body" ("Ran up on her, from Tacoma. Damn that hooch had miles on her.")

Tacoma is the prime subject of the Jason Webley song, "How Big Is Tacoma?"

In film A running gag in the 1985 Tom Hanks film Volunteers (movie) is the repeated references to Tacoma by John Candy's character, "Tom Tuttle from Tacoma, Washington".

Parts of the movie 10 Things I Hate About You (1999), whose plot is based on William Shakespeare's Taming of the Shrew, were filmed at Stadium High School and in the nearby North End neighborhood, although most other exterior scenes were filmed in Seattle, Washington. I Love You to Death (1990) was filmed in downtown and central Tacoma. Kevin Kline's pizzeria was located in the wedge-shaped Bostwick Building downtown. Also featured was the 1927-vintage Java Jive, a Tacoma tavern shaped like a giant coffee pot.

The Hand That Rocks the Cradle (film) (1992) featured several Tacoma locations, including a North Tacoma home, Downtown Tacoma, and Wright Park's Seymour Botanical Conservatory.

Prefontaine (film) (1997) was filmed in large part at the University of Puget Sound, with the school's Baker Stadium standing in for University of Oregon famed Hayward Field grandstand and track.

The long-running series of Tugboat Annie radio dramas, television shows and films (one of which starred a young actor named Ronald Reagan) was based on Tacoma tugboat operator Annie Foss.

Get Carter (2000) featured a Tacoma location.http://www.filminamerica.com/Movies/GetCarter/

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Sister cities Tacoma has ten town twinning, as designated by Sister Cities International, Inc. (SCI):



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