Tacoma is famous in the Puget Sound region for smelling bad. The "Tacoma
aroma," a distinctive, unpleasant odor that was a byproduct of local paper
manufacturing, pervaded much of the city for decades. However, in 1999
Simpson Paper shut down a large paper mill, and an urban renewal program has
replaced many of the other industrial odor sources, so the aroma has mostly
dissipated. (A faint smell is reportedly still detectable during temperature
inversions.)
Many well known people have come from Tacoma, among them singer Bing Crosby,
author Richard Brautigan, serial killer Ted Bundy, serial sniper John Allen
Muhammad, actress Dyan Cannon, conspiracy gadfly Fred Crisman, auto racer
Pat Austin, prize fighter Sugar Ray Seales, glass artist Dale Chihuly, and
musician Neko Case.
History
Tacoma was inhabited for thousands of years by Native American people,
predominantly the Puyallup people. It was visited by European and American
explorers, including George Vancouver and Charles Wilkes, who named many of
the coastal landmarks. The town was originally settled by pioneer and
postmaster Job Carr (a replica of his home and post office has been erected
near the site of his original cabin). Tacoma was officially incorporated on
November 12, 1875.
Tacoma was named after Mount Rainier, whose original name was Mount Tacoma,
which derived from the Puyallup tacobet, or "mother of waters."
Geography
Tacoma is located at 47°14'29" North, 122°27'34" West (47.241371,
-122.459389).
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of
162.2 km˛ (62.6 mi˛). 129.7 km˛ (50.1 mi˛) of it is land and 32.5 km˛ (12.5
mi˛) of it is water. The total area is 20.01% water.
Demographics
As of the census1 of 2000, there are 193,556 people, 76,152 households, and
45,919 families residing in the city. The population density is 1,492.3/km˛
(3,864.9/mi˛). There are 81,102 housing units at an average density of
625.3/km˛ (1,619.4/mi˛). The racial makeup of the city is 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 are 76,152 households out of which 30.9% have children under the age
of 18 living with them, 41.6% are married couples living together, 13.9%
have a female householder with no husband present, and 39.7% are non-families.
31.7% of all households are made up of individuals and 10.4% have someone
living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is
2.45 and the average family size is 3.10.
In the city the population is spread out with 25.8% under the age of 18,
10.4% from 18 to 24, 31.6% from 25 to 44, 20.3% from 45 to 64, and 11.9% who
are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 34 years. For every 100
females there are 95.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there
are 92.3 males.
The median income for a household in the city is $37,879, and the median
income for a family is $45,567. Males have a median income of $35,820 versus
$27,697 for females. The per capita income for the city is $19,130. 15.9% of
the population and 11.4% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the
total people living in poverty, 20.6% are under the age of 18 and 10.9% are
65 or older.
There is no international airport within Tacoma; however, the Seattle-Tacoma
International Airport is located halfway between Seattle and Tacoma in the
city of SeaTac between Burien and Federal Way. It serves Seattle,
Washington, Tacoma and the Greater Puget Sound Metropolitan Area.
Sports
Tacoma, in addition to the professional sports teams of Seattle, has one
minor league baseball franchise, the Tacoma Rainiers, a Triple-A team
playing in the Pacific Coast League as a farm team of the Seattle Mariners.
The city has struggled to keep a minor league hockey franchise, having lost
the Tacoma Rockets of the WHL to relocation and having the Tacoma Sabercats
of the former West Coast Hockey League go defunct due to financial woes. The
Tacoma Dome does still host traveling sports and pseudo-sports events such
as pro wrestling, figure skating tours, and the Harlem Globetrotters.
Tacoma in pop culture
Neko Case's song "Thrice All American", featured on her album Furnace Room
Lullaby, is an ode to Tacoma, which she considers her hometown. The album
also includes a song caled "South Tacoma Way."
Richard Brautigan wrote of his Tacoma childhood in his autobiographical
short stories "Corporal," "The Armoured Car," "The Auction," and "The Ghost
Children of Tacoma."
Tacoma is also prominently mentioned in the 1977 Steve Miller Band song
"Rock 'N Me" (I went from Phoenix, Arizona all the way to Tacoma,
Philadelphia, Atlanta, L.A.).
The movie Ten Things I Hate About You was also filmed at Stadium, a local
high school.
