What is Tacoma, WA like? Is it a good place or bad place to move to from another state?

Tacoma is beautiful! Jobs are good, people are generally friendly, weather - 300 days per year of either rain or overcast skies, 4 seasons - yes, but winter is long and wet, but not snowy. Public transportation is OK, Cost of living is higher than in Phoenix. es it is spread out, it's a sub. of Seattle, sort of like Mesa AZ. I would say that most people drive. If you are looking in the NW, also try Portland. Real commuter friendly systems and bike lanes on every street. The other things mentioned above reflect the same in Portland. Good luck!

Tacoma and vicinity are wonder places to live. There is Pierce County Metro for public transportation, very reasonably priced. There are four seasons here, but you will find it much colder than Arizona,, well atleast for the first 6 months until you get acclimated. There are very good rental communities, just depends on what kind of budget you have to work with. You can check out aptsforrent.com for prices and even contact the communities if you want. The job market is very good in your field. If you dont mind commuting to Seattle or Olympia you have even more job opportunities. To check out jobs you can visit the Tacoma News Tribune web site and look in the ads. Good luck!

hey hows it going well i am also from phoenix az i live in port angeles washington about 2 hours away from tacoma and every time there is a shooting or a robbery or murder it is always in tacoma. just a notcie! your better of staying in phoenix i know how hard it is to find a job out there though so i joined the coast guard.

Tacoma (IPA: [tə ˈko mə]) is a mid-sized urban port city in Washington, USA. The city is situated on a peninsula on the southern end of Washington's Puget Sound, in an area 51 km (32 miles) southwest of Seattle, 50 km (31 miles) northeast of the State capitol, Olympia, and 93 km (58 miles) northwest of Mount Rainier National Park. According to 2005 Census estimates, Tacoma has an estimated population of 195,898. [1] 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. Tacoma adopted its name after the nearby Mount Rainier, which was originally called Mount Tacoma. 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 into the downtown core to establish the University of Washington – Tacoma, 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 labor politics owing to the relationship between the people and the railroad. Residents of Tacoma consider themselves Tacomans. Tacoma-Pierce County has been named as one of the most livable areas in the country [2]. Tacoma was also recently listed as one of the most walkable cities in the country (19th) [3]. In contrast, the city is also ranked as the most stressed-out city in the country in a 2004 survey based on unemployment rate, divorce rate, commute time, violent crime, property crime, suicide rate, alcohol consumption, self-reported "poor mental health" and cloudy days [4].

The Pacific Northwest is nice, but it's going to be quite a bit colder climate than Phoenix.

They don't call it the aroma of Tacoma for nothing. There ar paper mills that emit a putrid stench during th summer months...

Tacoma certainly is an Ugly stepchild. It really doesn't have much to recommend it except a very High Crime Rate.

Tacoma has somewhat of a bad reputation, at least among Seattleites. Tacoma has some gang-ridden, high crime neighborhoods and is derided for the "Aroma of Tacoma." But, they've done a lot of revamping in recent years, particularly of the downtown area and there are definitely nice neighborhoods to live in (my cousin is very successful realtor there... he can afford to live just about anywhere and he chooses to remain in Tacoma.) It's more affordable than Seattle and public transportation is pretty good throughout the King/Pierce/Snohomish County area. There are four seasons, but three of them tend to be overcast and damp. Winters are mild, though. I don't know anything about Tacoma's job market, nor can I compare it to Phoenix (except the obvious stuff like weather.) Me, I'd choose to live in Seattle over just about anywhere.

Well, as a former Seattlite, Seattle is the preferred place but Tacoma is a fairly decent sized city. I don't know now but when I lived in the area in the mid 90's Tacoma compared to other areas, was heavily crime ridden! And of course as far as work goes, for those who are serious about it, I have never had a problem anywhere I ever lived! I know the enconomy there has slowed significantly from the mid 90's ( or so that's what I read anyway) but I couldn't imagine not being able to find employment!