Please tell me .. Is Tacoma as bad as peaple say? We want to move there.Any suggestions?

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Sione™	No, it's really not. Tacoma is actually a really nice town. There are the more unsavory areas, like just about every city, but it isn't nearly as bad as people have always said. Tacoma has always had the "bad rep", probably most because it's compared to it's bigger brother, Seattle. People talk about the crime, about how the city's so dirty, and so on. It's not that bad at all. Tacoma is a beautiful city and even the worse neighborhoods have been improving in cleanliness/crime, much like a lot of growing areas, with middle class people buying up houses and changing the neighborhoods (be it better or worse). All the same, Tacoma has some great places and the theatre district is a great area with the Glass Museum (I believe it's Chihuly's right there with the bridge with the glass sculptures...) right there. Don't believe the hype. Tacoma's a pretty nice city, just a hassle to drive for people from Seattle who's friends have moved to Tacoma.

MAC	I lived in Tacoma, the area known as Lakewood for 10 years and loved it. It was affordable, friendly, and with the views in any direction you looked it was impossible to wake up in a bad mood. The rate of pay and housing is lower compared to Seattle and commuting to Seattle for work is horrific. Seattlites have been trying to give Tacoma a bad name since the early mill wars. If you have friends living in or around the Seattle area don't expect them to drive down to visit you.

Ronka	Ok be prepared to hear the honest to goodness truth here about Tacoma from me bcuz I am the official Tacoma promoter!!!! I love Tacoma!!! I'm originally from Kansas City, MO and I fell inlove with Tacoma and I'm not moving anywhere else. Every city has it's bad spots but we ( tacoma) get more bad press than we really deserve. We have great schools, parks, BEAUTIFUL homes and apartments. The VIEWS OF THE WATER ARE AMAZING! THE VIEWS OF THE MOUNTAIN ARE AMAZING! Great eats all over town. Most of all the people are down to earth and usually speak to you when ya pass them on the street. (I do at least) Come on down and you will not regret it! I haven't & I've been here for years!

amy	No, it was known for 2 bad things: the "aroma of tacoma" and the crime. The aroma is gone because the plant that made it had too much pollution or something but doesnt do that anymore, as for the crime i mean its a city but it is a LOT LOT LOT better than it used to be. If you want to work in tacoma, live where i live in puyallup! Its a lot friendlier and only like 10 minutes away.

Lannie K	It is like any other mid-sized city. There are some really bad parts and there are some really good parts. You need to be cautious when selecting the area but there are some great deals there.

alex	I've never lived in tacoma, I have lived in washington my whole life. I am sure there are great parts of Tacoma, but it does have statistcly the worse crime in the state. Plus the word on the street is that theres a weird smell.

JennyJo	Hey undercovernudist, I grew up off 38th and Alaska. Maybe we know each other. And that is not a good neighborhood. I love north Tacoma, but am not a huge fan of most of the south or east sides.

needer7	I have family ranging from Stanwood and Monroe through Renton and Tacoma all the way to Aberdeen. And that's just west side of the passes. Tacoma does have the highest rate of crime. Just watch Q13.com and it'll let you see local news for the greater Seattle area. Tacoma does have a lower housing value then most other places, and it is on the rise just like everywhere else in the country. It DOES have a funky smell that's known as the 'Tacoma Aroma.' It comes from a building (I think it's a mill) right next to I-5 and downtown. Usually with the way the wind blows, it's blows all over residential areas instead of out over the water. There's a few good areas, but they are farther and fewer between then other places. If you go to the south end of Tacoma, you get more military families. I personally prefer north end of Seattle such as Mill Creek and Bothell. But the main test for anywhere you want to live is the visit the area at night. That will tell you exactly what you have to look foward to. Good luck with your choice!

Roaddogg	No, not at all. I live there and it's really very nice and also convenient to other parts of the Puget Sound. Tacoma has many decent areas but also some raunchy ones. The odd thing is that in many sections there will be some really nice well maintained homes right next to trashy dumps. In general, I'd suggest areas along 72nd street midtown and the like. Good Luck.

undercovernudist	depends on the area i lived by the mall by 38th and Alaska which is a good neighborhood, also by Stadium High School some of that area is really nice to live in, just dont move to certain places on Hilltop or Shalishan

sarahhh (:	It's nice, but some cities around there are better. In Tacoma, there are some really trashy neighborhoods, but then there's some pretty nice ones. The traffic sucks, and in August there's something we like to call the Tacoma Aroma. Not exactly the greatest. However, its nice because it's right on the Puget Sound. Some of the surrounding cities are a bunch better, like Gig Harbor.

1boredguy	It's a big city, with a few good spots and a lot of bad spots to live (more than Seattle). If you plan to work in Seattle, the morning and evening traffic is gonna kill ya. If you've already invested much time into finding a decent neighborhood and traffic isn't a concern, go for it.

fatsausage	There is a lot of crime in Tacoma. In addition the city is very unattractive.