The name Tacoma stems from the Indian name for Mount Rainier, "Tacobet," meaning “mother of the waters”. "City of Destiny" became Tacoma's moniker when it was designated — instead of Seattle — as the Northern Pacific Railroad's western terminus for its transcontinental route in 1873.
The county of Tacoma (Pierce County) has been named as one of the most livable areas in America.
Birthplace of world renowned glass artist Dale Chihuly, Tacoma is home to a vibrant, creative community of writers, artists and musicians, photographers, filmmakers, passionate entrepreneurs and small business owners.
Several movies have used Tacoma as there setting. Rose Red was filmed here, and Stadium High School was filmed in the movie “Ten Things I Hate about You”.
Tacoma is alive with activity from students attending the University of Washington Tacoma, the University of Puget Sound, The Evergreen State College Tacoma campus, local trade and technical colleges, and nearby Pacific Lutheran University.
The Port of Tacoma is the sixth-largest container-handling port in North America, covering more than 2,400 acres, and ranks in the top 25 for worldwide container trade. The Port services more than 15 steamship lines, two transcontinental railroads, 200 inter-and intrastate trucking lines and 20 air freight forwarders.
Point Defiance Park, with 700 acres, is one of the largest urban parks in the nation, second only to Central Park in New York City.
Irvine Robbins, co-founder of the Baskin-Robbins chain of ice cream stores, got his start in Tacoma in 1927, selling ice cream and cottage cheese produced from his father's cows' surplus milk.
Almond Roca, a Northwest favorite since 1912, is still headquartered in Tacoma today.