Anyone from or around Tacoma?

[Slapyo]

I was just up there for my brother's graduation from PLU and like the area. I'm looking at houses up there and they are soooo much cheaper than down here in southern California. If you are from the area, how do you like it? Anything to be aware of? Likes / dislikes?

Also, has anyone been to this bar called Engine House No. 9? OMG that place rocked. Loved the bar.

 

[LordMustangGT]

there a few people in here from tacoma, I'm sure its a wonderful place. I live about 20 minutes from there in bonney lake. there putting in house here like it going out of style. IT's crazy! hard to get a run from light to light with anyone anymore cuz there's some many damn people moving here. lol

 

[wazazzle]

I'm org from Lancaster, CA. Lived in spanaway for 10yrs, moved to diego 6 months, then moved out to south graham - bit more country. I hated diego... all that cocky attitude, fake flash, people disrespecting you and wanting to test you in front of your girl. Plus she got tired of people harassing her/hitting on her even while doing something as simple as getting gas, driving on the fwy, and even at work. It got pretty bad! There was a time or two I wish I could have pulled out my p99, but that's just wishful thinking. That being said we moved back up to tacoma where people don't care what you do for a living, have respect, and are proud to be blue collar. Drive 15min in either direction and you can still find farms, cowgirls, great views of snowcapped mtns ranges, great fishing, snowboarding, hunting, etc. I'd like to think we're a bit more country, much more laid back, and def more respectful. Some may disagree but that's just my opinion. The military base does have a major influence in tacoma. People here support the troops, have immediate family members deployed, and unfortunetly even know a few good people killed in iraq. So if you don't support'em you're prob better off staying in cali. As for dtn tacoma about 1/4 of it is owned by UW. They have plans on turning UW Tacoma into a 4yr campus with dorms. The city is revitalizing the dtn area and have built a new convention center. I only know this because I'm finishing grad school there. The prices of homes aren't so bad, in diego i was looking at $250k for a 2br condo. If you head just outside of tacoma (puyallup, bethel, graham, etc) you can find a nice 4br home 1/4 acre. The closer to seattle you get the more expensive. If you decide to head up here fyi head over to the south hill mall/puyallup on fridays nights . That's the local mustang spot

 

[tylers65]

I'm here. Drop me an G-Talk

 

[Slapyo]

Awesome. I love all that stuff, especially fishing and snowboarding. I definitely support the troops, I run a website for veterans (http://www.veteransresources.org). I really liked the area when I was up there. A few major differences I noticed:

1 - You can see the stars at night, and it's not planes landing at the local airport (except for the military planes).

2 - The sky is blue, not brown with a hint of blue.

3 - It smelled different, I'm assuming that's the clean air.

 

[Slapyo]

Are there some bad areas around Tacoma that I should not look for a house in. I heard some stuff about some parts of Spanaway and this one place in Tacoma, something Hills, I forget.

 

[88Stang331]

I'm from Federal Way, its right in between Seattle and Tacoma, great place to live =D. Have any questions you can PM me

 

[tylers65]

Hill top. Avoid it like the plague.
Spanaway - a community of meth labs and military personnel
Lakewood - 50/50 split of nice areas and ghetto

City of Tacoma is just like any area. You take the good with the bad and hope for the best.

Best areas (In my opinion) are in the "North End".

 

[timeless2]

A few major differences I noticed:

1 - You can see the stars at night, and it's not planes landing at the local airport (except for the military planes).

2 - The sky is blue, not brown with a hint of blue.

3 - It smelled different, I'm assuming that's the clean air.

I can add more to this list of reasons to leave California, but it would derail the thread.

Good luck in your search, Slappy. I wish all the best for you in this venture.

 

[Slapyo]

That's it!! Hill Top! Yeah my sister was like don't even go over there at all, just stay away.

Thanks for the heads up on the areas. I'll be sure to stay away from them. If I were to find any houses and what not, would you guys mind if I posted em up here so you could give me an idea of the area if you know?

Thanks timeless2. CA is awesome, I love it. But it's too damn expensive and I can't afford anything. Plus the smog sucks. If I could afford it I'd move to somewhere where the smog wasn't so bad, but I can't even afford a house in the crappy areas. :/

 

[tylers65]

Sure thing. It is always nice to be informed about an area/market prior to changing states altogether.

I live in what could only be described as central (eastern central) Tacoma. I have great neighbors and crappy neighbors all the same. It is a clean neighborhood. My area is still inexpensive to get into but the values are climbing fast.

Depending on the size of house you want and how much you REALLY want to spend will obviously drive where in the area you end up.

Fircrest is nice. Parts of University Place are nice too. There are some REAL nice places in Lakewood but Lakewood itself is still trying to live down the bad name it had from 5 to 10 years ago.

Hilltop is actually cleaning up a lot. 10 to 15 years ago, the police were afraid to go up there. You could get into the area for dirt cheap for a large house. The bad people in the area are being pushed out by high property values/taxes because new people with money want to live there. It is a historical area with 100 year old houses and some nice views depending on where you end up.

I got into an area 5 years ago that was clean but needed a little help. Now all the houses are owned instead of rented and are better maintained. I paid $140,000 for a 5 bed and 1200 sq garage. It is easily worth $300,000 today based on what others have sold for in my area.

There are still a lot of good deals left depending on what you want and where you want to be.

 

[Slapyo]

My house search right now look like this:

Max $300k
Newer home, not really old ... like 70s or newer
Large backyard for my dog
Nice neighborhood

I found one the other day that was built in 1991, 1600 sq.ft., and the lot was 13000 sq.ft. ... they wanted $245k.

 

[tylers65]

But WHERE exactly?

Avoid McKinley ave, Portland Ave, Pacific Ave.

 

[Slapyo]

Got that confused with another one, these are the specs.

Bedrooms: 3
Full Baths: 2
Partial Baths: 1
Square Feet: 1,724
Lot Size: 13,125 Sq. Ft.
Year Built: 1998

2901 E M ST, Tacoma, WA 98404

 

[tylers65]

Unless you feel like a stunning view of scenic I-5 is your idea of heaven, I would keep looking. Also, it is off of Portland Ave. Dirty part of town with higher crime rate.

 

[Slapyo]

Heh yeah I saw that it basically sat on the 5. Thanks for the info on it!

 

[pwarren]

Go out to Bonney lake....Lake Tapps Rocks....

 

[tylers65]

I grew up in Bonney Lake. I was there when the only thing there was the Bonney Lake Tavern and the Post office was the police department and liquor store all in one. That place sucks ass now. I have property up there now and it takes an act of congress to make me go up there.

But yeah, if you like over inflated land values that will fall like a ton of brick in 5 years along with traffic that has only one way in and out of the area, you are in the right place.

Their school system is pretty kick ass too if your dreams and desires are to become a meth addict and have 3 kids before you would have (but never will) graduate from high school.

The only place I would like to live less than Bonney Lake is Orting and that is from 5 years of experience there to.

 

[wazazzle]

That's it!! Hill Top! Yeah my sister was like don't even go over there at all, just stay away.

Thanks for the heads up on the areas. I'll be sure to stay away from them. If I were to find any houses and what not, would you guys mind if I posted em up here so you could give me an idea of the area if you know?

Thanks timeless2. CA is awesome, I love it. But it's too damn expensive and I can't afford anything. Plus the smog sucks. If I could afford it I'd move to somewhere where the smog wasn't so bad, but I can't even afford a house in the crappy areas. :/

The smog out here isn't bad. We get a lot of cold fronts from canada and from the sea. That's why it rains here so much because the mountains push all the rain out the clouds as they head east. If you're like one or two of us who yanked their smog equip or just can't pass'em some of the local county's don't require smog inspections. When I attended WWU in whatcom county I wasn't required to take one. The places to avoid are hilltop, eastside of pac ave (lincoln hs area), lakewood/parkland (50/50 good bad neighborhoods), spanaway (i lived there... few meth labs, 2 duplexes in front of my house had a dble homicide, and once the police chased a stolen car into my front lawn.) Goldengiven Rd and Portland Ave are known as areas where stolen cars get dumped. That's were mine got dumped-drug addicts ripped through all my stuff. Down the hill on Portland Ave around those old Navy barrack housings turned into low income has Cambodian gangs. I worked at a mft plant down that road. Good places: univ place-tons cops cause they are their own city & have their own police dept, puyallup, auburn-not so bad but hwy commute can be bad so learn the back roads, dupont-new development, bethel & graham-country folks & great if you have livestock That's where I live and wouldn't have it any other way. Btw fishing up here is awesome and crabbing is even better.

 

[WANNA_BE_GT]

Tacoma is the armpit of western washington.

Thank you drive through please!