TACOMA, a city of Washington, U.S.A., on Commencement bay, one of the arms of Puget sound, 3o m. by water south of Seattle and 151 nautical miles from the Pacific ocean; a port of entry and the county seat of Pierce county. It is on Federal highway 99 and the Pacific coast air-mail route, and is served by the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific, the Great Northern, the Northern Pacific and the Union Pacific railways, by motor stage lines, and by over sixty steamship lines, with sailings to the Orient, South America, Australia and Europe, and to Atlantic and Pacific ports of the United States. The population was 96,965 in 1920 (113.7 males to Ioo females), of whom 21,705 were foreign-born, including 1,067 Japanese; and was 106,817 in 1930.
The fine natural harbour is 4.5 m. wide at its entrance between Point Brown and Point Defiance and about 2.5 m. long. There is no bar or other natural obstruction at the entrance, and the waters are deep throughout the entire extent. The climate is equable, and the precipitation moderate, about of the rain falling in the f our months November to February. From the tidelands the city rises gradually to a plateau 30o ft. high. The area (including 8•33 sq.m. annexed in 1927) is 51.26 sq.m., of which 4.91 sq.m. is water. The Olympic Mts. are visible to the west, and Mount Rainier (or Ta coma; 14,408 ft. high), in Rainier National park, 56 m. S.E., seems to stand at the city's doorway. Near by are four freshwater lakes, surrounded by evergreen forests. The city's parks cover 1,114 ac., including 64o ac. on Point Defiance. In the heart of the city is an outdoor stadium seating 40,000 spectators, and commanding an unobstructed view of the bay. Near it is the State historical building and the Ferry museum, containing a collection of Indian relics. In the north end of the city is the 4o ac. campus of the College of Puget Sound (Methodist ; 1903). A zoning ordinance has been in effect since 1919, and an active programme of city planning was undertaken in 1920. The assessed valuation of property for 1927 was $65,726,619. The city's water-supply and distributing system represents an investment of $7,602,888, and it has invested $13,183,872 in power-generating and distributing equipment, including hydro-electric plants near the base of Mount Rainier and in the foot-hills of the Olympics. By 1928 nearly
100,000 h.p. was developed, and under municipal ownership and operation (entered upon in 1893) rates for power had been re duced until they were the lowest in the country. Two of the transcontinental railroads have extensive terminals on the water front, and other wharves have been constructed by industrial concerns. The physical development of the harbour by the public and the administration of facilities owned by the Port of Tacoma District (a municipal corporation conterminous with Pierce county) are under the jurisdiction of a port commission. The piers owned by the municipality cover 28o acres. A municipal belt-line railway connects the railroads and the industrial district with the port. The traffic of the port in 1927 amounted to 4,754,759 tons, valued at $153,880,031, of which represented exports to foreign countries, $18,906,128 imports and $85,662,475 domestic commerce with Alaska, Hawaii, Cali fornia, the Atlantic Coast and the Gulf and local ports.