TACO'MA. The county-seat of Pierce County, Wash., 140 miles north of Portland, Ore., at the head of Commencement Bay, Puget Sound (Map: Washington, C 2). It is a terminus of the North ern Pacific Railway, and is on the Great North ern, the Canadian Pacific, and other railroads. Many steamship lines, of which several are trans Pacific, sail from Tacoma. The harbor is spa cious and secure, and is admirably provided with shipping facilities, the railroad and steamship terminals being among the best on the Pacific Coast.
Tacoma has a picturesque site, rising from the bay to an altitude of 320 feet, with high moun tains in the vicinity, Mount Rainier (q.v.), locally known by the old Indian name. Tacoma, to the southeast, being 14,526 feet in height. There are some 700 acres in public. parks, of which Point Defiance. is by far the largest. The city hall, court:house, Chamber of Commerce, Northern Pdcific Railway headquarters, Tacoma. Hotel, and Tacoma Theatre are among the promi nent buildings. The city has a public library (Carnegie) containing some 25,000 volumes, the Ferry Museum of Art, and the State Historical Society. The educational institutions include 1Whitwo•th College (Presbyterian) and the Uni versity of Puget Sound (Methodist Episcopal), both opened in 1890; Annie Wright Seminary (Protestant Episcopal), the Pacific Lutheran University, and an Indian school. The State 'Insane Asylum is a few miles to the south, and there are in the city a number of charitable institutions, the more important of which are the City and County Hospital, Saint Joseph's Hospital, and the Fanny Paddock 3Iemorial Ilos pital.
Superior transportation facilities, and a vast and highly productive tributary region have made Tacoma one of the leading business centres on the Pacific Coast. Coal is mined extensively
in the vicinity, and the city has also advan tages of rich agricultural and timber lands. It• carries on a large wholesale trade and is largely interested in manufacturing, but derives its chief importance from an extensive coastwise and foreign commerce, particularly with the Orient. The principal articles of commerce are wheat, flour, lumber, coal, coke, fish, and fruit. In the census year 1900 the various industrial estab lishments had $8,147,000 capital. and an output. valued at $12,029,000. The manufacture of lum ber, shingles, furniture, carriages and wagons, woodenware, flour, foundry and machine shop products, cars, car wheels, and engines, ship and boat-building, smelting, and brewing are the chief industries.
Under the revised charter of 1896 the gov ernment is vested in a mayor, elected for two years, and a unicameral council. Most of the administrative officials are appointed by the mayor, the comptroller, treasurer, and board of education, however, being chosen by popular vote. The city spends annually for maintenance and operation about. $698,000, the largest items being: interest on debt, $228,000; schools, $164, 000; electric light plant, $69,000; fire depart ment, $47,000; police department, $35,000. The water-works and the electric light plant are owned and operated by the municipality. Ta coma was formed in 1883 by the consolidation of Old Tacoma (founded in 1868) and New Ta coma. New Tacoma, founded about 1869. was made the western terminus of the Northern Pa cific Railway in 1873, was organized as a city in 1874, and became the county-seat in 1880. Population, in 1890, 36,006; in 1900, 37,714.