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|
 Tacoma
and Pierce County
Pierce County is the southernmost of
four counties
generally referred to as the
central Puget Sound region.
The county's boundaries are heavily influenced by natural features. It is separated from Thurston and Lewis counties
to the south by the Nisqually River, and from King County to the north by the Green and White rivers. The Pacific Crest Trail represents its eastern border with Yakima County.
Pierce County hosts the second largest city of the state, Tacoma. The port
of Tacoma is one of the first and largest in the state of Washington.
One of the most interesting topographical aspects about Pierce County is the way it rises from sea level along its western Puget Sound exposure to more than 14,000 feet above sea level at the summit of Mount Rainier.
Few counties in the United States display such topographical extremes. The topography in western Pierce County is primarily one of flat plains at or just above sea level. There are approximately 361 lakes in Pierce County, ranging from the largest, Lake Tapps, to very small naturally occurring lakes. They serve as ideal fish, bird and wildlife habitat, and provide abundant recreational opportunities for swimming, boating, fishing, sailing, and other outdoor activities.
It is on this relatively level terrain that almost all of the county's economic and population growth has occurred. The county's western extension, of course, is also tied closely to Puget Sound. Two prominent salt-water features in the county are a deep-water harbor at Commencement Bay and The Narrows, a strait that separates the county between its main body of water and parts of the Kitsap Peninsula under its jurisdiction. Several islands: namely McNeil, Fox, and some of Henderson, lie within county waters. The southern part of the county shoreline borders on a wetland and national wildlife refuge known as the Nisqually Delta.
(Above material provided by EDB Tacoma Report.)
Statistical snapshot
Below is a statistical
snapshot of Tacoma Washington by Money Magazine. The report
compares Tacoma with the national average.
Category
|
City
stats |
Nat.
Avg. |
Nat.
Rank |
|
POLLUTION
|
|
|
|
| EPA
watershed rating (100 best; 0 worst) |
16.7
|
31.79
|
206
|
| Air
quality
(200 best; 0 worst) |
175
|
118.90
|
8
|
| ECONOMY |
|
|
|
| Cost
of living index: |
103.3
|
100 |
184
|
| Recent
unemployment rate: |
4.1% |
4.04% |
198 |
| Job
growth since 1998: |
1.19% |
1.30% |
152 |
| Forecast
job growth to 2010: |
21.55% |
15.39% |
46 |
| Municipal
bond rating: |
A+ |
AA |
161 |
| HOUSING |
|
|
|
| Median
price for 3-bedroom home: |
$142,610
|
$155,829 |
117
|
| Change
in home value since 1998: |
3.38%
|
4.81%
|
226
|
| Utility
costs: (Average for 1,800 sq. ft.) |
$72.1
|
$110.59
|
8
|
| QUALITY
OF LIFE |
|
|
|
| Average
commute time (mins): |
23
|
19.51
|
260
|
| Pro
sports index: (100 best; 0 worst) |
76
|
47.32
|
60
|
| Arts
& culture index: (100 best; 0 worst) |
60
|
46.17
|
56
|
| WEATHER |
|
|
|
| Sunny
days per year: (clear / partly clear) |
136
|
213.14
|
|
| Average
July high (degrees F º): |
75.1 |
86.73 |
|
| Average
January low (degrees F º): |
33
|
27.02
|
|
| Average
annual rainfall (inches): |
38.8
|
36.30
|
|
| Average
annual snowfall (inches): |
14.3
|
23.10
|
|
Grace
Hudtloff is a licensed broker of John L. Scott® Real Estate. 
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