City of Tacoma ranked among the top 100 places to live in the U.S., here’s why
When most people think of visiting or moving to Washington, they immediately think Seattle, but as time goes on, they become more acquainted with the beauty of its neighboring city of Tacoma.
Last year, “The Today Show” ranked Tacoma one the best places to live in the U.S. This year Tacoma has, yet again, been named one of the best places to live, along with three other cities in the Evergreen State.
This time the ranking is by Livability, a marketing company that curates an annual list of the best places to live in the U.S. The list is accompanied by comprehensive report cards that delve into why each city made it to the top 100.
Livability specifically focuses on small to mid-sized cities and qualifies the most livable cities based on a combination of these categories: affordability, opportunity and quality of life factors.
Washington cities ranked the most livable
Four Washington cities, Tacoma, Vancouver, Spokane and Kennewick were named in Livability’s latest list of the top 100 best places to live in the U.S.
Vancouver scored 794 which makes it the highest-ranked city in Washington, and the overall fifth-best place to live in the Pacific Northwest. Spokane was ranked the ninth-best place to live in the region, with a score of 749 and was followed by Kennewick as the 10th-best place with a score of 745.
Tacoma received a score of 743, making it the fourth-most livable city in the state of Washington and the 11th-best place to live in the Pacific Northwest.
Why is Tacoma ranked one of the best cities to live in?
Livability featured Tacoma on the list of best places to live in the country due the city’s abundance of trails, some of the best park systems in the country, and museums, combined with its affordability.
“Tacoma, Washington, might be the perfect place for outdoorsy people to call home. It’s more affordable and less congested than neighboring Seattle and still offers residents some incredible amenities, including a spectacular assortment of museums and a world-class arts scene that encompasses professional ballet, opera and orchestra organizations,” according to Livability.
The company added that having access to so many natural green spaces encourages residents to take care of the environment which also translates to “providing green transportation, affordable housing and more.”
Tacoma has something to offer for everyone. If you want to take a break from exploring the nature that surrounds the city, visit Dorky’s Bar Arcade that has games for people of all ages, explore the food scene by visiting some of the best restaurants in the city, or shop local at one of the city’s many farmer’s markets and night markets.
Livability also highlights Tacoma’s stable economy, plentiful job opportunities and diverse career fields such as health care, logistics, aerospace and technology.
Here are some other key statistics that Livability highlighted for Tacoma:
- Average annual snowfall — 3 inches
- Average annual rainfall – 40 inches
- Sunny days — 144
- Average commute: 23 minutes
- Sales tax rate — 10.3%
- Median home value — $460,237
- Median household income — $82,292
- Population — 220,316
