Other aerial tours:

Seattle (http://skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=215371)
Spokane (http://skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=220709)
Portland (http://skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=223578)

Tacoma, WA is located 30 miles south of Seattle & 30 miles north east of the state capital, Olympia. Tacoma has roughly 200,000 people in the city, 935,000 within a 15 mile radius of downtown, & 3,700,000 in the metro area it shares with Seattle and other cities.

http://www.aerolistphoto.com/images/wa/fife/2002/ffh2002_043.jpg

http://www.aerolistphoto.com/images/wa/gig_harbor/2003/WAGHh030921D_013.jpg


Downtown & Commencement Bay looking N:

http://www.aerolistphoto.com/images/wa/tacoma/2005/WATAh050322D_022.jpg


Downtown looking W:

http://www.aerolistphoto.com/images/wa/tacoma/2003/WATAh030721D_044.jpg


Re-development is occuring in downtown. The University of Washington-Tacoma (http://www.tacoma.washington.edu/) campus is made up of renovated historic buildings, the old railroad terminus station was turned into a federal courthouse, & the Museum of Glass (http://www.museumofglass.org) was built along the waterfront attracting condos.

http://www.aerolistphoto.com/images/wa/tacoma/2005/WATAh050322D_003.jpg

http://www.aerolistphoto.com/images/wa/tacoma/2005/WATAh050322D_009.jpg


Downtown looking S. The Tacoma Dome (http://www.tacomadome.org/) is one the major venues in the region attracting many of the big indoor events & concerts in the Seattle area. A lightrail line links downtown with Tacoma Dome station where it links with Amtrak & the Sounder commuter rail to Auburn, Kent, & Seattle:

http://www.aerolistphoto.com/images/wa/tacoma/2003/WATAh030703D_183.jpg

Lightrail map:

http://www.djc.com/stories/images/20010920/tacomalink.jpg


Downtown & the Port of Tacoma (http://www.portoftacoma.com) looking E. The Port of Tacoma is one of the largest ports in the U.S.:

http://www.aerolistphoto.com/images/wa/tacoma/2005/WATAh050322D_018.jpg


Overview of the port looking SE. The glacial Puyallup River dumps silt into Commencement Bay. Mt. Rainier (& the Puyallup Glacier where the river originates) is in top right corner:

http://www.aerolistphoto.com/images/wa/tacoma/2003/WATAh030722D_004.jpg

Looking W.

http://www.aerolistphoto.com/images/wa/edgewood_milton/2004/WAMLh040628D_016.jpg


From South Tacoma looking N. up Puget Sound with Seattle visible in distance (below Mt.). Vashon & Maury Islands in the sound & Mt. Baker visable off in distance. Sea-Tac (Seattle-Tacoma International Airport) is visable above the 'c' in 'Inc.'

http://www.aerolistphoto.com/images/wa/tacoma/2002/tah2002_056.jpg


Tacoma, looking N. The Tacoma Narrows Bridge on left. Point Defiance Park is the big green park on the tip of the point. Tacoma's zoo & aquariam are located there.

http://www.aerolistphoto.com/images/wa/tacoma/2002/tah2002_055.jpg


Point Defiance Park:

http://www.aerolistphoto.com/images/wa/gig_harbor/2005/WAGHh050419D_035.jpg

http://www.aerolistphoto.com/images/wa/tacoma/2002/tah2002_047.jpg

Tacoma Mall & Tacoma's primary retail district three miles SW of downtown. The opening of the mall killed downtown which is just now turning around. Puyallup Valley & Mt. Rainier in distance.

http://www.aerolistphoto.com/images/wa/tacoma/2005/WATAh050322D_043.jpg

Mall district, looking W. South Puget Sound, islands, & coast range hills & mountains in distance:

http://www.aerolistphoto.com/images/wa/tacoma/2005/WATAh050322D_036.jpg


NW Tacoma:

http://www.aerolistphoto.com/images/wa/fircrest_university_place/2002/fih2002_005.jpg

Ruston. Point Defiance Zoo & Aquariam (http://www.pdza.org/) on right. Ferry to Vashon Island to the left of park along waterfont:

http://www.aerolistphoto.com/images/wa/tacoma/2003/WATAh030721D_088.jpg


Pearl District, Old Tacoma, University of Puget Sound:

http://www.aerolistphoto.com/images/wa/tacoma/2003/WATAh030721D_076.jpg


University Place, Tacoma's suburbs to the SW:

http://www.aerolistphoto.com/images/wa/fircrest_university_place/2003/WAFIh030721D_039.jpg

The Tacoma Narrows Bridge links the Kitsap Peninsula & many of the populated areas of the Olympia Peninsula with Tacoma, Seattle, & other places on the east side of Puget Sound without taking a ferry. A second span (http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=102595) is currently under construction.

http://www.aerolistphoto.com/images/wa/fircrest_university_place/2004/WAFIh041027D_014.jpg

http://www.aerolistphoto.com/images/wa/gig_harbor/2004/WAGHh040722D_063.jpg

Tacoma Narrows, & Gig Harbor, an upscale Tacoma suburb across the bridge:

http://www.aerolistphoto.com/images/wa/fircrest_university_place/2003/WAFIh030721D_044.jpg


Gig Harbor:

http://www.aerolistphoto.com/images/wa/gig_harbor/2004/WAGHh040721D_027.jpg


Lakewood, Tacoma's suburb to the S:

http://www.aerolistphoto.com/images/wa/lakewood_mcchord/2004/WALAh040810D_130.jpg

McChord Air Force Base & Ft. Lewis are adjacent to Lakewood. Spanaway, Parkland, & Pacific Lutheran University beyond the AFB:

http://www.aerolistphoto.com/images/wa/lakewood_mcchord/2004/WALAh040810D_121.jpg


Historic Steilacoom:

http://www.aerolistphoto.com/images/wa/steilacoom/2003/WASMh030721D_013.jpg

http://www.aerolistphoto.com/images/wa/steilacoom/2003/WASMh030721D_005.jpg


NE Tacoma (Dash Point, Browns Point):

http://www.aerolistphoto.com/images/wa/tacoma/2004/WATAh040617D_113.jpg

http://www.aerolistphoto.com/images/wa/tacoma/2004/WATAh040617D_130.jpg


NE Tacoma, Fife, Milton, & Federal Way:

http://www.aerolistphoto.com/images/wa/edgewood_milton/2004/WAMLh040628D_025.jpg


Puyallup, home of the Puyallup Fair, the most popular and defacto state fair of the state of Washington. Fairgrounds on left next to the freeway above where it elbows left off the screen. Tacoma & South Sound in distance:

http://www.aerolistphoto.com/images/wa/puyallup/2004/WAPUh040628D_133.jpg


South Hill is one of the fastest growing areas in the state. Looking NW towards Tacoma. Olympic Mtns in distance:

http://www.aerolistphoto.com/images/wa/puyallup/2005/WAPUh050322D_027.jpg

http://www.aerolistphoto.com/images/wa/puyallup/2004/WAPUh040616D_003.jpg

Fascinating! Tacoma has got to be the most interesting and complex city in Washington.

I love tacoma, my uncle lives there

It's like our own little Midwestern post-industrial city!

Which makes its revival all the more fascinating. And what a revival it is -- half-emptiness is turning into some really nice urbanity, and there's impressive momentum.

With its excellent surrounding & proximity to Seattle, it was bound to turn around eventually, at least the sweet, classic neighborhoods of NW & NE Tacoma anyway. With over a million people within 20 miles of downtown Tacoma, it just makes since for a center to form somewhere. What better place with core city infrastructure & services but with cheap, classic buildings that could be renovated. My only complaint is that the port is a little too ugly & it would be nice to see more development on the east of Foss Waterway in the future that would partially block out the port. I think condos on the eastside would have the better view anyway with a view of downtown, the court house, Glass Museum, etc.

Also, when is the Le May Museum going to be built? It would also be nice to see someone snag an NHL team while they are cheap & buy & renovate the Tacoma Dome to house the team.

Once again cool pics Sounder. I was there two year ago, Museum of Glass Rocks, like the outdoor Dale Chichuly glass exhibits, Hopefully as what Sounder wrote that the development around the Waterway expands.

Here are three recent articles on Tacoma:

Downtown Tacoma: the ordinary and extraordinary (http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/outdoors/2002344527_nwwdowntown23.html)

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/ABPub/2005/06/20/2002342226.jpg

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/ABPub/2005/06/20/2002342231.jpg

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/ABPub/2005/06/21/2002343322.gif


Point Defiance Park: Oasis in city has it all (http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/outdoors/2002344538_nwwpointdefiance23.html)

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/ABPub/2005/06/20/2002342142.jpg

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/ABPub/2005/06/21/2002343353.gif


Old Town Tacoma: "Hidden gem" of city traces its history, blending old and new (http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/outdoors/2002344552_tacomaoldtown23.html)

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/ABPub/2005/06/20/2002342179.jpg

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/ABPub/2005/06/21/2002343328.gif