The city of Tacoma, Washington is a port city situated on the Puget Sound. This city of nearly 200,000 inhabitants serves as the seat for Pierce County. The city of Tacoma sits roughly 51 km southwest of Seattle City and 50 km northeast of the state capital of Olympia. Tacoma is the 3rd largest city in Washington State and the center of business activity for the South Sound area.
The city gets its name "Tacoma" from the nearby Mount Tacoma, now Mount Ranier, that is located nearly 93 km southeast of the city. The city was nicknamed the "City of Destiny", when it served as the site for the late 19th century Northern Pacific Railroad's western terminus. The city of Tacoma was chosen as the terminus because of its closeness to Commencement Bay, a deep-water harbor. The idea was to connect the railroad along with the shipping vessels utilizing the bay. At present the big Port of Tacoma is one of the busiest centers of international trade on the Pacific Coast. Currently, it is the 6th largest shipping port in North America. The container port activities offer a large number of jobs for the inhabitants of the region.
Commencement Bay was originally the home of the Nisqually and Puyallup tribes. European-Americans were attracted to the region due to the vast lumber resources located here. The original saw mill was established in the year 1852, and many mills were built in the latter half of the century.
These days, the local economy is made up of many high-tech companies. There are major economic players involved in manufacturing, agriculture and forest products, healthcare, professional services and financial services. Companies within the city of Tacoma offer automated fingerprints and radio frequency identification, Internet and computer services as well as satellite imaging. The area is a main producer of flower bulbs. Tourism is also important to the economy. The presence of the Fort Lewis Army Post and the McChord US Air Force Base has a significant impact on the region.
Tacoma participates with Sumner, Orting and Puyallup in hosting the yearly Daffodil Parade during April. The Tacoma farmers' market is held each Thursday during the summertime in the Theatre District. Smaller farmers markets are held along Sixth Avenue and in South Tacoma. Fort Nisqually is a tourist attraction where visitors can watch historical reenactments. Less than 2 hours away is the Mount Ranier National Park.