Tacoma (population around 198,400) is a port city situated on Puget Sound within the state of Washington. It serves as the county seat of Pierce County. Tacoma is 51 km southwest of Seattle and fifty km northeast of Olympia, the state capital of Washington. The city of Tacoma is the third largest city within the state of Washington and the business activity center for the South Sound area.
The city gets its name "Tacoma" from the nearby Mount Tacoma, currently Mount Ranier, which is located almost 93 km southeast of the city. The city was dubbed the "City of Destiny", when it served as the location for the late 19th century Northern Pacific Railroad's western terminus. Tacoma was chosen as the terminus due to its closeness to a deep-water harbor, Commencement Bay. The idea was to connect the railroad along with the shipping vessels utilizing the bay. At present the huge Port of Tacoma is among the busiest centers of international trade on the Pacific Coast. Currently, it is the 6th biggest shipping port within North America. The container port activities provide a large number of jobs for the residents of the region.
Commencement Bay was originally the home of the Nisqually and Puyallup tribes. European-Americans were drawn to the region due to the vast lumber resources located here. The very first saw mill was established during the year 1852, and many mills were built in the latter half of the century.
These days, the local economy is made up of various high-tech companies. There are major economic players involved in manufacturing, agriculture and forest products, healthcare, professional services and financial services. Tacoma businesses provide computer and Internet services, radio frequency and automated fingerprints identification systems and satellite imaging. The region is a major manufacturer of flower bulbs. Tourism is also essential to the economy. The presence of the Fort Lewis Army Post and the McChord US Air Force Base has a major effect on the region.
During the month of April, the city of Tacoma hosts the annual Daffodil Parade along with the city's of Orting, Puyallup and Sumner. The city's farmers' Market is held on Thursdays throughout the summer months. Smaller farmers markets are held along Sixth Avenue and within South Tacoma. Fort Nisqually is a tourist attraction where visitors could watch historical reenactments. Mount Rainier National Park is less than 2 hours away.