Tacoma is an urban midsized city approximately 30 miles south of the city of Seattle. Seattle tends to be the main attraction to the state of Washington to newcomers and visitors mainly due to its booming economic growth and beautiful green natural surroundings as well as landscape of mountains and water views surrounding the city. Its multi-ethnic demographics, many cultural activities, and liberal politics encourage ethnic diversity thereby attracting a lot of minorities to migrate to the city as well. However, Tacoma also has a fair amount of minority residents. In fact, according to city demographics, the city is considered a melting pot consisting mainly of low-income, foreign-language-speaking urban singles. There are also many veterans that live in Tacoma. The median income for residents here are $48,000 a year compared the state’s median income of $56,000 per year. However, the city does have some worthwhile attractions that outdoors and indoors recreational places that can be enjoyed for both who reside in the city as well as those visiting the state. It also has a decent transportation system to get around the city through the buses with a multitude of routes to get around. Some of the main attractions are discussed in this paper.
The city’s most popular outdoor spots is Defiance Point Park – a park of more than 700 acres with a lot of different interesting sites to see and many activities available that will have something for everyone to enjoy. For outdoor enthusiasts who may enjoy a hike in the park or walk on the beach as well as relaxing on many available green outdoor spaces, Defiance Point Park offers a lot of greenery that can be seen through travel by foot or by car. The park has a Five Mile Drive and Hiking Trails that has paved paths and stopping points where you can take in the views of the water, surrounding islands, mountains, and the Narrow Bridge, through a drive or by walking along the paved paths. The five miles are surrounded with greenery as they are bordered by heavily wooded areas for a nice relaxing walk while enjoying the natural scenery. The path also offers smaller paths along the way that allows you to go in and out of the main path to enjoy a walk on the beach. Owen Beach can be accessed through the path along the Five Mile Drive at the entrance of the park. Once you get to the beach from the main path, you can walk along the beach or rent a kayak and enjoy paddling a kayak down the Puget Sound from the beach where you can get a view of Vashon Island, Gig Harbor, and Commencement Bay. For families, there are picnic tables and covered picnic areas to enjoy a relaxing family time along the beach. The Japanese Gardens is also easily accessible at the entrance of the park where you enjoy a view of the Japanese garden of pools, a waterfall, a bridge, and nicely landscaped flowers and trees. At the center of the garden is the Pagoda, an Asian temple like structure built in 1914. Point Defiance Park also features a Rose Garden which was established in 1895. The garden includes an acre of rose gardens with miniature roses, climbing roses, a picturesque wishing well, and a gazebo. The garden’s scenic surrounding is ideal for weddings. One of the main attractions for families at Point Defiance Park is the Zoo and Aquarium combination that the park offers 29 acres of the zoo and aquarium housing over 367 animal species. The zoo was founded in 1905; the aquarium was founded in 1935 near Commencement Bay and relocated within the zoo in 1963. For outdoor activities for individuals and for families, the Defiance Point Park offers many points of interest to appeal to the masses. Because the weather in the northwest promises more rain than sunshine, there are sufficient indoor activities and attractions to