I'm thinking of moving to Olympia or Tacoma

[tavalon]

Any of you who live there, talk to me about the good, the bed the ugly. How Republican are these areas. Remember I'm moving from the bluest of the blue.

Anyway, I don't just want the political side. Wow me or disturb me.

[maxsolomon]

1. yeas & nays:

nay:
the aroma of the paper mills
the dearth of "elitist" culture (farmer's markets, ballet, symphony, rock concerts)
the military bases (air force, army)

neutral:
more "blue collar real american" than seattle

yea:
olympia's indie rock & reed college hippie culture
the proximity of the olympic peninsula
the proximity of mt. rainier/crystal mtn. ski area
1/2 hr. from tacoma to seattle if traffic's good
homes with pretty views are more affordable

[quiller4]

4. Both downtown Tacoma and downtown Olympia have Farmer's Markets as well

as several smaller farmer's markets in Tacoma's Proctor Neighborhood and in Puyallup. If you are still talking about pulp mill smell, then you haven't been in town in years. As far as Senate and Congress are concerned Tacoma and Olympia are solidly Democratic but there are districts that are represented by Republicans at the state level (parts of Lakewood, University Place, Puyallup, Graham, Roy, Lacey) but those districts lie outside the city limits of either Tacoma or Olympia.

I live quite near Lewis/McChord and don't consider that a real negative. Madigan Hospital is a level II trauma center with a heliport and I consider that a big plus.

Reed College is in Portland, OR. Perhaps you meant Evergreen College in Olympia?

Higher Ed is a plus in Tacoma with the presence of a large University of Washington campus, University of Puget Sound and Pacific Lutheran University. There are also 2 technical colleges, Bates and Clover Park, and 2 community colleges each with multiples campuses.

Many of the major concert tours make a stop at the Tacoma Dome. Tacoma also supports a professional ballet company and symphony. The major professional theatre company, TAG, folded but both UPS and PLU have good theatre and music departments and their productions are open to the public. Tacoma also has developed a network of smaller night spots featuring jazz, indie rock and blues artists mostly along Sixth Avenue and almost all the small clubs opened within the last 5 years.

Major employers include: Franciscan Healthcare (St. Joseph Hospital in Tacoma and St. Clare in Lakewood), Multicare (Tacoma General, Allenmore and Mary Bridge Childrens Hospital in Tacoma and Good Samaritan in Puyallup), Group Health Cooperative (multiple locations in both Tacoma and Olympia)Lewis/McChord, Milgard Manufacturing, Pacific Lutheran University, United Parcel Service, SuperValu, Davita, Comcast, Safeway, Fred Meyer and The Puyallup Tribe (1 large casino/club and another casina/hotel). All listed employ at least 500 in Pierce County. The hospital complexes emply 3,000-5,000. There are an additional 7,000-8,000 civilian jobs associated with the combined military base, military hospital, national guard headquarters and veterans' hospital complexes.

Tacoma has blue collar roots and has the 4th highest union density of any county in the nation. It isn't the mill town it once was but most government, education and hospital employees are represented. Both Tacoma and Olympia are port cities.

A previous poster mentioned skiing. Sailing is popular in both areas. There are good marinas in both Tacoma and Olympia and regular sailing races almost 6 months out of the year. Both Tacoma and Olympia have public waterfront parks and fishing piers, too.

Amtrak serves both Tacoma and Olympia. It is easy to make a carless journey to Vancouver BC or Portland. Train service has nearly doubled in the last year.

[Name removed]

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[ConsAreLiars]

3. Olympia has

Evergreen State College and all the vibrancy that a progressive college generates. Tacoma has a great zoo and park. Olympia has EZ access to pressuring the politicians and an an hour or two drive from scenic wonders (add 45-60 mins if in Tacoma). Sadly, Tacoma is a city being murdered by job loss. I live in and am very happy with Seattle, so this is a view from neither city. Maybe those who live in those two cities can be more helpful.

(edit some substance as well as usual typos)

[quiller4]

5. I live in Tacoma and I wouldn't say we've been "murdered" by job loss

Like many other areas are and will continue to lose manufacturing jobs but health care is expanding and has been throughout the downturn.

We are losing one major employer (-1,200 employees), Russell Investments, but we've gained more medical jobs (+2,800)in the last 18 months than we will lose with Russell's re-location.

It made headlines when Expedia announced the closure of their Tacoma call center but not when Franciscan hired twice that many people to staff their new hospital in Gig Harbor. Multicare is also opening a peninsula medical center that will initially employ 250-300.

Many fields are tight but a PT, OT, LPN or RN could choose between competing offers. Two hospitals are paying a bounty to their employees who recruit new nurses.