Tacoma

Port in Washington State, USA, on Puget Sound, 250 km/156 mi from the Pacific Ocean, 40 km/25 mi south of Seattle; population (2000) 193,600. It is a lumber and shipping centre, with fishing and boat-building industries. Aluminium- and copper-smelting plants are sited here, and chemicals, forest products, and processed foods are manufactured.

Founded in 1868, the city developed from a sawmilling settlement after being chosen as the terminus of the North Pacific Railroad in 1873.

Educational and cultural institutions include the University of Puget Sound, the Pacific Lutheran University, the Washington State Historical Museum, and the Tacoma Art Museum. Mount Rainier National Park lies nearby.

The site of Tacoma was first occupied by Fort Nisqually, a fur-trading post of the Hudson Bay Company.