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Tacoma: The Major Pacific Northwest City That Never Was
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Mar 31, 2025
Did you know that Tacoma, Washington was once destined to become Washington's major city? It's true! Before Seattle really got on a roll, Tacoma appeared to have everything going for it, including being the terminus of the Northern Pacific Railway, one of the very few transcontinental railways at the time. Unfortunately for Tacoma, it never ended up becoming the city its founders originally envisioned. And this has a lot to do with the decisions the city made throughout history.
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Have you ever heard of Tacoma, Washington
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You'll be surprised to learn that it was once destined to become the biggest city in Washington state
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outshining even Seattle. But then, through a series of unfortunate decisions and strong competition by neighboring Seattle
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the city faded into obscurity. So what went wrong with Tacoma, and how did it lose its momentum
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As usual, it all starts with the unique geography of Washington and the Puget Sound
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The Puget Sound region is one of the most geographically interesting regions in the
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United States. Shaped by the advance and retreat of massive glaciers during the last ice age
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the retreat of ice carved out the deep channels that define what the Puget Sound looks like today
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And because it's such a large body of water, let's start with that
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The Puget Sound is a complex system of interconnected marine waterways located in
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northwestern part of Washington state, forming a major inland extension of the Pacific Ocean
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It's a gigantic fjord with a deep, irregularly shaped basin filled with saltwater from the
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Pacific via the Strait of Juan de Fuca. And the Puget Sound is huge. Altogether, the sound
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stretches about 100 miles from Deception Pass in the north to Olympia in the south
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with numerous branches and channels extending into the surrounding landscape. It has an average
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depths of about 450 feet, but can reach depths of over 900 feet in some areas. Now, the entire
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region itself is really more of a large estuary, where freshwater from numerous rivers meets the
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saltwater of the Pacific Ocean. The largest river feeding the Sound is the mighty Skagit River
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followed by the Snohomish, Pualup, and Niskeli rivers, among many more. The abundance of
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freshwater contributed to the fertility of the lowlands, making parts of the region ideal for
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agriculture despite the hilly terrain and dense forests that characterize much of western
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Washington. Surrounding it all are two massive mountain ranges, the Olympic Mountains to the west
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and the Cascades to the east. The Olympic Mountains create a significant rain shadow effect
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resulting in drier conditions for areas like Squim and the San Juan Islands, while Seattle
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and Tacoma receive heavy rainfall. Finally, forests dominate the Puget Sound landscape
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with vast tracts of Douglas fir, western red cedar, and hemlock stretching across the region
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Because of this, timber was one of the earliest economic drivers, as the towering old-growth forests provided a seemingly endless supply of lumber for both local use and export
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Of course, the Puget Sound's geography is also affected by tectonic activity
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The region sits atop the Cascadia subduction zone, a fault system capable of producing massive earthquakes
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The movement of tectonic plates has shaped the landscape over millennia, contributing to the formation of the region's many hills, valleys, and basins
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Earthquakes, landslides, and volcanic activity, particularly from Mount Rainier, are persistent threats that have shaped both the natural and human history of the area
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With its combination of navigable waterways, abundant forests, and strategic geographic position, the Puget Sound became a prime location for settlement, and this manifested in the
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first incorporated city in Washington, Stilicum, a small town just outside of Tacoma
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Washington State's history is deeply intertwined with the economic opportunities and natural resources that shaped its cities
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And of course, prior to European arrival, indigenous groups such as the Coast Salish
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Duwamish, Pualup, and Suquamish thrived in the region, relying on the abundant fisheries
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particularly salmon, and the rich forests for sustenance and trade. This geography of natural resources would directly influence early human settlements
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as areas with abundant water and natural harbors were far more favorable for people and trade
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The Cascades, on the other hand, served as a formidable natural barrier, limiting overland access to the interior regions
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But the arrival of European explorers in the late 1700s marked the beginning of significant change for the indigenous people and the region at large
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British and American fur traders, including those from the Hudson's Bay Company, established trading posts to capitalize on the region's vast supply of animal pelts
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By the mid-1800s, the Oregon Trail and the promise of land grants encouraged settlers to move westward
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leading to those same indigenous groups losing their land and livelihoods. As Washington Territory was formally established in 1853, its economic focus revolved around its natural resources
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Logging became a dominant industry, with vast tracts of old-growth forests fueling timber mills that supplied lumber to cities across the country
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This industry was particularly important in shaping the development of settlements along the Puget Sound
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where the deep harbors provided easy access for exporting that same timber
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It was during this time that Tacoma and Seattle emerged as key cities
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benefiting from their access to the timber industry. More to that point, Tacoma was initially favored due to its selection as the terminus of the Northern Pacific Railroad
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another transcontinental railroad. As with most other parts of the country in the 1800s, the railroad played a crucial role in shaping the fortunes of both Tacoma and Seattle
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And when the Northern Pacific Railroad, the Transcontinental Railway in the North, selected Tacoma as its terminus in the 1870s
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it seemed destined to become the dominant city of the region, because Seattle wouldn't be connected
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Not to be left out, however, Seattle's business leaders aggressively pursued rail connections of its own
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culminating in a transcontinental link that going to become important later in this story This battle of the rails would ultimately define much of the rivalry between the two cities During the late 1800s both Tacoma and Seattle grew rapidly
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as each city tried to outcompete the other for economy, resources, and population
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In fact, at one point, it looked as if Washington State would have two large
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prominent cities to call its own. But then, something happened. Seattle continued to grow, but Tacoma stalled completely
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So what happened? As both cities grew in the mid-1800s, the railroad would play a crucial role in the power struggle between both cities
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Despite Tacoma being designated as the Northern Pacific's Western Terminus in 1873
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the completion of the transcontinental connection to St. Paul and Chicago was delayed until 1881
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This delay bought Seattle the time it needed to ensure Tacoma wouldn't surpass it
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And worried that Tacoma would dominate regional trade, Seattle spent that time fighting for greater rail access and eventually succeeded
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getting connected to the transcontinental rail system in 1884, only three years after Tacoma was officially connected
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The economic depression of 1893 further weakened Tacoma's standing. The Northern Pacific went bankrupt, leading to years of instability
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lawsuits, and corporate battles that weakened Tacoma's role as a railway hub
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Of course, one of the most pivotal moments in this shift was the Klondike Gold Rush of 1897
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The discovery of gold in the Yukon Territory set off a frenzied migration of tens of thousands
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of prospectors eager to strike it rich. The first ship carrying gold from the Klondike
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the Portland, not to be confused with the city, arrived in Seattle on July 17, 1897
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carrying over a ton of gold and capturing the attention of the entire continent
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Seattle, led by the efforts of journalist Erastus Brainerd, immediately launched an aggressive publicity campaign positioning itself as the gateway to Alaska
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This branding effort was wildly successful, drawing miners, suppliers, and businesses to Seattle instead of Tacoma
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Other cities, such as Portland and San Francisco, tried to get in on the action as well
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But Seattle's early efforts, effective marketing, and relative proximity to Alaska ensured it dominated the Klondike trade
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Tacoma, by contrast, was slow to react to the Klondike gold rush
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In fact, local newspapers downplayed the rush, cautioning people against risking everything for distant gold fields
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When Tacoma finally realized the potential economic windfall, it was already too late
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Seattle had become synonymous with the Klondike, and Tacoma's efforts to attract businesses were lackluster
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The situation was further complicated by a deeply divided mayoral election in Tacoma at the time
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which led to a bizarre situation where two competing city governments claimed legitimacy
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and the Tacoma Chamber of Commerce during the time fractured over disagreements on how to promote the city for the gold rush
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Ultimately, the disorganization and slow response meant that Tacoma missed out on a transformational
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economic boom that lifted Seattle out of the economic depression of the 1890s and permanently
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positioned it as the region's dominant city. In the aftermath of the gold rush, the Northern Pacific and other railroad companies shifted
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their focus towards Seattle culminating in the construction of King Street Station in 1906 By then Seattle had overtaken Tacoma as the main rail hub of the Pacific Northwest And by 1910 Seattle was home to nearly 240 people
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while Tacoma had a population of just over 80,000. It's at this point that the rivalry between the
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two cities was effectively over. Seattle's success was sealed. But that's not to say Tacoma couldn't
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have still grown into a prominent city on the south end of the Puget Sound. In fact, Tacoma could
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have easily become the Pacific Northwest's second city, which would ultimately go to Portland
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had the city made some different decisions, namely in how it handled its port and trade
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Before the advent of modern highways and freeways, maritime trade was the primary means of transporting
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goods. Seattle, being the first major port encountered when entering the Puget Sound
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naturally attracted more shipping traffic. Tacoma had to compensate for its secondary position
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which led to a more conservative labor climate. While Seattle's longshoremen were part of the more progressive
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International Longshore and Warehouse Union, Tacoma's port workers remained affiliated with the less worker-friendly
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International Longshore Association. This occasionally worked to Tacoma's advantage, particularly during periods of labor unrest in Seattle
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But it also meant that Tacoma's port did not grow as aggressively as Seattle's
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largely due to fewer port workers wanting to work under worse conditions than in Seattle
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Going back to Portland, at one point Tacoma could have grown larger than the Oregon City
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It had a large port. It was in an economically valuable area
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It had all of the right ingredients. And Portland, while being older than either Seattle or Tacoma
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faced huge issues with its own port. Namely, that it was 100 miles inland and getting through the Columbia River Bar
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was an incredibly dangerous journey. To this day, it is still referred to as the graveyard of the Pacific
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But Portland did have one key advantage, direct access to the Willamette Valley
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one of the most agriculturally productive regions in the world. Tacoma did not have the same access to agriculture
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and simply couldn't grow in the same way as Portland, thus needing to compete directly with Seattle
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By the mid-20th century, Seattle had further solidified its dominance in both the state
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and the Pacific Northwest at large. In the early 1900s, Boeing would be founded
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which would help design and manufacture the U.S. military's planes during World War II
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This would ultimately lead to Seattle becoming the home of the aeronautics industry in the entire country
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It also managed to become the home to many other major corporations through the decades
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such as Microsoft, Amazon, and Starbucks, all of which would make Seattle, not Tacoma
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the cultural and economic center of Washington. Today, both cities are part of the larger Seattle metropolitan area with just over 4 million people
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But Seattle would far and away be the dominant city within the metro region with 755,000 people
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Meanwhile, Tacoma, just 20 miles south of Seattle, is home to only about 222,000 people
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Go visit Tacoma if you ever get a chance. As someone from the Pacific Northwest, I can tell you it is a very rad city
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Speaking of rad cities, this week I'm exploring the town of Beppu in Japan, also known as
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Japan's steamiest city. If you want, you can check that out over on my other channel
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I hope you enjoyed learning all about Tacoma, Washington. If you did, please like the video and subscribe to the channel
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And be sure to check out this video all about why it's become so hard to live on the west
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coast of the United States. Thanks for watching, see you next time
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