In its gemlike setting on Puget Sound, midway between Seattle and Olympia, Tacoma maintains its wood and paper industries and its shipping traditions. Its harbor is a port of call for merchant vessels plying the oceans of the world. Backed by timber, shipping facilities, and low-cost water and power, more than 500 industries produce lumber, plywood, paper, millwork, furniture, foodstuffs, beverages, chemicals, and clothing. Major railroad and shipbuilding yards are also located here. Healthcare is a major employer, and the high-tech industry continues to grow rapidly. The nearest metropolitan center to Mount Rainier National Park, Tacoma is a base for trips to Olympic National Park and Puget Sound. Mild weather keeps parks and gardens green throughout the year.

In 1833, the Hudson's Bay Company built its second post (Fort Nisqually) on the North Pacific Coast in the forest, 18 miles south of the present site of Tacoma. In 1841, Charles Wilkes, commander of a US expedition, began a survey of Puget Sound from this point and named the bay around which Tacoma is built Commencement Bay. When the rails of the Northern Pacific reached tidewater here late in 1873, they sparked the industrial growth of the city.