What is it really like living on Tacoma’s Eastside day to day? In this post we went right to the source, folks who have been living on the Eastside for decades to find out what they think about their community. We get into vibe and feel of the neighborhoods, where they shop and hang out, the parks and community features, the sense of community, and how much it costs to live there. This neighborhood gets skipped online (and in online forums asking about Moving to Tacoma) and here we get into what people are missing when they skip it.
Where is the Eastside Neighborhood of Tacoma?
The Eastside of Tacoma is located across I-5 from Downtown Tacoma to the Southeast. The Eastside is one of Tacoma’s most affordable neighborhoods. East Tacoma is one of the most convenient neighborhoods in Tacoma for commuters due to its proximity to I-5 and Highway 512.
What areas and subareas make up the Eastside?
The Eastside is just south of Downtown Tacoma and is next to (and sometimes combined with) Tacoma’s South End Neighborhood and Lincoln District. Broadly, the Eastside is Highway 7 to the West, Swan Creek the East, I-5 to the North, and 72nd Street to the South.
McKinley is on Tacoma’s Eastside. The neighborhood is between Portland and Pacific Avenue and from South 38th Street until about 64th Street. Historically a town called Bismark centered around 64th & McKinley Ave was an important part of Tacoma’s logging history and growth. While the area is now the McKinley you can still see the town’s commercial center and former mills while driving on Mckinley.
McKinley Hill Business District
The McKinley Hill Business District along McKinley Ave. offers a lively mix of bars and restaurants and is considered a vibrant area of Tacoma. Stanley & Seaforts, Top of Tacoma, Dusty’s Hideaway, and Fergie’s on the Ave are all located here.
How much does it cost to live on Tacoma’s Eastside?
The median home sale price on the Eastside is currently $430,000. You can see the last 10 years of price appreciation in the graph from the Northwest Multiple Listing Service above. This is less than the median for the entire City of Tacoma ($500,000) and for all of Pierce County ($550,000).
As you can see by and large over the decade the rate of appreciation has more or less mirrored the broader area with some exceptions in both directions (higher than average and lower than average demand) during periods that were stronger and weaker buyers or sellers markets across the county. The Eastside’s affordability means it is always in strong demand for buyers entering the housing market for the first time.
What is it like commuting when you live on the Eastside?
One of the Eastside’s better features is how well connected it is to the city and to the region at large. Melo and Marguerite got into this in the video. The Eastside sits right up against I-5 and Highway 512, and it’s only about five to ten minutes from Tacoma Dome Station, which is the transit hub for the whole South Sound. If you’re semi car-free or working on being car-free, that’s good info to have!
A few rough drive times (depending on time of day) from the Eastside:
- Downtown Seattle: 40 to 60 minutes depending on traffic
- Sea-Tac Airport: 30 to 40 minutes
- Tacoma Dome Station: 5 to 10 minutes
And from Tacoma Dome Station you can get a lot further than you may think. The Sounder train runs north to Seattle, and Amtrak connects you to Vancouver BC to the north or Portland and Los Angeles to the south.
What do the neighbors like about living on the Eastside?
Tacoma real estate agent and MovetoTacoma.com creator Marguerite Martin has interviewed many Eastsiders over the years for this website, most recently Silong Chhun and Melo Hogan. Silong is a lifelong resident of the Eastside and Melo moved here 17 years ago. Check out these in depth interviews with them (and their neighbors!) below to learn more about what it’s really like living on the Eastside from the people who actually live there.
Silong Chhun – Lifelong Eastside Resident
Silong Chhun moved to Tacoma as a two-year-old Cambodian refugee. In this interview on the Move to Tacoma Podcast Silong recounts his upbringing on the Eastside. Tacoma’s Eastside is a place of deep community and cultural richness. He shares memories of growing up in low-income housing, where families relied on each other for support, and highlights the role of places like Tacoma Community House in helping refugees adapt.
Despite challenges, Silong emphasizes the strong sense of belonging and the vibrant mix of immigrant-owned businesses, food spots, and community gatherings that define the area. He discusses how the Eastside has evolved, noting improvements like Swan Creek Park’s development while acknowledging ongoing struggles with disinvestment. Silong reflects on the neighborhood’s resilience, where residents historically relied on each other rather than institutions, and how this fostered a unique, self-sufficient culture.
In the video Silong also addresses gentrification concerns, stressing the need for economic opportunities without displacing long-time residents, and celebrates the area’s diversity, from its multilingual grocery stores to its weekend swap meets. Silong invites listeners to engage with his community and explore Tacoma’s Eastside. Whether for its hiking trails, thrift stores, or some of Tacoma’s best Mexican food. He underscores the importance of knowing your neighbors and supporting local businesses, sharing his vision for a thriving but authentic Eastside.
Melo Hogan – Living on Tacoma’s Eastside and Bumping into the Neighbors
The Eastside is one of the most underrated neighborhoods in Tacoma, Washington. In this video, MoveToTacoma.com creator Marguerite Martin spends a spring day walking (and driving!) the Eastside with longtime resident and real estate agent Melo Hogan, who has lived here since 2008.
They hit the McKinley Business District, drive down a genuinely ridiculous hill, visit a community garden with a Mountain view, bump into one of Melo’s clients on the sidewalk, and end up at Dusty’s Hideaway talking about why this neighborhood gets skipped online and what people are missing when they skip it.
They also bump into various neighbors while out walking and learn what they love about their neighborhood as well.
Is the Eastside of Tacoma safe?
One of the most-asked questions about the Eastside both to real estate agents and in internet forums around Tacoma is about safety. Protip, if you want 100 conflicting comments on your facebook post ask this question to the general public. The Eastside has historically seen less public and private investment than some of Tacoma’s wealthier neighborhoods. See Tacoma’s history of redlining that is the same old story of racism in American cities. That shows up in the kinds of measures people look at when they Google “safe neighborhoods.”
It also shows up (as Silong talked about in his interview above) in a long history of the community taking care of its own. Neighbors who know each other, multi-generational families on the same block, small businesses where the owner knows your name. Melo talks about bumping into clients and neighbors on the sidewalk on a regular Tuesday. What’s important to understand about what they’re talking about is that you have to LIVE IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD to know these kinds of things. Many people in Tacoma (with little or no first hand experience of living on the Eastside) responding to comments in internet forums cannot know things like that.
Every neighborhood in Tacoma, including the most expensive ones, has property crime. Buyers who want a look at specifics can check the Tacoma Police Department’s public crime dashboard for any address they’re considering. But if the underlying question is whether the Eastside is a neighborhood where people know each other and look out for each other, the residents in these interviews answer that one pretty clearly.
What are the schools on the Eastside?
The Eastside of Tacoma is served by the Tacoma School District.
The elementary schools are Roosevelt, Lister, Blix, Sheridan, and Boze, with Lyon and Fawcett on the edges depending on where you live within the boundary. Also, we hope it goes without saying that these maps change all the time so click the map to go directly to the Tacoma Public School’s current version and always double check directly with the district!
The Eastside’s Middle school is primarily First Creek. The Eastside’s High school is primarily Lincoln, though Industrial Design Engineering and Art HS (IDEA) is physically on the Eastside near 72nd. Also, since TPS has open enrollment Eastside High Schoolers also attend schools like SAMI & IDEA.
Eastside resident Melo talked with Marguerite where she describes how her kids went to different schools because of open enrollment:
In this excerpt Melo shares about her children’s experience in the local schools, talking about Tacoma Public Schools open enrollment policy and how her different children chose different paths.
If you’re interested to learn more about Tacoma Public Schools check out the interview Marguerite at Move to Tacoma did with Tanisha Jumper. You can hear an excerpt here:
The conversation delves into the nuances of public school funding, the vibrancy and diversity of Tacoma Public Schools, and a focus on the transformative work being undertaken within Tacoma Public Schools. Listen to the full episode on Itunes, Spotify, or right here.
Here’s a summary of the key points:
- Whole Child Approach: TPS emphasizes the Whole Child Initiative. WCI has received national and international recognition for supporting students’ mental health. It creates welcoming, supportive school environments.
- Clubs and Supportive Environment: The district hosts a variety of clubs for students. This includes the Black Student Unions, API (Asian Pacific Islander) clubs, trans clubs, and ally clubs across its high schools. These clubs reflect TPS’s commitment to creating spaces where students’ identities, cultural backgrounds, and historical backgrounds are acknowledged and celebrated. Curriculum
- Standards and Transparency: The curriculum in Tacoma Public Schools aligns with the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) standards for Washington State. This ensures that there is no restriction on teaching about America’s history of racism or LGBTQ+ rights. Tanisha emphasizes that the district is transparent about its curriculum. The curriculum taught in Tacoma Schools is designed to reflect historical accuracy and inclusivity.
- Educational Innovation and Relevance: TPS teachers employ innovative methods to make learning relevant and engaging. Including addressing how historical and current biases have impacted communities of color and the LGBTQ+ community. This includes exploring the ethical dimensions of science and history, ensuring that students understand the complexities of these subjects in relation to diversity and equity.
- Support for LGBTQ+ Students: TPS is committed to supporting LGBTQ+ students by allowing them to express their identities safely. They do this by incorporating discussions about gender and sexuality in a respectful and educational manner. The district fosters an environment where students can explore their identities without fear of discrimination or exclusion.
- Open Dialogue and Community Engagement: The district encourages open dialogue about its curriculum and initiatives. TPS is willing to discuss its approach to inclusivity and comprehensive education with the community. This openness is part of TPS’s broader strategy to engage with and respond to the needs of its diverse student population.
Tacoma Public Schools follows Washington state curriculum standards, which means teaching the documented history of racism in this country and including LGBTQ+ people in the curriculum is not optional or up for local debate. The district supports Black Student Unions, API clubs, and trans and ally clubs across its high schools. If you’re moving here from a state where any of that is currently under attack, that’s real information, and it’s worth knowing.
What is the community like on Tacoma’s Eastside?
When we first created Move to Tacoma back in 2015 we polled Tacomans about their neighborhoods. The responses are included in the Tacoma Neighborhood Guide pages. By far the neighborhood with the most responses at the time was Tacoma’s Eastside. As Melo mentions in the video above, Eastsiders are passionate about their neighborhood. Perhaps in response to how often the neighborhood is dismissed by people who don’t know it well. Some highlights include:
- Swan Creek Park: The Eastside has a large number of beautiful parks including Swan Creek Park (which Silong talks about in the interview above). Swan Creek Park is one of the largest parks in Tacoma and features a salmon-bearing stream, wooded canyon, upland forest, paved and natural trails, community garden, dog park, picnic shelters, and mountain bike trails.
- Stewart Heights Park: Stewart Heights Park also has sports fields, skateboard park, playground and a large outdoor swimming pool.
- Eastside Community Center: The Eastside Community Center is a free community center for kids 18 and under. For adults the cost starts at $35 ($26 for adults over age 60!). The center is a space for the community to gather, complete with a cafe, recording studio, restaurant size kitchen, full size gymnasium and aquatics center. There are events, workshops, classes, and so much more.
Marguerite and Melo visited the Dome Top Community Garden. It’s next to Rogers Park and boasts incredible views of The Mountain.
The Dome Top community garden is an example of how the community on the Eastside comes together to create and maintain beautiful things for each other.
If you’re thinking about moving to Tacoma’s Eastside, get in touch with Marguerite. She’s a Tacoma real estate agent who spends most of her time connecting people moving here with agents who know their neighborhood inside and out. The Eastside has local experts who’ve lived here for years and know it the way only a neighbor can. That’s who you want walking you through it. Click here to schedule a call with Marguerite!
What is Move to Tacoma?
Move to Tacoma is a podcast, neighborhood guide, and blog about Tacoma, Washington created by Tacoma Real Estate Agent Marguerite Martin. Marguerite is Tacoma real estate agent, blogger, and podcaster who has been selling houses in Tacoma since 2005.
In 2015 she created MovetoTacoma.com to help people learn more about Tacoma neighborhoods and what it’s really like living in Tacoma. She is the interviewer on the Move to Tacoma Podcast and the host on the Move to Tacoma Youtube Channel. In 2016 she was awarded the the Popham Award by the Tacoma Chamber of Commerce. The Popham Award honors the individual in the City of Tacoma that has done the most to build community spirit.
Looking for a real estate agent? Marguerite is a matchmaker. Contact her for an introduction to the best real estate agents in Tacoma and beyond.
How Move to Tacoma Works
Here at Move to Tacoma we’ve been helping people find their place (and their real estate agent) in Tacoma for over a decade. We recommend choosing a local agent that lives and works in Tacoma and knows all the nuances of pricing, neighborhoods, and the condition (and quirks!) of these historic homes.
Here at MovetoTacoma.com we help people find their place in the City of Destiny. If you or a friend are looking to buy a home in Tacoma and would like help learning about Tacoma neighborhoods and finding a real estate agent please reach out to us! You can click the contact form on MovetoTacoma.com. You can also schedule a one-on-one with Marguerite on zoom by clicking here.
Step 1: Explore the Clickable Neighborhood Map of Tacoma
Our clickable neighborhood map of Tacoma’s neighborhoods is our pride and joy. Click through to find images and videos of each neighborhood. The Neighborhood guides on the map also include median home price information, blog posts about the neighborhoods, podcast episodes about the neighborhoods, and candid quotes from local neighbors.
Step 2: Listen to the Move to Tacoma Podcast
The best way to learn about Tacoma is to hear from the people who live here. On the Move to Tacoma Podcast Marguerite interviews Tacomans who’ve been here generations and Tacomans who just got here. From business and technology leaders to politicians and activists and everyone in between. The Move to Tacoma Podcast will give you insight into why people move here and how they find meaning and happiness in Tacoma.
Step 3: Read the Blog Posts on MovetoTacoma.com
On the Move to Tacoma Blog we have been writing about things to do in Tacoma, where to eat in Tacoma, hot button community topics, neighborhoods and more since 2015. There are hundreds of posts to help you find what you love in the City of Destiny. From posts about where to eat and drink to interviews with locals- the blog is a great place to keep up one what’s happening in Tacoma and Pierce County.
Step 4: Get Realtor Referral from a Local Realtor
Marguerite Martin is a different kind of Tacoma real estate agent. Reach out to find out answers to questions you have about neighborhoods in Tacoma and Pierce County. When the time is right to start looking, Marguerite can connect you with a local real estate agent who specializes in the neighborhoods you love most. You can see reviews from past clients who’ve worked with Marguerite on Yelp and on Google.
