When choosing the best neighborhood in Pierce County for you, the first thing you need to know is that Pierce County is HUGE and one end of the county looks nothing like the other. This is great because we have a little bit of everything depending on what you’re looking for. Everything from saltwater to an actual 14,411 foot volcano. We’ve got dense urban areas, quiet residential neighborhoods, rural properties where you can raise horses, waterfront homes right on the Puget Sound, and cabins up in the mountains (and a little bit of everything in between).
In this blog post we’ll be sharing the “best” neighborhoods categorized by affordability, views, access to nature, commute potential, and opportunity to own some land. And of course, this is all just our opinion, and the main point of this post is to help you get your bearings in our sprawling Pacific Northwest county!
Pierce County Neighborhoods Ranked by Affordability
“Affordable” means very different things to different people. In the case of this post, “affordable” refers to Pierce County neighborhoods that have the lowest median home sale price. As of 2021 the Pierce County Median Home Price is about $430,000.
You can find a list of 5 of Pierce County’s most affordable neighborhoods and their median home sale prices in our post here.
Pierce County Neighborhoods with the Best Views
Pierce County is a really, really unique PNW county. Not only are we home to Mt. Rainier and part of the Cascade Mountain Range, but we also have miles and miles of Puget Sound shoreline and then a little bit of everything in between. Views of mountains, the water, forests, etc. are aplenty. So if you want to live in a Pierce County neighborhood with a view, what are your options?
Here are the best Pierce County neighborhoods to live in if you want a view:
South Hill (Puyallup) – Views of Mt. Rainier, Cascade Mountains, & Orting Valley
Bonney Lake – Views of Mt. Rainier & Lake Tapps (if you live on the water)
Graham – Views of Mt. Rainier & Cascade Mountains
Elbe / Ashford – Views of Mt. Rainier & Cascade Mountains
Eatonville – Views of Mt. Rainier & Cascade Mountains
Spanaway – Views of Mt. Rainier & Cascade Mountains
Lakewood – Views of lakes & Mt. Rainier
Gig Harbor – Views of Puget Sound & surrounding islands, Mt Rainier, Olympic Mountains
Fox Island – View of Puget Sound & surrounding islands, Olympic Mountains
Key Peninsula – View of Puget Sound & surrounding islands
University Place – View of Puget Sound & surrounding islands, Olympic Mountains
Steilacoom – View of Puget Sound & surrounding islands, Olympic Mountains
West End / West Slope – Views of Narrows Bridges & Narrows Passage
Old Town – Views of Commencement Bay, Vashon Island, Browns Point
North Slope – Views of Commencement Bay, Vashon Island, Browns Point
Stadium District – Views of Commencement Bay
St. Helens – Views of Commencement Bay
Downtown Tacoma – Views of Mt. Rainier, Cascade Mountains, Commencement Bay, Port of Tacoma
Hilltop – Views of Mt. Rainier, Cascade Mountains, Commencement Bay, Port of Tacoma
Hillside / UWT – Views of Mt. Rainier, Cascade Mountains, Commencement Bay, Port of Tacoma
Lincoln District – Views of Downtown Tacoma
Browns Point / Northeast Tacoma – Views of Commencement Bay, Port of Tacoma, Downtown Tacoma
Ruston (the City of Ruston is not technically in Tacoma, but it is completely surrounded by Tacoma so it gets an honorable mention here!) – Views of Commencement Bay, Vashon Island, Browns Point
Pierce County Neighborhoods with the Best Access to Nature
Bonney Lake is on the way to ski slopes and outdoor adventure awaits! You don’t have to go far to reach state parks and snowy mountains.
Elbe/Ashford are basically right at the foot of Mt. Rainier, and they’re both just outside of Mt. Rainier National Park.
Eatonville is a small town in the mountains, and here you can easily escape into the wilderness for a quick getaway since forests, mountains, and lakes are basically right in your backyard! It’s quite convenient to Northwest Trek Wildlife Park as well.
Best Pierce County Neighborhoods with Homes on Land
If you’re in search of a home with some acreage, check out our blog post where we share the top 7 Pierce County neighborhoods/cities where you can buy a house with land.
Pierce County Neighborhoods for Commuters
Whether or not a neighborhood is good for your commute obviously depends greatly on where you’re commuting, but there are some major commuting trends for residents of Pierce County.
Thousands of Pierce County residents commute to King County (more specifically Seattle and Bellevue) every day. If this is you, check out the best Pierce County and Greater Tacoma neighborhoods to live in for a commute to Seattle here.
Pierce County is also home to Joint Base Lewis-McChord, so access to JBLM is very important to many of our residents. Click here to read “Cities to Live in That Are Great for Commuting to JBLM.”
