Glad this thread popped back up -- I was meaning to post earlier, but got sidetracked.
I don't know Tacoma, but before I buy my next place I am definitely planning to spend time in the areas I am interested in at all times of the day. Also walk the blocks around any potential purchase several times and look for potential issues. Talk with anybody you see out on the street, especially immediate neighbors. I'm in far NE Seattle and given the way the arterials and natural topography runs there is a VAST difference in the feel of a neighborhood and issues with crime/anti-social behavior within a few blocks. There are also several areas that are magnets for encampments that I would stay away from. Other things to be mindful/aware of:
Fire stations (my sister was looking at a condo in Ballard and when we realized the fire station was a half block away because the siren went off we immediately left)
Sports fields -- can be noisy during the day and have bright lights at night
Businesses with flashing neon signs -- can really impede sleep/evening relaxation w
Street noise/location of bus stops -- can be very noisy if you have metro pulling up right out side your window several times an hour. We also had an issue with a rental on an arterial where they had done a poor job of pavement repair so every time a large vehicle went by my bedroom there was a loud "ker thunk"
If you are buying a place with/for a view, it is also good to make sure there isn't a chance that zoning allows for new construction that might block it. We decided not to put an offer on a house in Laurelhurst partly because it HAD a great view, but the house immediately in front of it was a one story ranch that at some point was probably going to get bought/torn down/turned into a 3 story box.
Regarding the bus stop issue, my partner rented in Portland on a small street with a bus stop right out front. Of course it was a little loud first thing in the morning, but you get used to that.
But then the city made it a designated cycling street as well and made it difficult to enter the street while driving.
Of course many of the neighbors where against it, but it really improved the street to have less cars and more happy cyclists cruising by.
The only negative was the fear of backing out into the path of a cyclist!
I lived in a bad part of Tacoma years ago but it was so long ago it has no bearing to this discussion.
Funny story, my sister lived in Tacoma before me and her tv broke and she got a new one. I put the old one in the brand new tv box and put it in the back of my pickup, to drop it off at a tv repair shop that would take them for free (a long time ago!)
Well, I stopped at an auto parts store in Tacoma for just a minute to get some parts and when I came out the brand new tv box with the old tv inside was gone!
Saved me a trip.
