Tacomais a mid-sized urban port city in and thecounty seatofPierce County, Washington, United States.Itis the second-largest city in the Puget Sound area and thethird largestin the state. Tacoma also serves as the center of business activity for the South Sound region, which has a population of around 1 million people.Listed as one of the "most walkable" cities in the country, Tacoma was also ranked as the "most stressed-out" city in the country.
Tacoma adopted its name after the nearbyMount Rainier, originally called Takhoma or Tahoma. It is locally known as the "City of Destiny" because the area was chosen to be the western terminus of theNorthern Pacific Railroadin the late 19th century. The decision of therailroadwas influenced by Tacoma's neighboring deep-water harbor,Commencement Bay. By connecting the bay with the railroad, Tacoma's motto became "When rails meet sails." Today, Commencement Bay serves thePort of Tacoma, a center ofinternational tradeon thePacific Coastand Washington State's largest port.