In my personal opinion, Tacoma is part of the greater metropolitan Seattle area due to its close proximity 30-45 minute drive depending on what part of town your in. It has its good parts like North -North East Tacoma and the bad i.e. East Tacoma, parts of South Tacoma, and the Hilltop area of downtown. Tacoma to its credit is in a bit of a renissance with a rapidly developing water front and gentrification of areas like the hilltop. Much of Tacoma's reputation was derived from the late eighties to the early nineties which is still prevalent in certain parts of town but not nearly as bad as it once was. The "aroma" of Tacoma has also been significantly reduced from the past years. Tacoma is military/blue collar town which is making steady progress in improving its image and its reputation.
