The Town of Ruston & Point Defiance Park

Ruston, Washington is a small town at the northernmost edge of Tacoma, bordered by Point Defiance Park. It is located in close proximity not only to the park but also to Ruston Way/Schuster Parkway and Tacoma's eastern waterfront along Commencement Bay. In the works is a large park on the former site of the Asarco smelter.

Homes in Ruston are predominantly early century designs, including Dutch Colonial, Craftsman, Ranch, Tudor and others. As of this writing the average price for a home was about $190,000.

Most homes will be walking distance to Point Defiance Park with its many amenities. Point Defiance Park's name derives from a pronouncement in 1841, by Charles Wilkes, commander of the American expedition that charted Puget Sound. Charles Wilkes, claimed from this strategic point he could defy an invader.

President Andrew Johnson originally set aside Point Defiance Park as a military reservation, although it never became home to military operations.

Point Defiance Park became a park in 1880 and is among the 20 largest urban parks in the United States and receives about two million visitors each year. A glimpse of history, it is home to untouched northwest forest, wild saltwater beaches and spectacular views. It is a place offering numerous possiblities for recreation, education and communing with nature. Recreational facilities include a public fishing pier and picnic area, a zoo and miles of walking and biking trails through old grown forest and gardens. A Seattle PI reporter recently described Point Defiance as, "one of the finest urban parks in all of America".

• Proctor District
• Ruston
• Old Town
• West End
• Stadium District
• North Slope
• Univeristy of Puget Sound Area