9 Little Known Tacoma Facts
By Megan Bostic
We all know our great city is home to wonderful museums, beautiful parks, and a Starbucks on every corner. However, there are some things about Tacoma that are not as widely known. Here are 9 things about Tacoma you may never have heard.
- The name Tacoma means Mother of the Waters.
- Our Tacoma port covers more than 2,400 acres and is the 6th largest port in North America.
- Stadium High School was originally designed to be a luxury hotel, but in 1893 during the depression, construction halted. Then the building was left nothing but a shell after a devastating fire. That shell finally transformed into Stadium High School in 1906.
- The Tacoma Dome is the largest wood-domed arena in the world, constructed with 1.6 million board feet.
- The co-founder of the Baskin-Robbins, Irvine Robbins, got his start in Tacoma in 1927. He sold ice cream and cottage cheese produced from his father's cows' surplus milk.
- The Tacoma Narrows Bridge, built in 1950, is the fifth longest suspension bridge in the world.
- Union Station was designed by Reed & Stem, the same architects who designed Grand Central Terminal in New York City.
- Our 700-acre park, Point Defiance, is one of the largest urban parks in the nation. It is second only to Central Park in New York City.
- The only fatality of the “Galloping Gertie” bridge collapse was a three legged dog.
Do you have any interesting facts about Tacoma?
