Real Estate 2010

Tacoma's downtown has gone through a revival over the past few decades, and its metro area lies within striking distance of some of the most spectacular scenery in the Pacific Northwest, including the Puget Sound, Mount Rainier and Olympia National Park.

Still, the local housing market has lost more value since its peak than did nearby Seattle. It did, however, outperform the nation as a whole.

Careful growth policies that Washington has urged its cities to pursue will help boost prices in Tacoma. The city is projected to keep growing, with an annualized gain of 3.9% through 2011.