Tacoma, originally tapped as the Northwest's main port city, but an honor it ultimately lost to its northern sister city of Seattle, is also known as the City of Destiny. Visitors accustomed to passing through on I-5 are invariably surprised by the Modern architecture they discover when they stumble upon Tacoma's neighborhoods. The West Slope, the town of Fircrest, and neighborhoods scattered throughout University Place, Lakewood and Gig Harbor are all home to Classic Moderns at price points much lower than those found north in Seattle.

Although the city was historically working class and industrial, the area surrounding the Tacoma Dome Stadium and the Port of Tacoma is being redeveloped. Many new condo projects are being built in the area now dubbed "New Tacoma" with many tending towards modern and modern industrial.