Understanding Tacoma through its passion to drink

By Joshua Swainston on March 1, 2012

Not long ago we were tough and dirty. Tacoma was a hard-living town - a place former mayor Harold Moss likened to war-torn Beirut. True, we still hold onto parts of our past edginess, and our working class mentality. But, in reality, Tacoma has grown into a town with a budding arts community and great local businesses. One need only review Tacoma Mayor Marilyn Strickland's 2012 State of the City address to understand the cultural leaps we have made in just the last year. Additionally, according to the Washington State Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs, since 1985 Tacoma's violent crime rates have been reduced by half - across the board.

Throughout all of this change and growth a common thread has stayed true for Tacoma's entire history - how Tacoma relates to its drink. ...