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Photo: Farwestern Photo by Gregg M. Erickson, Public domain via Wikimedia Commons
The 46-acre campus is on a hillside at the southern edge of downtown Tacoma, overlooking the Port of Tacoma and Mount Rainier. Set in the historic Union Station District, UW Tacoma renovated century-old, brick buildings that were built by businesses that depended on the railroad in the late 1880s and early 1900s. The university has earned architectural awards for transforming these buildings into modern classrooms. In the design of the campus, the UW Tacoma honored the traditions of the Northern Pacific Railway and its part in establishing the city of Tacoma. It is now a full-fledged university under the governance of the University of Washington Board of Regents along with the UW campuses in Seattle and Bothell. The UW Tacoma offers majors in business, education, nursing, computer science, electrical engineering, computer engineering, information technology, criminal justice, social work, environmental science, urban studies and interdisciplinary arts and sciences. Classes are offered day and evening, for full or part-time students.
The University of Washington Tacoma is a university located in Tacoma, Washington, United States. It is one of three campuses of the University of Washington, alongside the main campus in Seattle and UW Bothell in Bothell. UW Tacoma opened its first classrooms in repurposed warehouses in downtown Tacoma in 1990 and opened its permanent campus in 1997. The president and board of regents of the University of Washington oversee the Tacoma campus, which falls under the university's three-campus accreditation. UW Tacoma is led by a chancellor. Sheila Edwards Lange holds the post as of 2026.
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Contemporary art museum dedicated to glass and glassmaking, alongside the West Coast’s largest and most active museum glass studio. Don't miss the Chihuly Bridge of Glass - no, the bridge is not made of glass - 500 ft long across I-705.
Working Waterfront Maritime Museum
The Foss Waterway Seaport celebrates & exhibits Tacoma's rich maritime heritage—past, present and future. Located on the waterfront in a century-old wooden wheat warehouse, built for cargo arriving by rail and departing by sail ("where rails met sails") during the early years of Tacoma.
The home of the Stratford family in the high school romantic comedy movie 10 Things I Hate About You (Julia Stiles, Heath Ledger, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, 1999). Though the house is occupied, it offers a wonderful view of the house and of downtown Tacoma. Filming is also set at Stadium High School, 10 minutes away by car. Both the house and the school can only viewed from the outside from the street. Please respect the privacy of the occupants of the house. Inside viewing of the school is limited and can be done by permission of the school administration.
The local Triple-A West minor league baseball team plays at Cheney Stadium.