The Promised City on the Sound
Promoters in 1879 painted a utopian vision of New Tacoma, promising a perfectly planned metropolis designed for wealth and grandeur at the terminus of the Northern Pacific Railroad.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
The town of New Tacoma, laid out by the Northern Pacific Railroad Company, is the western terminus of the road. It was surveyed by the Northern Pacific Railroad Company’s engineers and was formally established in 1878. It is situated on Commencement Bay, Puget Sound, and is surrounded by a vast area of land. The town is envisioned as a city of monumental proportions that will arise almost instantly to meet the demands of the railroad. The layout of the town is a striking departure from the haphazard growth of other frontier settlements. It has been planned with grand boulevards—one being eighty to two hundred feet wide—to provide for carriages and pleasure vehicles. All tracks and depots are to be placed away from the public park areas, ensuring that the residential sections remain quiet and free of the smoke and grit that disfigure other cities. The town planners have even designated specific zones for public buildings, hotels, and businesses, promising an orderly progression of development that will set a new standard for Western civilization.
“It is a striking departure from the haphazard growth of other frontier settlements.”
This 1879 report captures the origin myth of Tacoma as a 'company town' meticulously planned by railroad interests. It highlights the recurring tension between industrial growth and urban quality of life—a struggle that continues to define Puget Sound development as modern cities balance transit-oriented density against the desire for livability.
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