When evaluating the social and economic characteristics associated with Tacoma, it is important to examine some of the critical attributes including racial composition, age categories, gender balance, education, and income levels. The analysis of these characteristics is essential, as it seeks to provide readers with a better understanding of this particular city from multiple perspectives. The first aspect to consider is racial composition. According to the ‘Demographic Report' on Tacoma, the city has a total population of 198,937 people, which is according to the census report from 2010. The highest racial population in the town is white Americans accounting for approximately 64.9% of the total population in the city. The fact that the white American population is significant within this city suggests that indeed the white Americans are the dominant racial group in the city.
The second largest racial group in Tacoma City is the African Americans, who account for approximately 12.2% of the total population in the city. According to the census report from 2010, the total number of African Americans living in Tacoma was 24,204, which is representative of the percentage indicated. The Latino makes up the third largest racial category in Tacoma with the population accounting for 22,419 people, which is 11.3% of the overall population in the city. The other races, which can be considered as minority racial groups include Asian, Native American, Pacific Outlander, and others accounting for 8.2%, 1.8%, 1.2%, and 8.1% respectively. From the analysis of the racial composition of Tacoma, it is clear that the city does not show any signs of racial balance attributed to the significant disparity regarding different ethnic populations within this city.
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The second social characteristic to evaluate concerning Tacoma is the age categories within the city, which will determine the differences in age within the population in the city. From the census data, as has been discussed within the ‘Demographic Report,' the number of people living within Tacoma, who are 18 years and below is approximately 45,631, which is representative of 23% of the total population. The population between 18 years and 24 years is 21,625 representing 10.9% while the population between 25 years and 44 years is 58,726 representing 29.6%. Other age categories are individuals between 45 years and 64 years, as well as, those aged 65 years and above, who make up 50,194 (25.3%) and 22,419 (11.3%) respectively ( TACOMA, 2016 ). From the analysis, it can be argued that the age distribution within Tacoma City is even attributed to the slight balance concerning the number of people within differentiated age categories.
Gender balance is another critical social characteristic to evaluate, as it essential when making social decisions concerning this particular city. One essential aspect to note about Tacoma City is that the population between male and female is almost at a 50-50 balance. However, the female population is slightly higher when compared to that of the men. According to census data, the female population in Tacoma City is 100,389 (50.6%) in comparison to that of the men, which is 98,008 (49.4%) (Eitzen & Johnston, 2015). From that perspective, it can be argued that the female to male ratio in Tacoma City is approximately 1:1 due to the balance regarding populations between these two genders.
From the census data, it can also be noted that the average household size in Tacoma is approximately 2.44 when compared to the average family size, which is 3.10. Married couples make up the most significant populations of the total number of people within households, accounting for 38% while children below the age of 18 years account for 31% of the total population. Using such data is essential towards defining the social perspective of the city considering that this is an important characteristic. On the area of education, it is clear that Tacoma City has invested heavily in education attributed to the overall number of schools and learning institutions within the city. According to the ‘Demographic Report,' Elementary Schools account for the highest number of learning institutions in the city, as 36 of the learning institutions are within the category of an Elementary School. Middle Schools, High Schools, and Universities account for 11, 10, and two learning institutions respectively.
From an economic perspective, it is essential to engage in an evaluation of the income levels within Tacoma, which would help spell out the economic positioning of the city. It is necessary to take note of the fact that the most significant population in the city depends on the lumber industry, which is one of the prominent industries in this city. The median income levels in Tacoma for households and families are $37,879 and $45,567 respectively ( TACOMA, 2016 ). The levels from the perspective of gender are on a ratio of $35,820 and $27,697 for males and females respectively. Tacoma’s per capita income is $19,130, which is way below the national average in the United States. Another critical aspect to point out is that approximately 26% of the population in Tacoma lives below the poverty line, thus, suggesting the dominant issue of poverty within the city and the region (Ortman, Velkoff, & Hogan, 2014).
Using an Observational Study
After observing the community living within Tacoma, one of the critical economic condition to note is that majority of the people are within the middle-class commercial category, which can be seen from the fact that majority of the people working in some of the middle-scale companies. From the central location where I sat, I noted that the majority of the people spent most of their times in the office buildings housing some of the companies operating within the lumber industry. That was consistent with the findings from the ‘Demographic Report,' which indicated that majority of the people in Tacoma are employed within the lumber industry. The fact that the majority of the people were driving sedans sought to suggest that indeed the family and household sizes in Tacoma is low when compared to cities where people tend to prefer family vans.
On the other hand, I took note of the fact that Tacoma has a significantly high number of homeless people living on the streets. From my position, I was able to count at least seven homeless people from different parts of the streets. When evaluating the census data, it was clear that Tacoma faces a significant issue associated with a high poverty rate with 26% of the population living below the poverty line. From my observation, it was clear that poverty remained a critical issue of concern taking into account that the number of homeless people living on the streets. The effect of poverty can be attributed to the limitation regarding investment in other industries within Tacoma, which creates a restriction on matters of employment for the people within the city.
On the question of whether Tacoma is integrated or segregated, my observation indicated that although a significant number of the people that I observed were white Americans, the city had a significant population of minority communities including African Americans and Asians. Through my observation, it was clear that the Tacoma community is integrated taking into account that the members of the minority communities also worked within some of the office blocks that I was observing. The fact that majority of the people I observed was of white American racial background supported the census data, as presented in the previous section, suggesting that a little over 64% of the population in the city is comprised of white Americans making up the majority population.
The integration of the Tacoma community can also be seen from the interaction between children within the park, which was a clear indication of the fact that this community does not believe in the ideal of racism or racial discrimination. When making my observations, I was within one of three parks in the city, which incorporates a children’s playground overlooking the busy streets. I observed that the interaction between children of the different racial background was a significant aspect of the city considering that the children played together with little or no consideration of issues such as ethnic background. It was clear that the social ideals in Tacoma reflected more on ensuring that every individual would feel welcomed in the city regardless of the existing diversities, on areas such as race or ethnicity.
Analysis and Reporting of Research
Historically, Tacoma has faced the issue of racial segregation especially touching on areas such as housing where a majority of the people from the minority communities faced critical challenges in getting decent housing. Tiger (2017) takes note of the fact that realtors recognized the issue of race as one of the significant element or problems of consideration when defining the neighborhoods within which to place their clients. An analysis of the regions in Tacoma indicates that they are divided into upscale, which is mainly comprised of the white American population, and community dwellings comprising of the minority communities. From that view, it is clear that the city shows significant signs of racial segregation on areas of housing, which can be seen from the differentiation regarding neighborhoods housing members of different ethnic groups or categories.
Traditionally, Tacoma was an area that had the highest population of Native Americans within Washington State. This changed significantly in the 1880s due to an influx in the African American and Latino population attributed to industrialization (Brown, Knopp, & Morrill, 2005). The fact that the city was able to offer viable employment opportunities meant that a significant number of people from the minority communities would move to Tacoma with the aim of getting employment. However, the white American population remains dominant within this city attributed to the high number of white American families living in the suburbs. The fact that Tacoma houses tourism attractions such as the Chihuly Bridge of Glass reflect more on the fact that the city experiences a mixture of people coming into the city from multiple racial backgrounds and categories.
Although there are no specific policies or practices that have been attributed to the development of patterns of discrimination, it can be argued that issues of discrimination occurring in different parts of the United States are getting to the communities in Tacoma. Majority of the people in Tacoma find themselves in a situation where they are affected significantly by issues affecting different parts of the country, especially those occurring within Washington State. The local government in Tacoma has been on the forefront in creating a typical approach for all people in the community regardless of the existing diversities. The focus for the local authority has been to work out a compelling framework from which to ensure that every individual is accorded an avenue from which to experience a discrimination-free environment.
Tacoma has a significant LGBT community living within its neighborhoods attributed to the fact that the city is integrated in every sense. Although the religious community residing within Tacoma tends to consider this as an unethical and immoral, majority of the people in Tacoma have embraced the LGBT community as part of their social institution. However, it is essential to take note of the fact that the LGBT community has faced significant issues revolving around issues such as discrimination especially in public places, such as restaurants among others. The LGBT community in Tacoma has indicated increased cases of discrimination on the part of its members from their sexuality. In some cases, discrimination occurs in public especially in areas where people tend to disagree with the diversity of sexuality, as has been presented through the LGBT community. In general, it can be noted that indeed the Tacoma community tends to offer a platform for diversity, as it accepts members from multiple backgrounds and sexualities.
From the analysis of Tacoma, it can be noted that majority of the people living within this city comprise of a robust working-class community working within a majority of the offices within the town. Investment in Tacoma has focused more on providing people with blue-collar employment opportunities. The outcome of this is that majority of the people find themselves in a position where they remain as a critical part of the working class community living within Tacoma. However, the learning institutions in the city have been on the forefront towards introducing studies associated with the technology with the focus being towards ensuring that more people would find themselves inclined towards the technology area. The center is to provide students with exposure to technology while focusing on the positive impacts that technology may have on their careers.
The local administration within Tacoma has been on the forefront in sensitization of the community living within Tacoma of the effects of segregation especially within a city with such a low population. The local government engages in public forums and debates with the local communities with the focus being towards ensuring that more people would appreciate the idea of diversity as one of the critical possibilities of the city. When reflecting on the successes, it can be noted that the forums and engagements have played crucial roles towards ensuring that the people appreciate the fact that diversity is an essential aspect of any advanced social institution. Thus, this has paved the way for a situation where more and more people appreciate the overall fact that diversity may exist in areas such as race, sexuality, and gender among others.
References
Brown, M., Knopp, L., & Morrill, R. (2005). The culture wars and urban electoral politics: Sexuality, race, and class in Tacoma, Washington. Political Geography , 24 (3), 267-291.
Eitzen, D. S., & Johnston, J. E. (2015). Inequality: Social class and its consequences . Routledge.
Ortman, J. M., Velkoff, V. A., & Hogan, H. (2014). An aging nation: the older population in the United States (pp. 25-1140). United States Census Bureau, Economics and Statistics Administration, US Department of Commerce.
TACOMA, C. O. (2016). Community Needs Assessment.
Tiger, L. (2017). Men in groups . Routledge.
