Port of Tacoma

Specialties

The Port of Tacoma is a major center for container cargo, bulk, breakbulk, autos and heavy-​lift cargo. Created by Pierce County citizens in 1918, the Port of Tacoma is now one of the largest container ports in North America and one of the top 50 in the world.

Located on Commencement Bay, a natural deep-​water harbor in South Puget Sound, the Port is ideally situated for creating jobs through Pacific Rim trade. The Port encompasses about 2,400 acres of land on the Tacoma Tideflats.

Five publicly elected commissioners govern the Port district, which encompasses all of Pierce County. Learn more at www​.portof​ta​coma​.com/​a​b​o​ut-us.

History

Established in 1918.

The Port of Tacoma is an independent municipal corporation that was created by a vote of Pierce County citizens on November 5, 1918.

Over the last century, the Port of Tacoma has grown from a small resource port, to an industrial manufacturing center and a major international gateway.

In the late 1800s, shipping and the railroads led to the development of various private docks and facilities in Steilacoom, along Ruston Way and in Old Town Tacoma.

We started out on 240 acres of lands in the Tacoma Tideflats, and the first ship called at the Port on March 25, 1921. Over the years, more and more shipping activity shifted from the downtown Tacoma waterfront into the Port industrial area. Today, the Port covers more than 2,400 acres of land.