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Six places, written down plainly

Each guide says what the place is like, how people get to work from there, which school district it is in, and the one thing I'd check before buying.

A small marina and boathouse seen between fir branches on a grey morning

1West of the Narrows

Gig Harbor

A working harbor with a town wrapped around it. Downtown runs along the water on Harborview Drive; the newer shopping and most of the subdivisions sit up the hill.

Still water and a wooded shoreline with houses at the waterline

2Across Hale Passage

Fox Island

One bridge on and one bridge off. Quiet island roads, water on every side, and a short drive back to Gig Harbor for errands.

A two-lane road curving through tall fir forest

3Out past Purdy

Key Peninsula

Room. Acreage, forest and long stretches of shoreline, with Key Center for the essentials and Gig Harbor a drive away.

A craftsman house at dusk with lit windows and a brick front walk

4East of the Narrows

North Tacoma

Older homes on tree-lined streets, the Proctor and Stadium districts for shops and dinner, and Point Defiance Park close by.

A sunny beach and forested point along calm water

5At Point Defiance

Ruston

A very small town at the tip of Tacoma, between Point Defiance Park and the Ruston Way waterfront.

A links-style golf course running down to the water under a clear sky

6South along the Sound

University Place

Suburban streets close to I-5 and the base, with Chambers Bay park and its trails along the Sound.