Washington Real Estate & Relocation Guide

Steilacoom, Washington

Population: 6,049

Located in Pierce County

Steilacoom (pronounced Still-a-cum), on the water immediately southwest of Tacoma, is the oldest incorporated town in Washington (1854) and looks as if it is locked in the mid 19th century. The entire town is on the National Historical Register. It's easy to see why the pioneers settled here. The little town slopes down a west-facing hillside to Puget Sound, with splendid news of the Olympic Mountains and the forested islands offshore. Saltwater beaches lie north and south of town, and a state-of-the-art 250-passenger ferry the Christine Anderson, carries passengers and cars from the waterfront to Anderson and Ketron.

Steilacoom's quiet streets are line with historic homes, most of them labeled with their date of construction. The "Town on the Sound," as it is known, has an old-fashioned ice cream parlor (The Bair Store), the Historical Museum, the Steilacoom Tribal Cultural Center and turn-of-the-century restaurant E.R. Rogers.