Virtual Tour of the McKinley Neighborhood

Historic Tacoma, the City of Tacoma, and Pretty Gritty Tours have joined forces to introduce the McKinley neighborhood!

McKinley Hill takes its name from McKinley Park that was donated to the city by the Northern Pacific Railroad and named in 1901 following President William McKinley’s assassination that year. Not actually a hill, it is the steep end of a ridge that fronts to Commencement Bay and the Puyallup River delta or Tideflats. To the east, it slopes steeply down to the broad Puyallup River floodplain with the general boundary of Portland Avenue. The northeast corner of the hill (near East 29th and East L Streets) is known locally as “Strawberry Hill.” This incredible neighborhood is full of historic treasures and Historic Tacoma has done tremendous amounts of research on the buildings in this area.

We will be exploring the historical signifigance of the area and learning the local stories.