We all get by with a little help from our friends. And really, we get by with a little help from strangers too. Be a friend or a friendly stranger by finding one way to support neighbors in Tacoma and across Pierce County by choosing from the 5 ways to give on our list. Support stable housing for youth and young adults, volunteer at a food bank, donate to connect people to supportive services, or participate in a community meal. Over time, we all have something to give and a real need to receive—most often it’s probably both at once.

Summer: fleeting, fading, blossoming, full. Whatever summer is, it isn’t over yet. And you have my permission—nay, encouragement—to scorn all the advertisements and strikingly unseasonal displays that try to tell you otherwise. This article is like a home recipe for savoring summer in and around Tacoma. Mix the ingredients to your taste—sky gazing with a dash of free outdoor music, sun-warmed berries with a sprinkle of salty PNW beaches, roadside bouquets with a side of community festivals for spice. It’s a whole year until summer comes again so there’s no need to save room; go ahead and clean your plate.

Here is a home with just the right amount of space inside and out. Along with 3 upstairs bedrooms—including a primary suite with a walk-in closet and private full bath—the main floor offers a bonus room perfect for guests or a home office. Updated flooring extends from the living and dining room into the kitchen and down the hall past the laundry to the bonus room. Quartz countertops, pantry storage, and pull out shelves make for a convenient kitchen with a half bath nearby and sliding doors to the fenced yard. A new gate leads from the paved driveway to the back where mature trees give shade and an attached shed is ready for tools. There’s even a garden studio complete with a mini patio, skylight and glass doors—with so much other storage space the bright garage can be saved just for parking. With a 2024 roof, a 2023 gas furnace and plenty of other updates, this Puyallup house near groceries, cafes, parks and schools is ready to be the place you call home.

A quick look at this rambler shows the brand new roof, the large lot with its fenced back yard, the practical simplicity of the single-level layout and an attached garage. Look closer and the house will show you original oak hardwood floors, a big front window, French doors to the covered patio and a hallway full of closet storage. Give it a little more time and you’ll find a gas furnace new in 2021, the 2018 electrical panel and updated wiring throughout. The family room—2 steps down from the open living area—has easy access to a ½ bath. In spring the rhodies, lilacs and dogwood bloom. In summer there’s plenty of shade out back. All year long the waterfront town of Steilacoom is only 5 minutes away with a beach park, cafes and historic homes. Set on a street ending in a cul-de-sac, this Lakewood home is surrounded by parks, lakes and shoreline, with JBLM just over 4 miles away for a short commute.

Sunporches and a covered, wraparound deck invite you outdoors in all seasons at this move-in ready home in Lake Minterwood. Set on the Key Peninsula, this neighborhood offers a private lakefront park and access to wooded loop trails, while Key Center’s groceries, post office, library, health center, and spots to meet for coffee are just one mile away. Updates include a brand new roof, a heat pump for a/c, fresh interior paint, and the spacious deck with built-in bench seating. You’ll find many other thoughtful touches to sweeten life here from French doors and a sun tunnel skylight, to the hot tub and a row of cherry trees blooming each spring. The primary suite is a haven with its private bath, walk-in closet, dressing room and sliding doors to a covered porch. Host dinner on the deck and keep scattering seeds in the front garden so the wildflowers can welcome you home.

This stately property in the North Slope Historic District holds 4 units including a gracious main floor that’s a complete home in itself. Built by and for the Cornell Brothers who also built the Elks Temple and First Presbyterian, this is an opportunity to live in a home full of history and character with rental income. Open the front door into an apartment spanning the main level. Oak floors and a rounded bay window bring beauty to the living room, while the dining room is replete with original millwork. With 2 beds, a bonus room, 2 baths, an eat-in kitchen and a back deck, there’s room to live, work and host. The 2nd floor’s 1-bed, 1-bath units are both occupied and generating income. The basement studio is vacant. Updates include a 2025 roof and exterior paint and a new boiler in 2023. Near parks, pubs, cafes and light rail.