Move to Tacoma Podcast

Interview with UW Tacoma Leaders Is going to college still worth it? With rising living costs, concerns about student debt, and artificial intelligence transforming the workplace, more people are questioning the value of a college degree. In this episode of the Move to Tacoma Podcast, host Marguerite Martin welcomes University of Washington Tacoma Chancellor Sheila Edwards Lange and Associate Vice Chancellor for Social Mobility Amanda Figueroa for a wide-ranging conversation about higher education, economic opportunity, and the future of work. Together, they explore why education continues to matter, not just for earning potential, but for developing critical thinking skills, building professional relationships, and creating more choices in life. What is Social Mobility and why does that Matter for Tacoma Students? The conversation also takes a practical look at what it actually costs to attend UW Tacoma and the financial assistance available to students. Chancellor Lange shares that approximately 60% of UW Tacoma students graduate without debt, challenging common assumptions about the affordability of higher education. The guests discuss the university’s commitment to social mobility, particularly for first-generation college students, community college transfers, military-connected students, and adults returning to school. They also explore the importance of internships, career exploration, and helping students find work that provides both financial security and a sense of purpose. What is UW Tacoma’s role in Tacoma’s daily life and Tacoma’s future? Beyond the individual benefits of education, the episode explores UW Tacoma’s role in the larger Tacoma community. Chancellor Lange discusses plans to grow the university from approximately 5,000 to 10,000 students, add student housing and dining facilities, and strengthen partnerships throughout Pierce County. The guests also share how Tacoma residents can attend campus events, explore educational opportunities, and become part of the university community. Throughout the conversation, Martin brings her trademark curiosity and practical perspective to questions about money, opportunity, and what it means to build a good life in Tacoma. The post The Future of UW Tacoma: Is College Still Worth it? Chancellor Sheila Edwards Lange & Amanda Figueroa appeared first on Move to Tacoma.

Can you actually live without a car in Tacoma, Washington? Move to Tacoma Podcast Host Marguerite Martin has been trying it all year from downtown, and she brought in Tacoma on the Go Executive Director Laura Svancarek to talk through what works when you’re living in Tacoma without a car, what doesn’t, and what it really costs. Laura runs the organization Tacoma on the Go (formerly known as Downtown On the Go), and she shares about the transportation options available to Tacomans and where the gaps are. Laura explains how getting around Tacoma on public transport varies whether you’re downtown or in the greater Tacoma area. She talks about how the biggest infrastructure gaps in Tacoma are in the East Side, South Tacoma, and the South End, the result of decades of intentional disinvestment in communities of color. Laura moved here in 2018 from the Key Peninsula for love, with no job and no plan, and now lives in the Lincoln District, which she chose because it had both a bus route and a bike route. The conversation comes out of Marguerite’s own car-free experiment downtown this year, with Laura as her unofficial coach. Getting to Seattle is simple, one bus from 14th and Pacific to basically Pike Place, because historically planning has centered around commuters to job centers. Getting from downtown to Old Town, (Marguerite’s current commute- a four minute drive or a 45 minute walk), has no transit option at all. They run through every alternative to living in Tacoma with a car: walking, bikes, e-bikes, scooters, Pierce Transit, Sound Transit, the T Line, and the $2 Pierce Transit Runner. How to bike around Tacoma- rain or shine. Laura has practical advice for anyone who wants to start biking again. She shares that she recommends going to a local shop and actually ride the bike instead of buying online. Marguerite asks about locking up bikes and her thoughts on bike theft- because she bikes everywhere and has never had one stolen in Tacoma. They discuss biking in the rainy season and Laura shares her tips. Tune up your brakes and keep your tires pumped. For getting started, she points to the no-drop group rides out of Second Cycle, where nobody gets left behind, and reminds people it’s always okay to walk your bike up the hill. They close with a discussion of the November Pierce Transit measure on the ballot right now that would nearly double local bus service if it passes. The post Car-Free in Tacoma with Tacoma On the Go’s Laura Svancarek appeared first on Move to Tacoma.

Thinking about eloping in Tacoma, Washington? Move to Tacoma Podcast Host Marguerite Martin talks with Elope 253 Founder Rochelle Bergstrom about how much it actually costs to elope in Pierce County, what Washington State requires, and why 1,293 couples from Tacoma and beyond have gotten married in her downtown Tacoma chapel. Rochelle was first on the podcast in October 2017 when she’d officiated 11 weddings. She shared that she started her business after hearing about the Spaceworks Incubator on the Move to Tacoma Podcast. Nine years later she’s still in the same storefront downtown and she has some great insights to share with us about running a small business in a city that’s still figuring itself out. In this episode: How much it costs to elope in Tacoma at Rochelle’s chapel Elope 253 ($595 to $2,295 packages) Washington State’s three day waiting period for a marriage license The two witness requirement, and what to do if you don’t have two people How Rochelle started Elope 253 as a weekend side hustle through Tacoma’s Space Works incubator program Why she gives downtown Tacoma four and a half stars as a business location Hiring your first assistant when it terrifies you The average Pierce County wedding now runs $33,000 to $35,000 Where Tacoma couples are actually meeting in 2026 (spoiler: it’s mostly online) The number one thing people say makes them feel loved Elope 253 is located in downtown Tacoma. Learn more at elope253.com. Move to Tacoma is a neighborhood guide, blog, and podcast helping people find their place in Tacoma, Pierce County, and beyond. If you want help finding a real estate agent who knows your neighborhood, that’s what we do at movetotacoma.com. Your agent pays the finder’s fee out of their commission. The post Eloping in Tacoma with Rochelle Bergstrom of Elope 253 appeared first on Move to Tacoma.

Grit City Magazine is one of the last print magazines telling Tacoma’s real stories, and on this episode of Move to Tacoma Tacoma real estate agent Marguerite Martin sat down with Editor in Chief Sierra Hartman and Creative Strategist & Social Media Manager Heather Swanson. The conversation gets into the history of Grit City Magazine, from its 2017 founding with Puyallup tribal member William Manzanares through the pandemic years that nearly ended it. If you’re looking for Tacoma media, Tacoma journalism, or just want to understand how a hand stitched quarterly magazine survives in 2026, check out this latest episode. Sierra and Heather talk candidly about who submits stories to Grit City Magazine. They walk through the hard lesson of realizing their early volunteer only model was mostly reaching upper middle class white writers with time on their hands, and what it took to build real relationships with underserved communities in Tacoma, including people of color and queer folks so Tacoma’s full range of voices showed up on the page. The conversation also digs into some of their most memorable stories, including a Japantown history told through a family’s own account of the incarceration era, and a firsthand account of the Asarco smelter stack coming down. This episode is also a look at how small local media in Tacoma survives right now. Grit City Magazine runs on subscriptions, bite sized local sponsors organized by neighborhood, and packing parties where community members hand stitch each and every issue. Sierra and Heather talk about their plans for a digital edition to make the magazine more accessible, why they’ve resisted traditional ads, and how they’re thinking about doing it differently when they finally add them If you love Tacoma, Tacoma Washington neighborhoods, or stories about the people living here subscribe to Grit City Magazine at gritcitymag.com. You can also find them at Grit City Books, High Voltage Records, Howdy Bagel, and Hive Provisions. If you’re thinking about a move to Tacoma yourself, this episode is a good reminder that Tacoma is full of people telling their own version of what it’s like to live here. Move to Tacoma is part of the Channel 253 podcast network. Learn more at movetotacoma.com. The post Grit City Magazine with Sierra Hartman and Heather Swanson appeared first on Move to Tacoma.

Jessica Tweed of Tacoma’s Oscar’s Enemies never set out to build a movement. In September 2020, in the middle of the pandemic, Jessica asked her family to help her pick up litter in her Tacoma, WA neighborhood near Sixth Avenue for her birthday. What started off as Jessica and her friends having a socially distant birthday with grabbers, reused grocery bags, and her husband hauling trash in his truck has grown into Oscar’s Enemies. Oscar’s Enemies is a fully volunteer run organization that now hosts 18 organized litter pickups a year across Tacoma, WA and draws anywhere from 60 to 125 people per event. In this episode of the podcast, Jessica walks Marguerite through the surprisingly complex logistics behind each pickup. Routes are scouted by driving the streets of Tacoma, WA looking for litter dense areas, checking for safe parking for so many volunteers, abundant crosswalks, and accessible bathrooms. This scouting process alone can take two to four hours per route. Locations are kept secret until the week of the event, a lesson learned the hard way after early announcements led to the litter disappearing before volunteers arrived. WHAT A PROBLEM TO HAVE. The episode also covers how Oscar’s Enemies partners with the City of Tacoma’s Neighborhood Litter Patrol for supplies like bags, gloves, and landfill passes, and how the group collaborates with other Tacoma, WA organizations including Tacoma Trash Pandas, Tacoma Beer Week, and University of Puget Sound students. Jessica shares how the group keeps volunteers engaged with post pickup raffles featuring donated gift cards from local businesses, and milestone thank you gifts for repeat volunteers. Marguerite, (who joined a pickup herself ahead of this recording), and Jessica also dig into the deeper why behind the work: what litter reveals about a city, why so much of it comes from overfilled bins and unsecured loads rather than the assumptions people make, and Jessica’s advice for anyone in Tacoma, WA who wants to start something similar in their own community. Looking ahead, Oscar’s Enemies is exploring a possible partnership with the Washington Department of Transportation to tackle litter on highway on ramps and off ramps in 2026. Jessica Tweed is the founder of Oscar’s Enemies, a volunteer led litter cleanup group she started in Tacoma, WA in 2020 and has grown into 18 organized pickups a year. She lives near Sixth Avenue with her husband and has called Tacoma, WA home since fifth grade. Marguerite Martin is a Tacoma real estate agent and the founder of MoveToTacoma.com, a neighborhood guide, blog, and podcast helping people find their place in Tacoma, WA and Pierce County. She has been a licensed agent since 2005. The post Oscar’s Enemies Tacoma: Building Community Through Litter Cleanup with Jessica Tweed appeared first on Move to Tacoma.