Metro Parks Tacoma (formerly the Metropolitan Park District of Tacoma) is a

municipal corporation A municipal corporation is the legal term for a local governing body, including (but not necessarily limited to) cities, counties, towns, townships, charter townships, villages, and boroughs. The term can also be used to describe municipally ...

that oversees parks and recreation services in and around the city of Tacoma,

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

History

The parks district was originally a part of the Tacoma city government, established by the city's 1880 charter. In 1883 city councilmembers were appointed to oversee city parks, and in 1890 a board of park commissioners was appointed by the mayor. In 1907 the Washington State Legislature passed legislation which allowed cities to form separate park districts. That same year, the city government created the Metropolitan Park District of Tacoma, an entity independent of the city government with its own authority to collect property taxes. Metro Parks Tacoma owns and operates parks and recreation facilities in the city of Tacoma as well as the

unincorporated area An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...

s of Browns Point and Dash Point.

Notable facilities

Point Defiance Park Point Defiance Park in Tacoma, Washington, United States, is a large urban park. The park includes Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium, the Rose Garden, Rhododendron Garden, beaches, trails, a boardwalk, a boathouse, a Washington State Ferries ferry doc ...

, including the following facilities located within the park boundaries: **

Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium (PDZA) is the only combined zoo and aquarium in the Pacific Northwest, located in Tacoma, Washington, US, owned by Metro Parks Tacoma. Situated on in Tacoma's Point Defiance Park, the zoo and aquarium are home to ov ...

Fort Nisqually Fort Nisqually was an important fur trading and farming post of the Hudson's Bay Company in the Puget Sound area, part of the Hudson's Bay Company's Columbia Department. It was located in what is now DuPont, Washington. Today it is a living h ...

* Wright Park Arboretum **W. W. Seymour Botanical Conservatory, located within Wright Park *

Northwest Trek Northwest Trek Wildlife Park is a wildlife park located near the town of Eatonville, Washington, United States. The park is home to black and grizzly bears, grey wolves, bald eagles, a cougar, wolverines, bobcats and more. Its primary feature i ...

Wildlife Park near

Eatonville Eatonville may refer to: * Eatonville, Florida, United States * Eatonville, Minnesota, United States, an alternative name for the former Dakota village Ḣeyate Otuŋwe * Eatonville, Mississippi, United States * Eatonville, Ontario, a neighbourhood ...

* Titlow Beach

References

External links

Metro Parks Tacoma
Official site Government of Tacoma, Washington Geography of Tacoma, Washington Park districts in the United States {{PierceCountyWA-geo-stub