Hilltop, Tacoma, Washington facts for kids
The Hilltop Neighborhood is a historically diverse neighborhood in the Tacoma, Washington Central District.
The National Register of Historic Places specifies the geographic area of Hilltop as located within the City of Tacoma and bounded on the east by Tacoma Avenue South, on the north by Division Avenue, on the west by Sprague Avenue, and on the south by the edge of the bluff, which roughly equates to South 27th Street. Hilltop derives its name from its location on a high bluff overlooking Commencement Bay and the Port of Tacoma.
Hilltop is near the historic Tacoma Public Library main branch, Bates Technical College, the Pierce County Courthouse, and the new Pierce County Correctional Facility, all of which are located on Hilltop's east side. It is adjoined by Tacoma's more affluent Stadium District.
Sound Transit plans to build a streetcar line on Martin Luther King Jr. Way, between Division Avenue and South 19th Street, by 2022, connecting to the existing Tacoma Link in Downtown Tacoma.
Employers
Hilltop is home to Tacoma's regional hospitals MultiCare Health System Tacoma General Hospital and Mary Bridge Children's Hospital along with CHI Franciscan Health St Joseph Medical Center. Kaiser Permanente Tacoma Medical Center is located adjacent to Tacoma General Hospital. In 2013 the $26 million Hilltop Regional Health Facility opened. The Hilltop's hospitals and medical centers are known as the 'Medical Mile'.
Education
Hilltop is served by three elementary schools: McCarver Elementary, Stanley Elementary, and Bryant Montessori, all part of Tacoma Public Schools. SOAR Academy, a public K-8 Charter School is also located on Tacoma's Hilltop.
The Evergreen State College Tacoma campus is located in the Hilltop neighborhood. The downtown campus of Bates Technical College is located on the border of Hilltop and downtown.
Demographics
The neighborhood's population is 12,002 and remains racially diverse. 41% of residents are White, 30% Black or African-American, 12% Asian, 3% Native American, 1% Pacific Islander, 3% from other races, and 8% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 7% of the population. 32% of residents were below poverty line.
Boundaries
In 2007, the Tacoma City Council adopted new official boundaries for downtown Tacoma which included a portion of the Hilltop neighborhood as far west as South L Street and changed the name of the Hilltop business district to the Upper Tacoma Business District.
In 2011, the City Council recognized that Upper Tacoma was an outdated name. The Hilltop Business Association (formerly the Upper Tacoma Business Association), led by President Eric Crittendon, reclaimed the name "Hilltop," purchased new stationery and installed Hilltop banners along Martin Luther King Jr. Way.
Historic properties
- Engine House No. 4 (Tacoma, Washington) in Tacoma, Washington, at 220-224 E. 26th St., was built in 1911. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984.
