Tacoma’s population, according to the federal census, the annual school census, the directory lists, and other accepted bases of calculation, has increased as follows:
| City Limits. | City and Suburbs. | |
|---|---|---|
| 1870 | 73 | |
| 1880 | 1,098 | |
| 1900 | 37,714 | 42,311 |
| 1904 | 60,250 | 67,405 |
Mount Tacoma from Point Defiance.
The figures for 1870, 1880 and 1900 above quoted are from the federal census. The number of names of individuals, exclusive of all names of firms, corporations, buildings and the like, in the city directory for 1900, published by R. L. Polk & Co., was 16,951. The district canvassed for the city directory includes the immediate suburbs, which are to all intents and purposes a part of the community. The ratio between the number of names in the directory of 1900 and the population of the city and immediate suburbs, as shown by the last federal census, was 1 to 2½. The number of names of individuals in the Tacoma city directory in 1900 and subsequent years with the population as indicated by the use of the multiplier 2½ is as follows:
| Year. | Names in City Directory. | Estimated Population. |
|---|---|---|
| 1900 | 16,951 | [*]42,372 |
| 1901 | 20,418 | 51,045 |
| 1902 | 22,186 | 55,455 |
| 1903 | 25,057 | 62,642 |
| 1904 | 26,962 | 67,405 |
[*] Federal enumeration, 42,311.
- 1—Tacoma Hotel and Totem Pole.
- 2—Tacoma Theatre.
- 3—Northern Pacific Headquarters Building.
- 4—Tacoma Chamber of Commerce Building.