Wayback Wednesday #3: Nothing Going Up But The Rent
Park Tower
Hello. Welcome to Wayback Wednesday, my weekly exploration into Tacoma’s past though old local newspapers.
This week I was looking at papers from 1951 and came across this grand opening announcement for Tacoma’s Park Towers.
Now that’s affordable housing. But before we get too excited we need to adjust those prices for inflation. After all, no matter what we’re buying a dollar doesn’t go as far as it used to.
So let’s take a look at what it looks like when adjusted for inflation:
Adjusted for inflation, the rent for an apartment in the Park Tower in Tacoma should be roughly $750-$1300 a month depending on the size and amenities.
But here’s the thing. Their website doesn’t say how much their rent is. But Apartments.com does. Let’s take a look at that and compare it to our adjusted 1951 prices.
I recognize that there are many more factors that go into rental pricing than simple inflation, but that said, I have a hard time believing the a studio apartment in Tacoma in 2023 is somehow worth nearly twice the amount they were charging in 1951 even when adjusted for inflation.
It might seem like I’m picking on Park Tower. I’m not. This is what rent is like all over the city. I just share this to illustrate the point that regardless of any other factors, the biggest problem impacting literally everyone in Tacoma is the amount of money it costs to simply live here.
- Jack Cameron
Horoscope
Because I find it amusing, I’m sharing old horoscopes. (If you like these, look for my Notes on Substack.)
Wayback Wednesday Recipe
This week’s recipe is Mrs. Roy Andre’s cake. A brief search revealed that Mrs. Andre and her husband moved to Scottsdale, Arizona and that her wedding cakes were well known.
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