I'm going to tell you one thing right now!

If you are going to be working in the Tacoma area do NOT buy a house in Gig Harbor. Gig Harbor is nice, but getting to and from Tacoma from there is absolutely a mess.

Little further from town, but Enumclaw and Buckly are nice towns that I highly recommend. Not sure about the commute to Tacoma from there though? A bonus with Enumclaw is that it puts you closer to the Naches Wagon trail, which is probably the best wheeling in WA. My other favorite wheeling spot in the State is the Table Mountain Ranger District, which is near Cle Elum.