Main Home | 2009 Report Home | Case Studies | Cluster Profiles | City Level Data | Methodology & Surveys

Cluster 1

Regional Centers

Overview | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14

Anacortes, Centralia, Ellensburg, Longview, Moses Lake, Mount Vernon, Port Angeles, Pullman, Walla Walla, Wenatchee	Size – Largest in non-metro areas Property value – Moderate Commercial activity – Moderate Growth – Moderate Geography – East and west	Cluster Characteristics Population Other Community Characteristics Fiscal Conditions General Financial Outlook Major Revenue Base City Services Community Conditions Economic Conditions
These big cities in Washington’s more rural areas offer the greatest economic opportunities to their residents and neighboring communities. As they work to enhance their communities’ economic conditions and meet the service needs of their residents and local employers, these cities are entering a time of budget uncertainty. Nearly all are less able to meet needs in 2008 than four years ago and all report they will be less able to meet needs in 2009 and in the next four years (2012). Problems these communities need to address include environmental quality and crime. All data is recorded as an average for all cities in the cluster. Data for individual cities may vary significantly in some categories.

Cluster Characteristics

Population

• Average Population Size:

Year	1990	2000	2001	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008
Pop.	18,579	22,145	22,241	22,434	22,619	22,993	23,290	23,637	23,872	24,233

• Population Density, 2007: 1,966 persons per square mile

• Population Growth Rate, 2000-2007: 8.5%

Other Community Characteristics

• Date of Incorporation: 1897

• GMA-Planning Cities: 80%

• Number of Housing Units:

  2000	2008	Growth- 2000-2008-
  9,193	10,260	12%

Fiscal Conditions

General Financial Outlook

• Ability to Meet Needs Compared to Current Year:

	(% of Respondents)
	Less Able	Same	Better Able
Four Years Ago	83%	17%	0%
Next Year (2009)	100%	0%	0%
In Next Four Years (2012)	100%	0%	0%

Major Revenue Base

• Per Capita Assessed Value, 2007: $70,214

• Per Capita Sales Tax Revenue, 2007: $201

City Services

Services Most Difficult to Sustain	% of Cities in Cluster		Services Most Improved	% of Cities in Cluster
Streets	50%		Fire	38%
Stormwater	38%		Planning	38%
Business recruitment	38%		General administration, Business recruitment, Police tie	25%

 

Community Conditions

• Top Community Issues:

	(% of Respondents)
	Major Problem	Moderate Problem	No Problem
Environmental quality	63%	38%	0%
Availability of affordable housing	38%	50%	13%
Crime	38%	50%	13%

• Most Important Community Conditions to Address in Next Four Years:

Local Conditions	% of Cities in Cluster
Availability of affordable housing	63%
Vitality of downtown/retail corridors	50%
Availability of employment opportunities	38%
Traffic congestion	38%

Economic Conditions (2000 US Census Data)

• Median Household Income:

Year	1999
Median Household Income	$32,221

• Poverty Rate, 1999: 19%

• Major Local Employers by Industry:

Major Local Employers	% of Cities in Cluster (w/ Industry as 1 of 3 Top Employers)
Retail trade	90%
Manufacturing	60%
Educational services	50%
Health care and social services	40%

AWC Website | About AWC | Contact Us

State of the Cities © 2009 Association of Washington Cities