Washington's next Boom City?!

[crystalblue]

what are the limits to growth in the Seattle area? I can see the Sound on a map, but what about mounbtains and stuff?

In Miami, you have the Ocean on the East, the Everglades on the West, and the Keys to the South. You can really only go North (which is why its about 100 miles long).

Are there limits in the Seattle region? Can you go West all the way to Chicago?

[Ira500]

Originally Posted by crystalblue

what are the limits to growth in the Seattle area? I can see the Sound on a map, but what about mounbtains and stuff?

In Miami, you have the Ocean on the East, the Everglades on the West, and the Keys to the South. You can really only go North (which is why its about 100 miles long).

Are there limits in the Seattle region? Can you go West all the way to Chicago?

If you go west, you hit the water. You'd need to go east to go to Chicago. If you go east, you hit the Cascade mountains. Beyond North Bend it get's pretty steep. You can go north or south, but much of the employment is east, or Central Seattle.

[cjg5]

Seattle is situated on an isthmus, bound between two bodies of water, with Puget Sound to the west, and Lake Washington to the east. North/South would be the only ways for expansion of the city itself, but that would require annexing other areas. If just travel itself is your concern, then of course neither sound nor lake is really a barrier to travel in either direction. You can head west to the Pacific Ocean (although you'd need to cross sound by ferry or by driving around or over the Tacoma Narrows bridge, and then go around the Olympic Mountains since no passes go over them). You can head east all the way to the east coast (again, some mountain passes between here and there, although I-90 will take you the entire way), north to Canada, Alaska, and the Antarctic Coast, or south to Oregon, California, Mexico and beyond!

[DevanXL]

Originally Posted by crystalblue

what are the limits to growth in the Seattle area? I can see the Sound on a map, but what about mounbtains and stuff?

In Miami, you have the Ocean on the East, the Everglades on the West, and the Keys to the South. You can really only go North (which is why its about 100 miles long).

Are there limits in the Seattle region? Can you go West all the way to Chicago?

Seattle is a confined region so growth is limited. Sprawl is a thing of the past here and the area is becoming denser. Puget sound is to the West and the mountains are about 30 miles east.

[sequoias]

Suppose Seattle had the density of San Francisco, it would be roughly 1.4 million people in an area of 83 square miles at a density of 17,620 people per square miles. It isn't going to happen, they build the city differently.

[xboxmas]

Originally Posted by 509

Wenatchee will never be a boom town in the traditional sense of the word. Not enough flat ground for industry. Chelan County will end up like Sun Valley. In a few years, only the exisiting residents and the rich will be able to live here.

The towns booming right now under the radar screen of our state government are Quincy and Moses Lake. In 20 years, Moses Lake will be larger than Wenatchee. Quincy, Ephrata, and Moses Lake will be the "new Tri-Cities" in Washington state.

Spokane and CDA have some potential, but opposition from the state of Washington and the folks in CDA that think they are a tourist destination will hamper the boom town potential.

Tri-Ciites is use to bucking Washington state government for economic development. They really have potential.

Can you see them annexing Cascade Valley and Moses Lake North into the Moses Lake city limits? If so, I think that would make a huge difference.

[StealthRabbit]

old thread... but the next boom town will be 'Grow Central" for the hemp crowd. Those immigrants coming to WA and CO for 1/2 ounce... cannot afford to live urban we_tside so it will be a 'lessor economic giant that they can 'occupy''. I just wonder how much impact the Licensed growers will have on our huge illegal / national forest and remote based Mexico managed operations in WA. I expect the licensed growers will be under the tough scrutiny of GOV and agencies... so the illegal operations will 'blossom', due to lack of resource to 'locate and destroy'.

The cartels are loving this! (diversion)

[rick8603]

Washington State University already has a branch campus in the Tri-Cities. They have a good economy because of all new wineries in the area.