Economy
Seattles Childhood Opportunity Landscape Could Use Some Cultivation
Too many children, who represent the citys future workforce, live in neighborhoods where conditions make it hard to thrive, study finds
The Seattle metro area is not exactly excelling in ensuring optimal conditions for shaping the health and development of children overall, a new study finds, and the situation is even more dire in the case of children of color results that should be of interest to area employers looking to develop a future workforce. Seattle…
Homeownership in Seattle Is Super Expensive, But the City Is Far Better Off Than the Worst-Case Examples
Narrowing the gap between income and home prices matters in making good on the dream of homeownership for more families, study shows
Seattle is without doubt one of the more expensive cities in the nation in which to own a home, but its not among the top 10 most expensive housing markets. In fact, Seattle is on the lower end of the top 20 least-affordable housing markets nationally, according to a recent housing-affordability analysis study. New York-based…
Walla Walla’s Baker Boyer National Bank Is Six Generations Strong and Still Thriving
The bank opened its doors in November 1869
This article appears in print in the November 2019 issue. Click here for a free subscription. Walla Walla is a city of about 33,000 located in southeastern Washington about a four-and-a-half-hour drive from Seattle. Its also a window into the past as the home of the 150-year-old Baker Boyer National Bank the oldest independently run…
Northern Virginia Housing Prices Have Soared Since Amazon Chose Arlington as its HQ2
The Seattle Amazon effect now extends to the company's East Coast HQ2 location, Realtor.com says
If the Amazon effect on housing prices in Seattle is still a question mark in some circles, a just-released study by Realtor.com seems to pour cold water on those doubts. The real estate platform assessed the impact on Arlington, Virginias housing market a year after Amazon chose the East Coast metro as its second headquarters…
Washington’s Dairy Farmers Are Feeling the Sting of Taxing Tariffs
Tariffs could create long-term problems for Washington's dairy farmers
This article appears in print in the November 2019 issue. Click here for a free subscription. Dairy processor Darigold inc. lost $50 million in annual sales after tariffs put in place by China took effect. More than a year later, those 25% tariffs on dairy products specifically milk and whey proteins threaten to disrupt the…
Seattle Earns Another Strong Score for Fostering Female-Owned Businesses
The metro area ranks as the fourth best place nationally for women entrepreneurs, new study finds
The Seattle area once again ranked high nationally, at No. 4, in a recent study of the top markets for women entrepreneurs that was based on an analysis of U.S. Census Bureau data from 2016 and 2017. The study, conducted by personal-finance platform SmartAsset, made use of eight metrics in assessing the leading markets for…
Amazon Is Helping to Drive Double-Digit Growth in Job Openings in the Seattle Area
Seattle ranked as the leading major market for job openings as of October, Glassdoor study finds
Driven by a thriving tech industry, the Seattle area recorded the fastest growth in job openings year over year as of October of the 10 major cities analyzed by online job site Glassdoor. Job openings in Seattle were up 15.5% over the period, with 122,950 job openings offering a median base pay of $64,639. That…
Company Culture Expert: Listening Might Have Prevented Amazon Employee Walkout
Amazon Employees Prepare to Walk Out Over Climate Change Inaction on Sept. 20
More than 1,000 Amazon Inc. employees in Seattle and at offices around the globe are planning to walk out of work Sept. 20 to protest the companys inaction on climate change. Amazon Employees for Climate Justice want the company to commit to zero emissions by 2030, according to a press release the employee group posted…
Seattle Among Nations Most Dynamic Urban Areas
Vancouver also scored well for its size
Add more national recognition for Seattles booming economy. Thanks to its rapid population growth, home-price appreciation and a relatively youthful population, the city ranks as the second most dynamic urban center in the nation. Point2 Homes, a Canadian real estate analytics company, also lauded the city for its rapid income growth and its robust economic…
Walla Walla Wine Region Up for Global Award
Its the third time Wine Enthusiast magazine has designated the region a finalist
The Walla Walla Valley is one of five global finalists for Wine Enthusiast magazines Wine Region of the Year award. Other finalists are Mosel, Germany; Sicily, Italy; Sonoma County, Calif.; and Stellenbosch, South Africa. Walla Walla, which has 30,000 residents, contains more than 120 wineries. Theres also dozens of well-respected vineyards, Wine Enthusiast editors say,…
Condo Project in Olympia Is Now Homeless
Olympia developer kills project over social climate
This story appears in the August 2019 issue. Click here for a free subscription. A developers decision to pull the plug on a seven-story luxury condo project in Olympia is evidence that homelessness and a lack of affordable housing are more than just an issue in Seattle and other big cities. Citing the social climate…