PA, small town on the cusp
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12/8/2021
PERSPECTIVE: I’m writing as a visitor and ZNOT as an established resident. So, that is my bias.
I’ve visited PA five times in the past three years; staying with friends for two to five weeks each time. I’ve never encountered an unfriendly person. In fact, I find the town to be pleasantly friendly. Yes, there is obvious homelessness. Yes, the town is not thriving economically. And yes, the town is split politically. But everyone, yes everyone, I’ve spoken with, whether at a coffee shop or hut, auto shop, bank, contractor’s office, wherever, have all been friendly and say they feel safe. Yes, they all mention homelessness as a problem. Yes, they all recognize drug use as a problem. And yes, they all expressed polar opinions of why the town has these problems. Yet, to a person, none were able to proffer a solution. They all seem to just want to live their lives in ways that reflect being part of a community struggling. City government is doing what it can with the financial resources it has. There is an abundance of civic art. There is a top-notch library. There is a new and state-of-the-art swim center. There is new affordable housing going-up. PA is a blue-collar timber town that is struggling to adjust to the realities of a post commodity economy that has become a services and tourist driven economy. On my last visit (Nov 2-Dec 1), a prominent broker told me the current real-property boom, precipitated by the pandemic, is unprecedented; caused by greater Seattle metro dwellers buying-up homes site-unseen with cash, often for more than the listing price. With working from home now the new normal for finance and tech jobs, and companies like Amazon, living in super affordable PA, with the closeness of the Olympics, is a no-brainer. This influx has driven home prices up by almost 100% in the past three years. This, unfortunately, is making PA even less affordable for locals and exacerbating the affordable housing shortage. Confirming this Seattle-PA migration is the wide-spread rumor Fairchild Airport will begin thrice weekly milk-runs to SeaTac twice daily; presumably to service the demand by Seattle expats now living in PA. Will the influx of Seattle money help PA economically and socially? Will it push low-income people out of PA to more affordable areas like Aberdeen? The story has many chapters left to be written. The fact of the matter is, PA is going through some changes that show signs of moving the town into a more prosperous and socially stable community. How it will play-out is uncertain. However, one thing is certain, older residents are selling, cashing-out, and leaving. Those people on the economic margin who by necessity are renters will find living in PA increasingly difficult financially as available single-family homes and apartments become increasingly unaffordable with rents rising as fast as home prices.
Tim | Port Angeles, WA