Washington Business Winter 2018 | Washington Business | Page 37

Many of Washington’s rural communities have yet to recover
from the Great Recession. Civic, business and political
leaders recognize tremendous opportunities for growth and
development. The fundamentals still apply: infrastructure,
workforce, and competitive business costs.
Rural Washington poses a challenging
p a ra d ox . Eve n a s Wa s h i n g t o n ’s
farms, orchards and ranches boast
record-breaking yields, rural counties
confront continued erosion of jobs and
investment. And, though there have
been clear successes — data centers
and carbon fiber manufacturing in
Central Washington, Walla Walla wine
country — many communities struggle
to diversify, stabilize and grow their
economies.
Unemployment remains high in many communities
outside the metropolitan Puget Sound. The decades
long American urbanization shows little sign of
abating.
“There has to be a sense of urgency in [rural]
economic development,” says Paul Kimmell,
regional business manager for Avista. “It doesn’t
mean you have to panic.”
The economic health of the non-metro parts
of the state is a matter of statewide concern — in
Washington and elsewhere. Across the nation,
the urban-rural divide has emerged as a major
public policy challenge. The U.S. Department of
Agriculture reports much more rapid population
growth in metro areas. And, while “recreation
counties” enjoyed population growth before the