Parkland, Washington
Parkland, Washington, is an unincorporated suburb of Tacoma that does not have to deal with the age-old “Aroma of Tacoma” — an industrial stench that still lingers in the port city on occasion — but its economic woes are even worse. Its unemployment and poverty rate is much higher than those of the rest of the state, and only 17 percent of adults over the age of 25 have a bachelor’s degree or higher. The median household income in Parkland, however, is a respectable $55,000, which is above the state average. Residents say that the presence of Pacific Lutheran University is an economic and cultural boon for the community, but that the benefit doesn’t extend much beyond the university’s grounds.
Parkland, Washington
Cloquet, Minnesota
Cloquet’s history is so interconnected with the lumber industry that it has earned the nickname “Wood City” — even after a fire fueled by dry tinder engulfed the town and destroyed much of the surrounding area in 1918. While Cloquet’s paper mill, matchstick plant, and ceiling tile factory have all provided hundreds of jobs to Minnesotans over the course of more than a century, that way of life appears to be on its way out. Cloquet’s matchstick manufacturing plant closed its doors in 2017. Jobs in wood manufacturing and paper mills in Minnesota have declined by more than 30 percent and more than 20 percent, respectively, over the previous decade, according to MarketPlace Research. Residents claim that there are few job opportunities outside of the two remaining factories and that there isn’t much to do besides exploring the surrounding nature. The median household income in this area is slightly more than $54,000.
Cloquet, Minnesota