Ch. 16 The Pacific Northwest

Most of the Pacific Northwest's economic history has been involved in reaping the land of it's resources like lumbering and fishing, but recently high technology and the tourism industry have become vastly more important. Both of which are opposite to the ideals of the Central Valley. The central valley reaps the bountiful harvests, then easily replaces it for next seasons picks. It is quite difficult to replace a tree after it has been cut down. 

While the Central Valley is more focused on agriculture to boost it's economy, powerhouse industries such as Starbucks Coffee and Microsoft dominate these economic activities. Internationally know to be associated with Seattle, Amazon and Boeing proudly boast there home there in the state of Washington. 







A study of 65 rural California towns indicates that labor-intensive agriculture contributes to poverty and welfare demands in rural communities by attracting large numbers of unskilled foreign workers and offering most of them poverty-level wages. In the 65 towns, 28% of the residents live in households with below-poverty incomes. Major policy choices for ameliorating this situation include modifying immigration and labor laws that affect farming to help farm workers earn higher wages. The Pacific Northwest's economic strength and diversity, high incomes, scenic amenities, and high quality of life differs from the life seen for many people in California's Central Valley and it has been one of the fastest growing regions of North America for the past 60 years. 

Click Here to go to "The Appalachia of the West" article from The Economist