Talk:Port Townsend, Washington
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[edit] Culture
The Culture section, while I agree with everything that is written, needs some references cited to back it up. In particular, I'm looking at the latest addition: "This is probably because the town has gentrified considerably in the last decade and rents on places with decent traffic are beyond those that are not independently wealthy." Avoid weasel terms and Cite sources comes to mind. If the anonymous author cares to provide some citation in the next few days, great. Otherwise I will find some references myself or edit/remove any subjective material. ColdCaffeine 07:06, 27 September 2005 (UTC)
Because of privacy issues it is difficult to cite specific rents in downtown or uptown PT. But as I worked uptown and downtown, and so have my friends and children, and we have friends who owned businesses up and down, I can tell anyone that the rents escalated beyond the ability of most owners who were not supported by a spouse, to make a decent living. If you did not buy your home before 1990, or we not coming from a place of inflated prices, then even buying a modest house is difficult. The wages have not risen with the rent, and the cost of raising a family on a working wage is nearly impossible. The influx of retirees, from California, east coast, and Seattle area, has mostly benefitted the realtors, and the holders of property for investment purposes. The town had many 'regular' stores still hanging on, in the mid 80's, but now most of downtown, and uptown are trendy boutiques, and non-essential tourist shops. The artists who don't work the system there, or didn't buy early, cannot stay if they are not supported by a spouse. This is a superficial community, still living off a real past as a working class and free spirit community. It was inevitable as it is just too stunning, visually, but just like a beautiful or handsome human, beauty is only skin deep. This is said with the recognition that there are still some remarkable people there, who are so connected to the landscape and their pasts that they stay. You are the Port Townsend I wish still existed.
for bobby m.
I agree with most everything that the Culture section of the article details, but it's still non-NPOV and however accurate it may be it doesn't belong here, at least in this state. I have no problem with documenting the economic and social changes of the past decade or so, but in the end it is no more significant than any other decade of the city's history. This is an article in an encyclopedia, not a place to document your personal experiences. Willpower 05:00, 9 June 2006 (UTC)
