A team of experienced reporters keep you updated on what's happening in political arenas at the city, county, state and federal levels. From presidential campaign visits to who's running for city council, we've got it covered.
Contributors
Peter Callaghan is a local columnist. He’s covered the
statehouse and state politics since 1981. Before joining The News
Tribune in 1985, the Stadium High grad worked for newspapers in Everett
and Lewiston, Idaho, and for The Associated Press in Olympia and
Seattle. Email
Peter
Joe Turner has covered state government and transportation
issues since 1990. Since the Bellarmine grad’s arrival in the newsroom
in 1978, he’s covered police, suburban cities, Tacoma City Hall,
Federal Way City Hall and the Pierce and King county governments. Email Joe
David Wickert covers Pierce County government. Before coming to
The News Tribune in 1998, he covered local government for newspapers in
Illinois, Virginia and Tennessee. Email David
Ian Demsky is a general assignment reporter who specializes in
database-driven reporting. He's been at the News Tribune since 2007 and has
previously worked in Nashville, Tenn. and Portland, Ore. When he's not at
work, he enjoys hiking and science fiction. Email Ian
Les Blumenthal has been covering Washington, D.C. for The News
Tribune since 1990, focusing on issues and politicians involving the
state. Before joining The News Tribune, he spent 13 years working for
The Associated Press in Seattle, Illinois and Washington, D.C. Email Les
John Henrikson is a local news editor who oversees political coverage. He's worked as a journalist in the
Northwest for 19 years, supervising coverage and reporting on local and
state government, the environment and growth. Email John
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Despite the recession and housing market deflation, Washington continues to grow and attract new residents from out-of-state, according to 2009 population estimates from the state Office of Financial Management. But the growth has slowed considerably from its recent peak.
As of April 1, Washington's population stood at 6.67 million, up 1.2 percent from the year before. Not surprisingly, that annual growth rate was down from the recent high of 1.9 percent in 2006. The state grew by an estimated 80,600 people during the year, about 39,000 from in-migration from other states.
“The continued housing contraction nationwide and poor economic conditions appear to be limiting the mobility of the population usually influenced by labor market opportunities,” said Theresa Lowe, the state's chief demographer in a press release. “Many job seekers are finding it difficult to sell their homes or to relocate to accept employment at the price of paying two mortgages for an extended period.”
In the annual competition for Washington's second city, Tacoma (with 203,400 residents) is still slightly behind Spokane (205,500). Spokane grew at a slightly more robust pace.
Pierce County and most of its cities and towns continued to grow. The county's population stood at 813,600, up from 805,400 in 2008.
See the standings below:
| 2009 rank | City | 2000 | 2008 | 2009 | Growth 2000-09 | Growth 2008-09 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Seattle | 563,376 | 592,800 | 602,000 | 6.9% | 1.6% |
| 2. | Spokane | 195,629 | 204,400 | 205,500 | 5.0% | 0.5% |
| 3. | Tacoma | 193,556 | 202,700 | 203,400 | 5.1% | 0.3% |
| 4. | Vancouver | 143,560 | 162,400 | 164,500 | 14.6% | 1.3% |
| 5. | Bellevue | 109,827 | 119,200 | 120,600 | 9.8% | 1.2% |
| 6. | Everett | 91,488 | 102,300 | 103,500 | 13.1% | 1.2% |
| 7. | Spokane Valley | n/a | 88,920 | 89,440 | n/a | 0.6% |
| 8 | Federal Way | 83,259 | 88,040 | 88,580 | 6.4% | 0.6% |
| 9. | Kent | 79,524 | 86,980 | 88,380 | 11.1% | 1.6% |
| 10. | Yakima | 71,845 | 84,300 | 84,850 | 18.1% | 0.7% |
| 13. | Auburn | 43,047 | 67,005 | 67,485 | 56.8% | 0.7% |
| 15. | Lakewood | 58,293 | 58,780 | 58,840 | 0.9% | 0.1% |
| 25. | Puyallup | 33,014 | 36,930 | 38,690 | 17.2% | 4.8% |
| 33. | University Place | 29,933 | 31,440 | 31,500 | 5.2% | 0.2% |
