When it comes to attracting people and businesses to Everett, it’s not the quantity that matters – it’s the quality.
This is the philosophy the City of Everett is using in its efforts to give Everett an extreme makeover. And judging by the recent announcement that Puget Sound Christian College will be moving into a downtown building, the city is sticking to that idea.
The right cards are falling for Everett. First the Events Center, then Bastyr University’s proposed move and now Puget Sound Christian College’s impending arrival. It’s hard not to be optimistic about the future of the city.
Puget Sound Christian College has a lot to offer the city, and likewise, the city has much to offer the college. Everett needs people to not only work downtown, but also to live, shop and relax in the city. If downtown businesses are going to thrive, they need more than hockey games and an occasional concert or convention. There must be a viable group of consumers that spends more than just a 9 to 5 workday in the city. Puget Sound Christian College’s students will be housed in dorms, providing downtown Everett with the residents that it needs.
The college does not want to see its students isolated on a campus, so college president Dr. Randy Bridges will encourage the students to treat Everett as their campus. That’s music to downtown business’ ears.
Additionally, more places of learning will improve the quality of Everett’s most valuable natural resource – its human resource. As some jobs leave the area for overseas, anything that increases the skill level of Everett workers is helpful and could lead to more companies choosing Everett as a place to do business. And with skilled jobs come higher income workers, and higher incomes translate to more consumer spending. It’s hard to see a potential negative impact stemming from the college’s decision.
College towns – however small those colleges may be – tend to be vibrant and dynamic yet maintain the quaintness and charm that attracted the college in the first place. College students enjoy living in an urban setting, and that’s exactly what the new Everett has to offer. People of various cultural and economic backgrounds tend to walk the streets of college towns, and the city enjoys the speakers, performers and experiences that only a college can draw.
This partnership between the city and Puget Sound Christian College is exciting for all parties, and is yet another sign that Everett is moving in the right direction.
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