A former Oregon timber town learned to evolve when its logging business dried up in the '80s, and now boasts a growing manufacturing industry. It's being seen as a model for other towns facing similar changes.
"Log trucks that once rolled through town at the rate of one a minute all but disappeared, and half of downtown's storefronts went empty."
"Now, as the economy takes another plunge, this town of 2,900 seems better positioned to weather the decline, in part because of a series of public-private partnerships on land set aside for light industry."
"Obstacles to further expansion remain, such as a lack of readily trained local workers and the 20-minute drive time from Interstate 205. But economic development experts say Estacada's evolution from timber capital to fledgling manufacturing haven offers lessons for towns struggling to retain and create jobs of their own."
FULL STORY: Reinventing Estacada: from timber to manufacturing
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