Editing Arlington, Washington (section)

===Suburbanization and present day===

The completion of [[Interstate 5 in Washington|Interstate 5]] and [[Washington State Route 9|State Route 9]] in the late 1960s brought increased residential development in Arlington, forming a [[bedroom community]] for commuters who worked in [[Everett, Washington|Everett]] and [[Seattle]]. Despite the influx of commuting residents, Arlington retained its small-town image while unsuccessfully attempting to lure new industries and a state college.<ref>{{cite news |last=Johnsrud |first=Byron |date=August 22, 1971 |title=Arlington looks forward to more 'good old days' |pages=8–10 |work=The Seattle Times}}</ref> [[Suburb]]an housing developments began construction in the 1980s and 1990s, driving a 450 percent increase in Arlington's population to 15,000 by 2007.<ref name="HistoryLink"/><ref name="Times-Identity">{{cite news |last=Heffter |first=Emily |date=March 12, 2003 |title=As commutes lengthen, county's small cities face evolving identities |page=H4 |work=The Seattle Times}}</ref> In 1999, Arlington annexed the community of [[Smokey Point, Washington|Smokey Point]], located along Interstate 5 to the southwest of the city, after a lengthy court battle with Marysville, which instead was permitted to annex [[North Lakewood, Washington|Lakewood]] to the west.<ref>{{cite news |last=Brunner |first=Jim |date=April 16, 1999 |title=Arlington annexation opponents overruled; judge's ruling lets proposal go forward |page=B1 |work=The Seattle Times}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Wolcott |first=John |date=December 14, 1997 |title=Urban vs. rural quagmire in Snohomish County |url=http://www.bizjournals.com/seattle/stories/1997/12/15/focus5.html |work=[[Puget Sound Business Journal]] |access-date=April 16, 2017 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170418081341/http://www.bizjournals.com/seattle/stories/1997/12/15/focus5.html |archive-date=April 18, 2017}}</ref> The city began developing a large business park around the municipal airport in the 1990s, bringing the city's number of jobs to a total of 11,000 by 2003.<ref name="Times-2003Jobs">{{cite news |last=Whitely |first=Peyton |date=April 30, 2003 |title=Arlington owes economic boom to leaders' lofty goals, airport |page=H26 |url=https://archive.seattletimes.com/archive/20030430/boom30n/arlington-owes-economic-boom-to-leaders-lofty-goals-airport |work=The Seattle Times |access-date=April 13, 2017 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170414162634/http://community.seattletimes.nwsource.com/archive/?date=20030430&slug=boom30n |archive-date=April 14, 2017}}</ref><ref name="Herald-BusinessPark">{{cite news |last=Bray |first=Kari |date=October 14, 2015 |title=Arlington business park expected to generate up to 2,000 jobs |url=http://www.heraldnet.com/business/arlington-business-park-expected-to-generate-up-to-2000-jobs/ |work=The Everett Herald |access-date=April 15, 2017 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170416221539/http://www.heraldnet.com/business/arlington-business-park-expected-to-generate-up-to-2000-jobs/ |archive-date=April 16, 2017}}</ref>

The city of Arlington celebrated its centennial in 2003 with a parade, a festival honoring the city's history, sporting events, and musical and theatrical performances.<ref>{{cite news |last=Whitely |first=Peyton |date=January 15, 2003 |title=Arlington's party of a century |page=H16 |work=The Seattle Times}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Wright |first=Diane |date=July 2, 2003 |title=Old days are new at this month's Arlington Festival |page=H16 |work=The Seattle Times}}</ref> The centennial celebrations culminated in the dedication of the $44 million [[Arlington High School (Washington)|Arlington High School]] campus, attended by an all-class reunion of the old school.<ref>{{cite news |last=Whitely |first=Peyton |date=August 20, 2003 |title=School graduates to new campus |page=H16 |work=The Seattle Times}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Dondero |first=Tony |date=September 3, 2003 |title=New Arlington High School opens |page=1 |work=The Arlington Times |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=xWIlAAAAIBAJ&sjid=7xQGAAAAIBAJ&pg=2030%2C346523 |via=Google News Archive |access-date=July 30, 2018}}</ref> In 2007, the city of Arlington renovated six blocks of downtown's Olympic Avenue at a cost of $4.4 million, widening sidewalks, improving [[Urban forestry|street foliage]], and adding new street lights.<ref>{{cite news |date=August 28, 2008 |title=Community celebrates reopening of Olympic Avenue Oct. 6 |url=http://www.arlingtontimes.com/news/community-celebrates-reopening-of-olympic-avenue-oct-6/ |work=The Arlington Times |access-date=April 17, 2017 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170418082125/http://www.arlingtontimes.com/news/community-celebrates-reopening-of-olympic-avenue-oct-6/ |archive-date=April 18, 2017}}</ref> The project was credited with helping revitalize the city's downtown, turning Olympic Avenue into a gathering place for residents and a venue for festivals.<ref>{{cite news |last=Fiege |first=Gale |date=September 22, 2013 |title=Arlington's vibrant core |url=https://www.heraldnet.com/news/arlingtons-vibrant-core/ |work=The Everett Herald |access-date=April 17, 2017 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170418081504/https://www.heraldnet.com/news/arlingtons-vibrant-core/ |archive-date=April 18, 2017}}</ref>

On March 22, 2014, a [[2014 Oso mudslide|large landslide]] near [[Oso, Washington|Oso]] dammed the North Fork of the Stillaguamish River, with mud and debris covering an area of {{convert|1|sqmi|sqkm|spell=in}}. A total of 43 people were killed and nearly 50 structures destroyed.<ref>{{cite news |last=Johnson |first=Kirk |date=March 27, 2014 |title=After Mountain's Collapse, Uncertainty and Loss |page=A1 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/27/us/washington-mudslide-search.html |work=[[The New York Times]] |access-date=April 15, 2017 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170218062412/https://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/27/us/washington-mudslide-search.html |archive-date=February 18, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Johnson |first=Kirk |date=July 23, 2014 |title=Washington Mudslide Report Cites Rain, but Doesn't Give Cause or Assign Blame |page=A13 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/23/us/washington-mudslide-report-cites-rain-but-doesnt-give-cause-or-assign-blame.html |work=The New York Times |access-date=April 15, 2017 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151001081259/http://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/23/us/washington-mudslide-report-cites-rain-but-doesnt-give-cause-or-assign-blame.html |archive-date=October 1, 2015}}</ref> The landslide closed [[Washington State Route 530|State Route 530]] to Darrington, cutting the town off, leaving Arlington as the center of the coordinated [[emergency response]] to the disaster.<ref>{{cite web |last=Enger |first=Sue |date=May 14, 2014 |title=Oso "Extreme Event" Prompts New Look at Landslide Hazards Regulation |url=http://mrsc.org/Home/Stay-Informed/MRSC-Insight/May-2014/Oso-Extreme-Event%E2%80%9D-Prompts-New-Look-at-Landslide-H.aspx |publisher=[[Municipal Research and Services Center]] |access-date=April 15, 2017 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170416172802/http://mrsc.org/Home/Stay-Informed/MRSC-Insight/May-2014/Oso-Extreme-Event%E2%80%9D-Prompts-New-Look-at-Landslide-H.aspx |archive-date=April 16, 2017}}</ref> Arlington was recognized for its role in aiding victims of the disaster and hosted U.S. President [[Barack Obama]] during his visit to the site in April.<ref>{{cite news |last=Bruno |first=Mary |date=July 10, 2014 |title=The small-town mayor who was Oso's hidden hero |url=http://crosscut.com/2014/07/barb-tolbert-oso-mudslide-mayor-arlington/ |work=[[Crosscut.com]] |access-date=April 15, 2017 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170416131900/http://crosscut.com/2014/07/barb-tolbert-oso-mudslide-mayor-arlington/ |archive-date=April 16, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=King |first1=Rikki |last2=Stevick |first2=Eric |last3=Nile |first3=Amy |date=April 22, 2014 |title=Obama tours Oso mudslide site, takes time with families |url=http://www.heraldnet.com/news/obama-tours-oso-mudslide-site-takes-time-with-families/ |work=The Everett Herald |access-date=April 15, 2017 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170416221340/http://www.heraldnet.com/news/obama-tours-oso-mudslide-site-takes-time-with-families/ |archive-date=April 16, 2017}}</ref>

The city has continued to grow in the late 2010s, with new [[apartment]] buildings constructed in Smokey Point, including those designed as [[retirement community|retirement communities]].<ref>{{cite news |last=Davey |first=Stephanie |date=January 8, 2020 |title=Arlington: It's growing everywhere with more on the horizon |url=https://www.heraldnet.com/business/arlington-its-growing-everywhere-with-more-on-the-horizon/ |work=The Everett Herald |access-date=February 21, 2020}}</ref> The Cascade Industrial Center, located on {{convert|4,000|acre|ha}} between Arlington and Marysville, was designated by the [[Puget Sound Regional Council]] in 2019 and is planned to house manufacturing and other industrial uses.<ref name="CIC-2019">{{cite news |last=Buell |first=Douglas |date=July 6, 2019 |title=Cascade Industrial Center: New name for investment in Arlington, Marysville |url=https://www.arlingtontimes.com/news/cascade-industrial-center-the-new-name-for-investment-in-arlington-marysville/ |work=The Arlington Times |access-date=February 21, 2020}}</ref>