Editing Marysville, Washington (section)

===Late 20th century===

Marysville began to grow into a [[bedroom community]] of Seattle and Everett in the late 1950s, spurred by the completion of [[Interstate 5 (Washington)|Interstate 5]] in stages from 1954 to 1969.<ref>{{cite news |last=Patty |first=Stanton |date=October 31, 1954 |title=Highway section opens |page=22 |work=The Seattle Times}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Dougherty |first=Phil |date=April 10, 2010 |title=Interstate 5 is completed in Washington on May 14, 1969. |url=http://www.historylink.org/File/9393 |work=HistoryLink |access-date=January 24, 2017}}</ref> The new freeway bypassed the town, causing a minor decline in tourist revenue at businesses that later rebounded to previous levels, also eliminating a major [[traffic bottleneck]] that paralyzed the city's downtown.<ref>{{cite news |last=Patty |first=Stanton |date=January 14, 1956 |title=Marysville prospers in spite of loss of highway |page=18 |work=The Seattle Times}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Norton |first=Dee |date=October 11, 1964 |title=Highway 99 Bypass At Marysville Seen Boon By Many Businessmen |page=5 |work=Seattle Post-Intelligencer}}</ref> The city annexed its first area outside its original city limits in 1954, growing to over 2,500 residents.<ref name="CompPlan"/> Marysville was re-classified as a third-class city in March 1962 and the local Chamber of Commerce boosted the city during the [[Century 21 Exposition]] held in nearby Seattle, hosting a [[UFO]] exposition in [[Smokey Point, Washington|Smokey Point]] that summer.<ref>{{cite news |date=March 29, 1962 |title=Marysville 'third class' since Monday |page=2 |work=Marysville Globe}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Duncan |first=Don |date=April 8, 1962 |title=Marysville in orbit for World's Fair |page=21 |work=The Seattle Times}}</ref>

On June 6, 1969, a [[freight train]] operated by Great Northern rammed into several disconnected train cars in front of the Marysville [[railroad depot|depot]], destroying the building, killing two men in an engine on a nearby [[siding (rail)|siding]] and injuring two others. The crash, blamed on the engineer failing to adhere to the track's speed limit, caused $1 million in damage to railroad property and resulted in the demolition of the depot, which had served the city since 1891 and was not rebuilt.<ref>{{cite web |last=Dougherty |first=Phil |date=July 5, 2007 |title=Speeding freight train rams railroad cars in front of the Marysville Great Northern Depot, demolishing the depot and killing two, on June 6, 1969. |url=http://www.historylink.org/File/8182 |work=HistoryLink |access-date=January 24, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Barr |first=Robert A. |date=June 6, 1969 |title=Massive rail crash kills 2 |page=1 |work=The Seattle Times}}</ref>

After the initial wave of [[suburbanization]], which built homes in former strawberry fields to the north and east of Marysville, the city's population totaled 5,544 in 1980.<ref name="HistoryLink"/> The city's growth was concentrated in outlying areas, leaving downtown to weaken economically. In 1981, the Marysville City Council declared that the downtown area was "[[Blight (urban)|blighted]]" and in need of a facelift. The council presented a $30 million [[urban renewal]] plan in November 1982 that would add new retail and office space, [[mixed-use development]], public parks and improve pedestrian conditions in downtown, along with a large public parking lot and an expanded public [[marina]].<ref>{{cite news |last=Aweeka |first=Charles |date=October 20, 1982 |title=Downtown Marysville to get $30 million facelift |page=G1 |work=The Seattle Times}}</ref> The plan was opposed by the marina's owner and other downtown property owners and produced lengthy [[public hearing]]s that lasted until the following year.<ref>{{cite news |last=Aweeka |first=Charles |date=November 3, 1982 |title=Marina owner hits development plan |page=F2 |work=The Seattle Times}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Aweeka |first=Charles |date=December 22, 1982 |title=Hearing goes on and on |page=F1 |work=The Seattle Times}}</ref> Mayor Daryl Brennick vetoed the plan in June 1983, citing public outcry and the high cost of the proposal, and the city council failed to overturn the decision.<ref>{{cite news |date=June 29, 1983 |title=Downtown plan receives too little support to override veto |page=1 |work=Marysville Globe}}</ref> The city instead developed a downtown [[shopping mall]] that involved the demolition of a [[water tower]] (one of two in the city) and several historic buildings in 1987.<ref name="Times-1999">{{cite news |last=Brunner |first=Jim |date=July 29, 1999 |title=Water tower will cost $113,000 |page=B1 |url=https://archive.seattletimes.com/archive/19990729/2974362/water-tower-will-cost-113000 |work=The Seattle Times |access-date=January 24, 2017}}</ref> The $17&nbsp;million mall opened in August 1988 with 24 stores and {{convert|180,000|sqft|sqm}} of retail space.<ref>{{cite news |last=Gowenlock |first=Shanna |date=August 17, 1988 |title=Mall coming to life as some stores open |page=1 |work=Marysville Globe}}</ref>

Marysville underwent further population changes in the late 1980s and 1990s, continuing to build more housing and new retail centers after the lifting of a building [[moratorium (law)|moratorium]].<ref>{{cite news |last=Shaw |first=Linda |date=August 2, 1989 |title=Marysville: Growing, growing, gone? |page=H1 |work=The Seattle Times}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Montgomery |first=Nancy |date=October 13, 1999 |title=No coasting in Marysville races |page=B1 |url=https://archive.seattletimes.com/archive/19991013/2988580/no-coasting-in-marysville-races |work=The Seattle Times |access-date=January 29, 2017}}</ref> The city continued to annex outlying areas, growing to a size of {{convert|9.8|sqmi|sqkm}} and population of 25,315 by 2000.<ref name="HistoryLink"/> Marysville also saw a thrice-fold increase in the number of businesses from 1991 to 1996 and was close to eclipsing [[Edmonds, Washington|Edmonds]] in retail sales.<ref>{{cite news |last=McGaffin |first=Pam |date=March 26, 1997 |title=Location fuels Marysville boom |page=C1 |work=The Everett Herald |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-daily-herald-location-fuels-marysvil/148785596/ |via=[[Newspapers.com]] |accessdate=June 5, 2024}}</ref> The decade also saw the construction of new schools, a [[YMCA]] facility, a library, and a renovated [[senior center]] at Comeford Park.<ref>{{cite news |last=Carter |first=Don |date=March 7, 1998 |title=Old-timers, newcomers attracted to this town |page=D1 |work=Seattle Post-Intelligencer}}</ref> The Tulalip Tribes opened its first [[casino]] in 1992, the second Indian casino in the state, and began development of a large shopping mall at [[Quil Ceda Village]] in the early 2000s.<ref name="Times-Tulalip">{{cite news |last=Thompson |first=Lynn |date=July 26, 2006 |title=Tulalip Tribes' clout on the rise |page=H14 |url=http://old.seattletimes.com/html/snohomishcountynews/2003151549_tulalips26n.html |work=The Seattle Times |access-date=January 24, 2017}}</ref>

Marysville attempted to attract regional facilities in the late 1990s and 2000s, with varying degrees of success. The U.S. Navy opened [[Naval Station Everett]] in Everett in 1994, which was accompanied by a support annex in northern Marysville near Smokey Point the following year.<ref name="Times-Navy1995">{{cite news |last=Hendricks |first=Tyche |date=June 5, 1995 |title=Eagerly awaiting stores' opening—Navy exchange, commissary ready |page=B1 |url=https://archive.seattletimes.com/archive/19950605/2124724/eagerly-awaiting-stores-opening----navy-exchange-commissary-ready |work=The Seattle Times |access-date=January 24, 2017}}</ref> The [[Puget Sound Regional Council]] explored the expansion of [[Arlington Municipal Airport (Washington)|Arlington Municipal Airport]] into a regional airport in the 1990s to relieve [[Seattle–Tacoma International Airport]],<ref>{{cite news |last=Brooks |first=Diane |date=September 12, 1994 |title=Airport-site battle heats up |page=B1 |work=The Seattle Times}}</ref> but decided instead to build a third runway at Sea-Tac because of existing traffic and local opposition.<ref>{{cite news |last=Brooks |first=Diane |date=September 22, 1994 |title=Roar of 3,500 airport foes: motion to urge third runway at Sea-Tac, not new airport |page=B1 |work=The Seattle Times}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Seinfeld |first=Keith |date=July 12, 1996 |title=Runway battle to land in court: regional panel OKs Sea-Tac expansion |url=https://archive.seattletimes.com/archive/?date=19960712&slug=2338917 |access-date=October 3, 2023 |page=A1 |work=The Seattle Times}}</ref> In September 2004, Marysville won a bid to build a {{convert|850|acre|adj=mid}} [[NASCAR]] racetrack (to be operated by the [[International Speedway Corporation]]) near Smokey Point.<ref>{{cite news |last=Heffter |first=Emily |date=September 24, 2004 |title=NASCAR racetrack developer selects site near Marysville |page=A1 |url=https://archive.seattletimes.com/archive/20040924/nascar24m/nascar-racetrack-developer-selects-site-near-marysville |work=The Seattle Times |access-date=January 26, 2017}}</ref> The project was cancelled two months later after concerns about traffic impacts, environmental conditions, and $70 million in required transportation improvements arose.<ref>{{cite news |last=Heffter |first=Emily |date=November 23, 2004 |title=Racetrack plans fall apart: Officials wary of burden on taxpayers |page=A1 |url=http://old.seattletimes.com/html/localnews/2002098387_nascar23m.html |work=The Seattle Times |access-date=January 26, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170202073220/http://old.seattletimes.com/html/localnews/2002098387_nascar23m.html |archive-date=February 2, 2017 |url-status=dead }}</ref> The NASCAR site was later pitched as a candidate for a new [[University of Washington]] satellite campus (known as [[University of Washington North Sound|UW North Sound]]) in the late 2000s,<ref>{{cite news |last=Thompson |first=Lynn |date=August 17, 2005 |title=Push for 4-year college revs up |page=H18 |url=http://old.seattletimes.com/html/education/2002442337_4year17n.html |work=The Seattle Times |access-date=January 26, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170202073436/http://old.seattletimes.com/html/education/2002442337_4year17n.html |archive-date=February 2, 2017 |url-status=dead }}</ref> competing with a site in downtown Everett.<ref>{{cite news |last=Thompson |first=Lynn |date=January 18, 2008 |title=UW north campus: The question is where |page=B2 |url=https://archive.seattletimes.com/archive/20080118/uwnorth18m/uw-north-supporters-debate-urban-rural-location |work=The Seattle Times |access-date=January 24, 2017}}</ref> The project was put on hold in 2008 after continued disagreements over the campus's location, before being cancelled entirely in 2011, replaced by a new [[Washington State University]] branch campus in Everett.<ref>{{cite news |date=December 2, 2008 |title=UW Snohomish County campus plans delayed again |url=http://www.seattlepi.com/local/article/UW-Snohomish-County-campus-plans-delayed-again-1293359.php |agency=[[Associated Press]] |work=[[Seattle Post-Intelligencer]] |access-date=January 24, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Long |first=Katherine |date=May 24, 2011 |title=WSU branch campus one step closer for Everett |page=A1 |url=http://old.seattletimes.com/html/localnews/2015129940_wsu24m.html |work=The Seattle Times |access-date=January 26, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170202073035/http://old.seattletimes.com/html/localnews/2015129940_wsu24m.html |archive-date=February 2, 2017 |url-status=dead }}</ref>