Cutting further into farm incomes, the industry is in the third year of a seven-year plan to phase out farm subsidies. Until the winds of trade shifted abruptly a century ago, this quaint town was the Northwest's hottest seaport. Now, new technology is poised to help put the wind back in Port Townsend's sails. Indeed, Port Townsend boasts a wealth of new, Net-centric employers. Erik Andersson, director of Jefferson County's Economic Development Council, sees the techy companies drawn to Good Templars as harbingers.
Diversity is essential.
Andersson is laying the groundwork for Internet companies by lobbying US West to extend fiber-optic cable into the downtown core, work he expects will happen as soon as several businesses form a critical mass of demand. Also eager to attract tenants with renovations are Hastings Building owners Harry Dudley and his siblings, all direct descendants of the original owners. Now the time appears right to fix up the family's building, where beyond water stains and falling plaster, it's easy to see the beauty of the lavish bay windows and detailed fir woodwork. Most of the woodwork is intact and a huge central skylight bathes the balconied atrium in an extravagant flood of natural light. What's more, Port Townsend's population is growing, up 19 percent from 7,001 residents in 1990 to 8,330 in 1997, according to state figures.