I frequently bash on Yakima, because there are a lot of similarities between it and Fresno: Much like Fresno, Yakima was a teaming agricultural community geographically in the shadow of a much larger metropolitan area. Most of the residents were established family owned farms, who "hire/hired" migrant workers on a regular basis. Just like Fresno; the gangs and drug dealers from the large metro started infiltrating the agricultural migrant worker population, recruiting youth into gangs or selling drugs to local schools. Just like Fresno, illegal drug abuse, illegal weapons, and crime rose significantly over a ten year span. The local Sheriffs department just wasn't equipped to handle the influx of gang influence, and the local retail and service economy struggled because of it. Then along came the 2008 Recession. Several farmers sold out and left the area because they were concerned about the ability to continue getting reliable labor during harvest season. Established local businesses closed down, either because of the increase in crime, and because the big box stores started squeezing them out. What's left is a somewhat stagnant Ag community with little hope for growth, and too many gang influences lying under the surface.
