after VJ Day as veterans returned home. Federal legislation extended the life of the temporary wartime developments. However, faced with the growing concern of poverty, the military instituted a minimum income requirement, resulting in lower-income military personnel being denied entry into the Salishan community. Crime also became an increasing problem, leading some bus drivers to refuse to drive into the Salishan area without plainclothes police officers on board to avoid harassment. In addition, the diverse community began to see early indications of racial tensions. In 1949, the Boy Scouts of America attempted to organize racially separated troops in the Salishan area. However, black voters rejected the idea, resulting in the formation of the first integrated Scout troop in the Tacoma area. Despite the crime problems, Salishan was recognized as a center for cultural events. The Sunday edition of the Tacoma News Tribune lauded Salishan for being a "lesson in enterprise and thinking," with a large range of cultural activities available to residents. Salishan's population continued to grow. In 1950, a population of 6,700 was reached, of which nearly half were children. In attempts to create a utopian community environment, business-sponsored home beautification contests in the area. Despite this, Salishan remained a fairly poor area, which eventually led to its conversion to a low-income housing area. Conversion to low-income housing By the early 1950s, Salishan's income was hovering at around $1,900 per year (approximately $16,000 as of March 2006). This led to increasing pressure on the Tacoma Housing Authority to convert Salishan to a low-income housing property. This was met with opposition from the local real estate industry, which feared that Salishan being converted to a low-income area would harm the house prices in the surrounding areas. In addition, the industry argued that there was little need, with around half of the housing units unoccupied. However, on 24 May 1951, the Tacoma City Council voted to convert 900 units to low-income housing and demolish the rest. In the mid-1950s the community's "center" was Hogan's grocery store/drugstore/variety store/soda fountain in a large building on East 44th St. Incorporated in the drugstore segment was a soda fountain bar with the old-style cushioned, spinning stools the length of the bar. This building, located across the parking lot from the Tacoma Housing Authority administration and maintenance facility, went through a variety of iterations to serve the community. In the later 1950s, after the grocery store