Salishan is a diverse and mixed-income neighborhood of Tacoma, Washington that was originally created as World War II housing project but, starting in 2002, has been demolished and rebuilt into a new neighborhood of homes, apartments, services, and parks on new infrastructure. It is located on Tacoma's eastside. Creation The federal government created the community of Salishan during World War II to house workers in the area's wartime industries and military personnel, and their families. It was planned to have 2,000 units (1,600 permanent residencies plus 400 temporary ones). This plan was similar to the ones that created communities in Seattle and King County during this same time. The Salishan project was plagued by difficulties common during the war. Trees from the original property were used, but difficulties arose due to limited labor and war-related delays. The sewer system was delivered late, and at one point a snowstorm brought progress to a complete halt. However, on 1 May 1943, over 600 families moved into the new development. At that time, Salishan was almost as large as the nearby community of Puyallup, then a small farming community. Problems continued, however, in the form of poor telephone service and archaic appliances. Additionally, the sudden increase in population put a strain on the Tacoma Public Schools, putting the Salishan School at more than double its capacity. Salishan was notable from the outset in ways that have continued to be true. At a time when the nation's housing market was thoroughly segregated by race, Salishan was racially integrated on purpose. In addition, after the Vietnam War, Salishan also became an important gateway community for new Americans. By the time Salishan was demolished in 2002 to make way for its redevelopment, its residents were about 25% Vietnamese, 25% Cambodian, and about 13% African-American. New Salishan remains one of the regions' neighborhoods most diverse by race, language, national origin, income, homeowner-renter, age, ability and disability. Post-War boom By the end of the War, the federal government transferred Salishan to the Tacoma Housing Authority. From that time to the present, Salishan has been an important part of the City of Tacoma's supply of affordable housing. Even during the war, Salishan's population included many low-income families. Despite the wartime boom in the shipyard industry, 12 percent of Salishan families relied on public assistance, which would eventually lead to increasing post-war poverty rates. The demand for Salishan housing increased