The Times - Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley

Strolling through the bustling construction zone of Amazon’s urban campus in Seattle, you instantly recognize the charm offensive the company has aimed at its hometown. “Banistas” at two outdoor stands offer bananas -- a visual cue to Amazon’s smiley logo - to employees and passers-by.

Most American cities would do backflips to have a jobs juggernaut like Amazon.com in their midst. After all, the company will soon fill more than 10 million square feet of office space in a place where it now employs more than 30,000 people.

But Seattle is not like other places. Locals resent the enor...