Research Guides
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Scholarly sources (academic books and journal articles) enable you to examine an issue on a larger, theoretical level. Thus, you may not find an article talking about economic restructuring in Federal Way, WA but you'll find plenty of books and articles about the growth of American suburbia in the last half of the 20th century.
To find articles that are applicable to your own geography of home, stay away from the very concrete (Federal Way, WA) and focus on broader issues and themes, like suburbs; post-industrialism; or a particular industry.