Franchising law involves helping new business owners evaluate franchising opportunities, and assist in the purchase and operation of business franchises -- an alternative to starting a new, independent business from scratch. Franchising allows businesses owners to reduce their investment risk by associating with an established company, but may also require business owners to relinquish significant control over their business.
North Lakewood is a neighborhood in Snohomish County, Washington, United States. It is located west of Arlington, east of Lake Goodwin, and north of the Tulalip Indian Reservation. North Lakewood is considered part of greater Smokey Point. Called "Lakewood" since the turn of the 20th Century, the name was changed after the Pierce County community of a similar name incorporated into the City of Lakewood in 1996. This soon created confusion with mail service, as there were now two communities sharing the name. To alleviate this problem, the United States Postal Service granted the Pierce County community the rights to use "Lakewood, Washington", since it was now an incorporated city, and changed the Snohomish County community's name to "North Lakewood", which was unincorporated at the time. This allowed the Snohomish County community to keep its Post Office. Since 2005, the portion of North Lakewood located inside the urban growth boundary has been part of the City of Marysville.