Sea Side Scrap Book » The Small Town Of Hoquiam Takes Stock In The Past And Takes To The Water

The Small Town Of Hoquiam Takes Stock In The Past And Takes To The Water

Small towns are the direct product of human decisions, millions of them, going on daily, weekly, monthly since the advent of time. Or at least the advent of the town. These decisions comprise the true nature of a town, and often towns end up far, far different than their first days as a result. Some end up becoming cities. Others end up becoming empty places. To even out these small decisions and shape the destiny of a town, the community often has to get together and make a big decision or two.

The town of Hoquiam, Washington is in the middle of these considerations at the moment. Historically a logging town in the lumber rich Pacific Northwest, Hoquiam has preserved its heritage through a variety of events. There’s the annual, and internationally famous, Loggers’ Playday, as well as logging competitions and parades in the fall. Now it has to consider whether it wants to grow.

Downtown Opportunities

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Hoquiam’s waterfront is at the center of its ongoing discussion of how Hoquiam will grow in the coming years. The Hoquiam River flows through the city’s downtown, emptying into Grays Harbor, all in all a lovely natural feature and abundant with potential. A well-used waterway did good things for Baltimore, and practically put San Antonio on the tourist map. Is Hoquiam ready for waterfront dining and entertainment?

The Hoquiam waterfront had a precedent; in the 1980s it was a popular place to visit. Now that development has taken interest in the area, the community has to think seriously about who it is, and who it’s going to become. And how money is going to be spent to get it there.

Big or Small?

Hoquiam sits, as has been said, at the mouth of the river that bears its name. To its east is the larger town of Aberdeen. It won’t surprise you to learn that these two towns have carried on a bit of a rivalry, in high school sports and otherwise, for years. These proposed developments will affect Aberdeen as well as Hoquiam, and this relationship is important also to keep in mind. A fine waterfront could benefit even rivals, but again, only if done wisely.

But Hoquiam must proceed cautiously. It is interested in preserving its past, as is evident in the 2009 revitalization of its train depot. So it knows how to preserve and honor its past; now it must seriously consider how it wants to carry that history forward, what kind of city it wants to become.

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