Hoquiam: A Developing Community Rich in History

A city in Grays Harbor County, Washington State, United States, Hoquiam, means “hungry for wood”. This name was coined by Indian settlers for the river running into Grays Harbor. It was the first site of the Indian village. However, white settlers got immersed in the area in the 1850s due to abundance of game, shellfish, and giant trees. The city was integrated on the twenty first of May, 1890.

The city has a total area of 15.6 square miles, based on the United States Census Bureau, where 9.2 of which is made up of land while the remaining 6.4 square miles is comprised of water. Because of this composition, the city has an oceanic climate. Hoquiam may be found in the hemisphere with 46.981N latitude and 123.888W longitude. The city is found in the Pacific Standard time zone with an elevation of 20 feet.

From the 2000 Census Data of the city, the total population of 9,097 has 4,672 females and 4,425 males. 22.6% of the total population are 15 years of age and below resulting to a young population. With regard to ethnicity and race, the population is dominated by the whites, followed by Hispanics, American Indian and Alaskan natives, multicultural races, Asians, African Americans, and by Native Hawaiians.

The city is rich in terms of history. Tourists and guests alike may have a feel of the past with the tours of historical museums, dramatic murals, and preserved buildings. Activities such as walking along the 8th Street Landing or Rayonier’s Waterfront Park, touring of the Arnold Polson Museum, Farmer’s Market shopping, or viewing of migration of shorebirds at Bowerman Basin may be included in the itinerary of any visitor. Tourists and locals may swing by the Griffits-Priday Ocean State Park as well as the Ocean City State Park. With these attractions to behold, one would definitely be entertained and amused.

Hoquiam is recognized for its number of festivals such as the Ethnic Heritage Festival during March, Shorebird Migration Festival in April, River Festival in July, Grays Harbor Bluegrass Festival and Push Rods Festival in August, and Loggers Playday and Harbor Heritage Festival both in September.

Due to its allegiance to community forestry, the city was named a Tree City by the Arbor Day foundation in March 2009. The awardee has complied with the meticulous standards of the Foundation due to its tree care ordinance, comprehensive community forestry program, tree board or department, and proclamation and observation of Arbor Day in its community. This just goes to show that the city is hygienic and peaceful for its residents and dwellers.

Due to the city’s continuous innovation and development, an award from the Association of Washington Cities (AWC) for the AWC Municipal Excellence award was garnered in June 2010. This just goes to show how the city values improvement in its neighbourhoods, pedestrian walks, and lifestyle having won from over the 50 entries.

From its modest beginnings, the Indian settlement has evolved into a developing city.

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