Saturday, December 4, 2010

Hoquiam: A Developing Community Rich in History

By Kyle Miller


The city Hoquiam, which means "hungry for wood", may be found in Grays Harbor County, Washington State, United States. The name was given by early Indian settlers because of the river that flowed to the Grays harbour. The settlement was eventually dwelled by white settlers in the 1850s because of its wealth and natural resources in game, shellfish, and giant trees. Hoquiam was officially incorporated into a city on May 21, 1890.

Based on the United States Census Bureau, the city has an area of 15.6 square miles. 9.2 of the total square miles are comprised of land while the remaining 6.4 square miles is composed of water. The city has an oceanic climate. The longitude of Hoquiam is 123.888W while the latitude is 46.981N. It is located 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 known for its rich history. Visitors may experience the not so distant past with the richness of the city's historical museums, artistic murals, and conserved monuments. Tourists may enjoy the following activities: a walk along the 8th Street Landing or Rayonier's Waterfront Park, a tour of the Arnold Polson Museum, a shopping spree at the Farmer's Market, or a view of the migration of shorebirds at Bowerman Basin. Guests can visit to the Griffits-Priday Ocean State Park and the Ocean City State Park. These attractions are more than enough to keep visitors from coming back for more.

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.

In March 2009, the city was named a Tree City in the United States community by the Arbor Day Foundation in honor of its commitment to community forestry. The recipient of the award has met the standards of the Foundation with its tree board or department, tree care ordinance, its comprehensive community forestry program, and an Arbor Day observance and proclamation. This is an excellent proof that the city is indeed safe and clean 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.

Even with its humble beginnings, the "hungry for wood" settlement has made its mark and name and has progressed into a developing city.




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