The Small Township Of Hoquiam Evaluates The Future And Grows Up

A town needs to grow and change to survive, and often this can be a tricky thing. Often a town is settled for one particular reason and then, years later, finds it needs to learn a new trick in order to stay viable, which is inevitable. How this town goes about remaking itself says a lot about how industrious the town itself is, but it also serves as a reflection on us and our modern times.

A fine example of this evolution is seen in the Washington town of Hoquiam. Hoquiam was originally a logging town, a history it recalls with an annual event — Loggers’ Playday. And in the fall there is a logging competition and a parade to further remind the people how they got here. While maintaining these traditions is important, sometimes it’s necessary to invent something new.

Consider the Hoquiam waterfront. This stretch of city in the Hoquiam downtown has been underused since its previous heyday in the 1980s. Now that some development has taken an interest in it, there’s a possibility for it to become a much more colorful and vital part of the local community. It can’t be all logging contests and lumber festivals, after all.

Imagining a waterfront lined with shops and restaurants and hotels helps us think about how to make a town more profitable — both culturally and financially. Developing the waterfront area has done great things for cities such as San Antonio and Baltimore. Hoquiam could be like these cities in having an attractive downtown with plenty of cultural resources. On top of that, there’s the Hoquiam River itself, a naturally beautiful site where people can enjoy the environment while enjoying a drink, maybe some dinner.

There’s another good reason for Hoquiam to consider its development options. There’s its bigger neighbor to the east, Aberdeen, with whom Hoquiam has a kind of rivalry. Bigger towns tend to get the better opportunities, often more money from the state, than the smaller town. Older siblings always get the new stuff while littler kids get the hand-me-downs. But so if Hoquiam thinks about what it wants to become and applies that vision in creating a lovely downtown waterfront, it can show that next-door neighbor how great a town can be.

That balance between tradition and innovation is an important one. But it’s necessary to think about making change to avoid stagnation in a community. And when small towns such as Hoquiam find this opportunity for evolution, they should take a chance or two and grow.

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