Towns sometimes seem to grow all on their own, to become their own people, so to speak, practically independent of the people living in them. This is of course only an illusion, but the way time and culture shape a town, especially a small one, says a lot about the culture at large, and about the people who are shaping it, day by day, through thousands and thousands of decisions large and small. Sometimes, though, it is necessary to make a decision on some big changes.
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.
Possibilities for Downtown Development
This growth would occur along the Hoquiam waterfront, the part of downtown running along the Hoquiam River. What to do with riverside property is a question many towns face, and for cities with developed waterfronts like San Antonio and Baltimore, the investment was met with great success. An underused area became, in a few years, a popular area full of restaurants and bars, hotels and shopping, entertainment of all kinds.
The waterfront has been mostly out of use since its big days in the 1980s, but now the new interest in developing the area means Hoquiam has some decisions to make about what kind of Hoquiam it wants to become. Questions not easily answered, especially when tax money is involved.
Mature Decisions
One of the perhaps important factors to consider is Hoquiam’s neighbor to the west, the larger city of Aberdeen. These two towns have had a friendly sort of rivalry, as neighboring towns will. But it bears consideration to think about how bigger towns often benefit at the expense of their smaller siblings — tax money and tourism being just two ways bigger towns get ahead. Hoquiam’s decision to grow might bear upon its rival in interesting ways.
So as it moves forward, Hoquiam has to think about how it can preserve its history but stay modern. How it can have a heritage that informs its future. It’s a question all small towns at some point have to face, and while it doesn’t mean Hoquiam has to become a metropolis, it at least has to face some grown-up decisions.
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