Think of all the small towns you've passed through in your life and all the forces large and small that shaped them into that town that you either linger in or speed through, depending on the kindness of time. Any small town is the sum of many decisions, often just everyday decisions, and this is the sound that culture makes. But sometimes it's important for the people of a town to sit back and take a look at the direction their town is taking -- and think about what kind of town they really want.
Up in the Pacific Northwest is a town called Hoquiam, Washington. It was born and raised a logging and exporting town. It has maintained this identity through annual events like parades and logging competitions and an internationally popular event called Loggers' Playday. All of which has served it well enough, but what will it do when faced with the possibility for growth?
Those changes would happen on the waterfront, a stretch of downtown running alongside the Hoquiam River. These kind of cultural centerpieces have done amazing things for cities such as San Antonio and Baltimore. Where once there was a bunch of running water, now there is shopping and dining and hotels and bars and a whole stretch of real estate just made for entertainment.
The waterfront hasn't seen much action since its heyday in the 1980s, but now there is development interest, and so the community has to think seriously about what kind of town it may want to become. Development is obviously no guarantee of success, nor will it necessarily turn it into a metropolis, but decisions need to be made collectively, because of course growth isn't free -- tax money is the ruche fertilizer for civic growth.
Another consideration worth a moment is the relationship to Aberdeen, the larger city to the east. This relationship, like probably all neighboring towns, is one of friendly rivalry. And rivalry often does good things for innovation. The tow is at the mouth of the river, right on Grays Harbor, so it has opportunities no other town in the area does.
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. - 42574
Up in the Pacific Northwest is a town called Hoquiam, Washington. It was born and raised a logging and exporting town. It has maintained this identity through annual events like parades and logging competitions and an internationally popular event called Loggers' Playday. All of which has served it well enough, but what will it do when faced with the possibility for growth?
Those changes would happen on the waterfront, a stretch of downtown running alongside the Hoquiam River. These kind of cultural centerpieces have done amazing things for cities such as San Antonio and Baltimore. Where once there was a bunch of running water, now there is shopping and dining and hotels and bars and a whole stretch of real estate just made for entertainment.
The waterfront hasn't seen much action since its heyday in the 1980s, but now there is development interest, and so the community has to think seriously about what kind of town it may want to become. Development is obviously no guarantee of success, nor will it necessarily turn it into a metropolis, but decisions need to be made collectively, because of course growth isn't free -- tax money is the ruche fertilizer for civic growth.
Another consideration worth a moment is the relationship to Aberdeen, the larger city to the east. This relationship, like probably all neighboring towns, is one of friendly rivalry. And rivalry often does good things for innovation. The tow is at the mouth of the river, right on Grays Harbor, so it has opportunities no other town in the area does.
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. - 42574