Aberdeen, Washington
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Aberdeen is a city located in Grays Harbor County, Washington. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 16,461. The city is made up almost entirely of a ghetto that extends into nearby Cosmopolis and Hoquiam, although there are some isolated areas of relative wealth. Aberdeen is sometimes called the "Gateway to the Olympic Peninsula" or the "Birthplace of Grunge", however locals generally term it "Hicktown, USA" or, as famous Aberdonian Kurt Cobain put it:
- "In Aberdeen, I hated my friends with a passion, because they were idiots."
Aberdeen is the homeport of the tall ship Lady Washington, a reproduction of a smaller vessel used by the explorer Captain Robert Gray.
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History
The early settlers who came to the eastern edge of Grays Harbor in the 1880s called the place Wishkah after the nearby river. But some objected, and the city was eventually renamed for a local salmon cannery. That "Aberdeen" in Scottish means "the meeting of two rivers" — in this case, the Wishkah and the Chehalis — was a coincidental poetic touch.
Though the largest and best known of the three cities on Grays Harbor, Aberdeen lagged behind neighbors Hoquiam and Cosmopolis in the early years. When A.J. West built the future city's first sawmill in 1884, the other two municipalities had already been in business for several years.
Aberdeen was officially incorporated on May 12, 1890. On October 16, 1903, a massive fire swept through the city's commercial district, destroying 140 buildings and killing four people.
For a time Aberdeen had the distinction of being "the roughest town west of the mississippi" because of its gambling, prostitution, extreme drug use, and violence. The city was off-limits to military personnel as late as the early 1980's, and with its currently high poverty and unemployment, police and judicial corruption, and drug use, has had little luck altering its public image.
Famous Aberdonians include grunge rocker Kurt Cobain (technically born in nearby Hoquiam), painter Robert Motherwell, Nobel-winning physicist Douglas Osheroff, photographer Lee Friedlander, choreographer Trisha Brown and novelist Robert Cantwell.
Industry
Despite attempts to diversify the local economy that stretch back decades, Aberdeen and the rest of Grays Harbor remain dependent on the timber industry.
Top employers on the Harbor include forestry giant Weyerhaeuser, locally owned Grays Harbor Paper L.P., Simpson Door and Hoquiam Plywood. The Stafford Creek Corrections Center, a state prison which opened in 2000, and Safe Harbor Technology, a technical support center, are two notable exceptions.
Other major employers include cranberry-growing collective Ocean Spray, Wal-Mart and Washington Crab Products.
Geography
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Location of Aberdeen, Washington
The city is located at 46°58'33" North, 123°49'7" West (46.975833, -123.818669)Template:GR.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 31.5 km² (12.2 mi²). 27.5 km² (10.6 mi²) of it is land and 4.0 km² (1.5 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 12.73% water.
Demographics
As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there are 16,461 people, 6,517 households, and 4,112 families residing in the city. The population density is 597.9/km² (1,548.8/mi²). There are 7,536 housing units at an average density of 273.7/km² (709.1/mi²). The racial makeup of the city is 84.87% White, 0.47% African American, 3.70% Native American, 2.10% Asian, 0.14% Pacific Islander, 5.15% from other races, and 3.57% from two or more races. 9.22% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 6,517 households out of which 31.8% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.9% are married couples living together, 13.7% have a female householder with no husband present, and 36.9% are non-families. 29.5% of all households are made up of individuals and 12.0% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.49 and the average family size is 3.05.
In the city the population is spread out with 26.8% under the age of 18, 10.3% from 18 to 24, 27.1% from 25 to 44, 21.9% from 45 to 64, and 14.0% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 35 years. For every 100 females there are 98.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 96.0 males.
The median income for a household in the city is $30,683, and the median income for a family is $37,966. Males have a median income of $32,710 versus $20,446 for females. The per capita income for the city is $16,092. 22.2% of the population and 16.1% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 29.7% of those under the age of 18 and 9.6% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.
Reference
- Ed Van Syckle, "The River Pioneers," Pacific Search Press, 1982.
- Ed Van Syckle, "They Tried to Cut It All," Pacific Search Press, 1980.
- Murray Morgan, "The Last Wilderness," Viking Press, 1955.
- Anne Cotton, "The History of Aberdeen," Grays Harbor Regional Planning Commission, 1982.