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The North Beach If you want to explore more of the coast than just Ocean Shores-head North! As you follow Hwy 109 up the coast, the first town you will come to is Ocean City. The population was 217 at the 2000 census. There are a few motels, North Beach Motel and Westwinds, to name a couple. RV and Campgrounds such as Ocean Shores Outdoor Recreation (located south of Ocean City) a grocery store, Sunrise Market. There's a beach approach on 2nd Avenue where you can drive on the beach. The next town you will come to is Copalis Beach. Which also offers several places to stay such as The Beachwood Resort, Driftwood Acres, Dunes Resort, Echoes By the Sea, Tidelands and Rod's Beach Resort. The population was 489 at the 2000 census. For good food, shuffle board, game of pool and shopping visit the Green Lantern Tavern and Vendor Village. Copalis and the beach of the same name, have become famed as the "Home of the razor clam." The fame seems justified. The community sits near the northern end of probably the greatest razor clam bed in the world for the flavor renowned variety abounds, apparently only in the Pacific Northwest, and particularly on Copalis Beach. Now as we wander further up Hwy 109, you will notice a change in the coast line. Cliffs will start appearing along with the beautiful wind blown trees. Two years ago, a team was assembled of talented designers, architects, landscapers, transportation experts, planners, and national marketing advisors to develop the master plan for Seabrook. Seabrook is centered on a main street on the bluff in the heart of town and includes many beautiful vistas and an interconnected network of paths, trails, and sidewalks. It is designed to meet all of a resident's basic needs within a five-minute walk. An authentic main street offers an espresso café. Seabrook uses elements of the best traditional architecture to create a mix of cottages, houses, townhouses, store-front buildings, and civic places. Seabrook also features a "necklace of green spaces" wrapping around the town, preserving the most sensitive areas of the site. Easy pedestrian access to the beach is made available for all of the residents and guests. Of the 88 acres in Seabrook, only 55 acres will be developed, excluding public park lands. Just past Seabrook, you'll find Pacific Beach. You will want to take a left and discover Pacific Beach. The road loops around right back to Hwy 109. You will find shops, eateries and the Sand Dollar Inn. You will also find some very spectacular views! Besides its early manifestation as a sawmill town, Pacific Beach has always been a resort destination of sorts, ever since a man named Henry J. Blodget first settled that part of the coast during the mid-1800s. Originally, Pacific Beach was called Joe Creek. The Navy has been part of the local area since moving into the Pacific Beach Hotel. During WWII, anti-aircraft recruits trained here and sharpened their aim by blasting targets pulled by Navy planes out of Westport. After WWII, the facility was offered to the local community for $1, but because the community was unincorporated, the sale failed and the base sat idle until 1950. Later, the Air Force returned and for the next five years operated the Pacific Beach base as a radar station. In 1957 and 1958, after two more years of idleness, NAVFAC (Naval Facility) engineers arrived and redeveloped the base. Then in October of 1987, the U.S. Naval Facility at Pacific Beach was disestablished and transferred to Naval Station Puget Sound and then to Naval Station Everett. Under Commander Naval Base guidance, the unoccupied facilities developed into a Morale, Welfare, Recreation (MWR) and Education Support Center, Resort and Conference Center. The lodging part of the resort is open to active, retired and reservist military, as well as all Department of Defense and federal employees. Authorized users can sponsor family members and friends. The Windjammer Restaurant and bar, gift shop and bowling alley are open to the public. Each 1950s vintage guest cottage is named after a U.S. president. Today Pacific Beach is still a small beach community with a population of less than 1000 people and thousands of tourist enjoying Pacific Beach State Park is a 10-acre camping park with 2,300 feet of ocean shoreline with brisky fresh area, salty mist and incredible views. Flat and unprotected from Pacific storms, Moclips is about as close to the ocean beach as any town in Washington. The population was 615 at the 2000 census. Geographically, the town might even be considered actually on the beach. Besides being ravaged by several major fires early on, Moclips has been decimated by fierce storms over the years -- especially a big one that blew through in 1911. The glory days for both towns dissipated gradually over the years as the timber industry slowed and the railroad gave way to the automobile. Both towns now rely mostly on tourism as their economic base and have combined to promote the area as an alternative to the much more commercially developed Ocean Shores to the south. Ocean Shores however, is also considered part of what's referred to as North Beach. However, besides the obvious beach asset, the area has a lot to offer. If you venture further up the coast, you'll eventually drive onto the Quinault Indian Reservation and find yourself in the small fishing village known as Taholah. |
