- Ocean Shores, Washington
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Ocean Shores, Washington — City — Location of Ocean Shores, Washington
Coordinates: 46°58′18″N 124°9′17″W / 46.97167°N 124.15472°WCoordinates: 46°58′18″N 124°9′17″W / 46.97167°N 124.15472°W Country United States State Washington County Grays Harbor Area - Total 12.1 sq mi (31.3 km2) - Land 8.6 sq mi (22.3 km2) - Water 3.4 sq mi (8.9 km2) Elevation 23 ft (7 m) Population (2010) - Total 5,569 - Density 444.7/sq mi (171.7/km2) Time zone Pacific (PST) (UTC-8) - Summer (DST) PDT (UTC-7) ZIP code 98569 Area code(s) 360 FIPS code 53-50570[1] GNIS feature ID 1510681[2] Ocean Shores is a city in Grays Harbor County, Washington, United States. The population was 5,569 at the 2010 census.
Contents
History
Digging for razor clams on the beach
The City of Ocean Shores occupies the Point Brown peninsula on the Washington coast. Long before the arrival of European explorers and settlers, the peninsula was used by the various local tribes for trading and other purposes. The Chinook, Chehalis, and Quinault Tribes used the area, as well as others that now make up the Quinault Indian Nation.
On May 7, 1792 Captain Robert Gray sailed into the bay and named the area Bullfinch Harbor. Later, Captain George Vancouver re-named the area after Captain Gray, now called Gray's Harbor. The first white established settler on the Point was Matthew McGee, who settled in the early 1860s. He sold the southern portion of the peninsula to A.O. Damon in 1878 for a trading supply center whose dock extended into the Oyehut channel. A.O. Damon took over the entire peninsula from McGee with the land passed along to his grandson, Ralph Minard, who used the area as a cattle ranch from 1929 until he sold to the Ocean Shores Development Corporation in 1960 for $1,000,000.
At the time the Washington State legislature was considering legalizing some forms of gambling. In expectation of a huge casino development, the Ocean Shores Development Corporation opened their sale of lots in a travel trailer parked in the dunes. Soon the word spread about the California-style development of the place called Ocean Shores. The price of lots began at $595 and were sold sight unseen from the first plat maps. As the numbers of lots sold rose, the prices rose. Property lots were staked and numbered only as the road construction crews began to lay out the massive road system. Even though the first roads were only 20 miles (32 km) in length, the downtown area had mercury vapor lights to show that this was a booming city. In the first year 25 homes were constructed and their owners had charter membership certificates in the Ocean Shores Community Club.
As the development grew, the Ginny Simms Restaurant and Nightclub brought in the Hollywood set. In fact, on Grand Opening night chartered planes flew up a whole contingent of Hollywood stars, and 11,000 people turned out at Bowerman Basin to see the celebrities.
By December, 1960, 25 miles (40 km) of canals were planned, a six-hole golf course was drawing players, and the mall shopping area was ready for the 1961 Ocean Shores Estates construction boom. The mall, 100 motel units, three restaurants and the airstrip sprang up from the sandy ground with the marina opening in 1963. The S.S. Catala was brought up from California to become a "boatel" and charter fleet office. Two years later a southwest winter storm drove her into the sand and for many years she was the most famous shipwreck on the Washington Coast. In 1966 the famous gates to the city were installed.
Pat Boone became a local resident in 1967 as a stockholder in the Ocean Shores Estates Incorporated and promotion of the development was sped along by the famous Celebrity Golf tournaments hosted by Boone.
By 1969 Ocean Shores was declared the "Richest Little City" with an assessed evaluation of $35 million and 900 permanent residents. The following year the city was incorporated with a planning commission formed to zone the city and codify streets. The city's first school opened in 1971 and road paving on streets began in earnest.
During the 1970s, the town struggled through many setbacks brought on mainly by the state's economic recession. By the 1980s, the slump was over and construction of homes and businesses increased.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 12.1 square miles (31 km2) of which 8.6 square miles (22 km2) of it is land and 3.4 square miles (8.8 km2) or 28.50% of it is water.
Climate
Ocean Shores experiences an oceanic climate (Köppen climate classification Cfb).
Climate data for Ocean Shores Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year Average high °F (°C) 48
(9)51
(11)53
(12)56
(13)60
(16)63
(17)66
(19)67
(19)67
(19)61
(16)53
(12)48
(9)57 Average low °F (°C) 36
(2)37
(3)38
(3)41
(5)45
(7)48
(9)51
(11)51
(11)48
(9)43
(6)39
(4)36
(2)43 Precipitation inches (mm) 10.45
(265.4)8.81
(223.8)8.26
(209.8)5.42
(137.7)3.65
(92.7)2.54
(64.5)1.52
(38.6)4.65
(118.1)3.05
(77.5)6.97
(177)11.12
(282.4)11.11
(282.2)77.55
(1,969.8)Source: [3] Demographics
Historical populations Census Pop. %± 1970 800 — 1980 1,777 122.1% 1990 2,301 29.5% 2000 3,836 66.7% 2010 5,569 45.2% As of the census[1] of 2000, there were 3,836 people, 1,789 households, and 1,198 families residing in the city. The population density was 444.7 people per square mile (171.6/km²). There were 3,170 housing units at an average density of 367.5 per square mile (141.8/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 92.44% White, 0.60% African American, 2.19% Native American, 1.23% Asian, 0.10% Pacific Islander, 0.81% from other races, and 2.63% from two or more races. The city experienced an influx of West Midland residents in the late 1990s. Hispanic or Latino of any race was 1.75% of the population. 17.4% were of German, 13.9% Irish, 12.0% English, 9.6% American, and 8.0% Norwegian ancestry according to Census 2000.
There were 1,789 households out of which 17.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.7% were married couples living together, 7.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.0% were non-families. 27.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.14 and the average family size was 2.55.
In the city the population was spread out with 16.8% under the age of 18, 4.6% from 18 to 24, 18.9% from 25 to 44, 31.7% from 45 to 64, and 28.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 52 years. For every 100 females there were 93.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.6 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $34,643, and the median income for a family was $38,520. Males had a median income of $31,371 versus $25,393 for females. The per capita income for the city was $19,192. About 9.8% of families and 12.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 22.1% of those under age 18 and 3.8% of those ages 65 or over.
Schools
North Beach School District
North Beach High School 336 State Route 115 Ocean Shores, WA 98569
Grades: 9th - 12th
North Beach Middle School 336 State Route 109 Ocean Shores, WA 98569
Grades: 6th - 8th
Local Churches
- Copalis Crossing Assembly of God
(360) 289-2145
- Ocean Shores Baptist Church
(360) 289-2540
- Faith Community Church
(360) 289-2474
- St. Jerome Church
(360) 289-2838
- Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints
(360) 289-2037
- Copalis Community Church
(360) 289-2233
- Galilean Lutheran Church
(360) 289-3313
- Ocean Shores United Methodist Church
(360) 289-0201
Death on the Fourth of July
The book Death on the Fourth of July documents a racially charged killing which took place in Ocean Shores on July 4, 2000.[4] A group of young Asian-American men who were visiting Ocean Shores spent that July 4 weekend there when they were attacked by a group of white men who were also visiting and had spent the weekend harassing non-whites. One of the Asians, Minh Duc Hong, fought back and wound up stabbing and killing the leader of the group of white racists, Chris Kinison. Hong was arrested and tried for manslaughter. His trial ended in a hung jury, 11-1 in favor of acquittal; prosecutors decided not to retry the case.[5]
References
- ^ a b "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ^ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. 2007-10-25. http://geonames.usgs.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ^ "Average Weather for Ocean Shores". Weather.com. http://www.weather.com/outlook/health/achesandpains/wxclimatology/monthly/graph/USWA0313?from=36hr_bottomnav_aches. Retrieved 2008-05-13.
- ^ Neiwert, David (2004-06-16). Death on the Fourth of July: The Story of a Killing, a Trial, and Hate Crime in America (1st ed.). Palgrave Macmillan. ISBN 9781403965011.
- ^ "Hate Crimes: Asian youth freed in death of racist harasser". Spring 2001. http://www.splcenter.org/intel/intelreport/article.jsp?aid=245. Retrieved 2009-07-28.
External links
- City of Ocean Shores
- City of Ocean Shores Community Website
- Asian American Groups Seek FBI Probe of Ocean Shores Stabbing, AsianWeek.com (Story on the bottom of the page)
Municipalities and communities of Grays Harbor County, Washington County seat: Montesano Cities 
CDPs Aberdeen Gardens | Brady | Central Park | Chehalis Village | Cohassett Beach | Copalis Beach | Grayland | Humptulips | Junction City | Malone-Porter | Markham | Moclips | Neilton | Ocean City | Oyehut-Hogans Corner | Satsop | Taholah
Unincorporated
communitiesAmanda Park | Copalis Crossing | Pacific Beach | Quinault
Indian reservations Chehalis Indian Reservation‡ | Quinault Indian Reservation‡
Footnotes ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties
Categories:- Cities in Washington (state)
- Populated places in Grays Harbor County, Washington
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