Small towns are the direct product of human decisions, millions of them, going on daily, weekly, monthly since the advent of time. Or at least the advent of the town. These decisions comprise the true nature of a town, and often towns end up far, far different than their first days as a result. Some end up becoming cities. Others end up becoming empty places. To even out these small decisions and shape the destiny of a town, the community often has to get together and make a big decision or two.

In the Washington town of Hoquiam do we have a fine example of these potential changes. At the mouth of the Hoquiam River, in Grays Harbor, Hoquiam grew from a lumber town to become a lovely small American town that, like other small American towns, is proud of its past. There’s the annual Loggers’ Playday, there are logging competitions and parades; but is lumber going to be enough for this town?

Some big changes are proposed for Hoquiam’s waterfront area. The Hoquiam River runs through the city’s downtown before emptying into Grays Harbor, making the area ripe with potential as a place to visit, for locals and tourists alike. A gem of a waterfront had profound positive effects on the economies of both San Antonio and Baltimore. Done right, a waterfront of dining and shopping and entertainment quickly becomes the heart of a community.

This waterfront had a bit of a Renaissance in the 1980s, but now development possibilities mean the conversation has to begin again, and get serious. This being tax money at stake, and the future of a town’s culture, it’s not to be taken lightly. Hoquiam has to decide how it wants to grow.

An interesting catalyst might be in Hoquiam’s proximity to its neighboring city to the east, Aberdeen. Aberdeen is slightly larger, and in the way of many neighboring towns, there is a bit of a rivalry. These kinds of relationships often encourage clever innovation and development as the towns struggle to distinguish themselves, and so maybe Hoquiam will define itself in some marked contrast to its nearby sister.

Hoquiam’s real interest will be in negotiating its links to its history with the potential for future development. It’s delicate, this relationship — too much loyalty to the past can pre-empt a future, and too much enthusiasm about heading into the future can change a town into somewhere else entirely. For Hoquiam, the choices are many, important, and ultimately definitive.

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