Aberdeen, Washington facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Aberdeen, Washington
City
Downtown & Wishkah River from Route 101
Flag
Nickname(s):  Port of Missing Men
Motto(s):  Come As You Are
Location of Aberdeen in Grays Harbor County
Country	United States
State	Washington
County	Grays Harbor
Founded	1884
Incorporated	May 12, 1890
Government
• Type	Mayor–council
Area
• City	12.58 sq mi (32.57 km2)
• Land	10.87 sq mi (28.16 km2)
• Water	1.70 sq mi (4.41 km2)
Elevation	10 ft (3 m)
Population  (2020)
• City	17,013
• Estimate  (2023)	17,014
• Density	1,564.87/sq mi (604.19/km2)
• Urban	26,603
• Metro	77,290
Demonym(s)	Aberdonian
Time zone	UTC−8 (Pacific (PST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC−7 (PDT)
ZIP Code	98520
Area code(s)	360 and 564
FIPS code	53-00100
GNIS feature ID	1511950

Aberdeen (/ˈæbərdiːn/ ab-ƏR-deen) is a city in Grays Harbor County, Washington, United States. About 17,000 people lived there in 2020. It is the biggest city in Grays Harbor County. It is also the main business hub for the area. Aberdeen is next to the cities of Hoquiam and Cosmopolis. People sometimes call it the "Gateway to the Olympic Peninsula".

Discovering Aberdeen's Past

A tribute to Kurt Cobain was installed by the Kurt Cobain Memorial Committee. The song "Come as You Are" is by Nirvana.

Aberdeen got its name from a salmon cannery. It was named after Aberdeen, a fishing port in Scotland. Both cities are located where two rivers meet the sea.

Samuel Benn started Aberdeen in 1884. It became an official city on May 12, 1890. At first, Aberdeen was smaller than nearby Hoquiam and Cosmopolis. The first sawmill in Aberdeen was built in 1894. The other towns already had mills for years.

Aberdeen and its neighbors wanted the Northern Pacific Railroad to end there. But the railroad went to Ocosta instead. So, people from Hoquiam and Aberdeen built their own train track. In 1895, this track connected to the Northern Pacific line.

During the Great Depression, Aberdeen faced tough times. Many sawmills had to close down. The timber industry was still important for a while. But by the late 1970s, most of the trees had been cut. Many mills closed in the 1970s and 1980s.

Aberdeen is also the home of the tall ship Lady Washington. This ship is a copy of one used by explorer Captain Robert Gray. It was even featured in the Pirates of the Caribbean movie, The Curse of the Black Pearl.

Exploring Aberdeen's Location

Aberdeen is at the east end of Grays Harbor. It is near the mouth of the Chehalis River. The city is southwest of the Olympic Mountains. Grays Harbor is special because it is the northernmost ria on North America's Pacific Coast. A ria is a river valley that has been flooded by the sea.

The city has a total area of about 12.36 square miles (32.01 km2). Most of this area is land, about 10.65 square miles (27.58 km2). The rest, about 1.71 square miles (4.43 km2), is water.

Aberdeen's Climate and Weather

Aberdeen has a mild climate. It is a mix of a Mediterranean and oceanic climate. This means it has wet winters and drier summers. It rains a lot from October to March. But July and August are much drier.

Temperatures are usually very mild. This is because the warm Pacific Ocean is close by. Snow is very rare in Aberdeen. However, in December 1964, about 22 inches (57 cm) of snow fell. Sometimes, hot winds can cause very high temperatures. For example, in August 1981, the temperature reached 105 °F (41 °C).

People and Population in Aberdeen

In 2022, there were about 6,441 homes in Aberdeen. Each home had about 2.59 people. The average age in the city was 37.1 years old.

Census Information for Aberdeen

• 2020 Census: In 2020, there were 17,013 people living in Aberdeen. There were 6,274 households.
• 2010 Census: In 2010, there were 16,896 people in the city. About 80.4% of people were White. About 15.8% were Hispanic or Latino. About 24.9% of residents were under 18 years old.

Industries and Jobs in Aberdeen

Aberdeen and the Grays Harbor area still rely on timber, fishing, and tourism. It also serves as a service center for the Olympic Peninsula. Grays Harbor Community Hospital is a big employer, with over 600 workers.

The Port of Grays Harbor is the largest coastal shipping port north of California. It is still a major place for sending logs out of the U.S. West Coast. It has also become a big center for shipping cars and grains to China and Korea.

Some major companies in Grays Harbor include Westport Shipyard and Sierra Pacific Industries. Other important employers are the Quinault Indian Nation and The Simpson Door Company. There is also a state prison called Stafford Creek Corrections Center.

Other notable employers include Ocean Spray, which grows cranberries. Also, Walmart, Sidhu & Sons Nursery, and Washington Crab Producers are big employers.

In 2007, a company built a biodiesel plant at the Port of Grays Harbor. This plant can make a lot of fuel from plants each year. In 2010, the Weyerhaeuser Cosmopolis Pulp Mill was bought and reopened as Cosmo Specialty Fibers, Inc. It started making pulp again in 2011.

Shopping in Aberdeen

Aberdeen used to have two indoor shopping malls. The Wishkah Mall opened in 1976. The South Shore Mall opened in 1981. The South Shore Mall was bigger, with space for many stores. It was later renamed The Shoppes at Riverside. This mall closed in 2021 because of problems with its foundation. A movie theater and fun center are still open in part of the mall.

Learning and Education in Aberdeen

The Weatherwax building of Aberdeen High School burned down in 2002.

The city's school district has two high schools. They are J. M. Weatherwax High School (also called Aberdeen High School) and Harbor High School. Harbor High is an alternative school. Aberdeen High has a long-standing sports rivalry with Hoquiam High School.

In 2002, the old Weatherwax building of Aberdeen High School caught fire. It was built in 1909 and was destroyed. A new school building was finished in 2007.

The school district also has one junior high, Miller Junior High. There are five elementary schools: Central Park, McDermoth, Stevens, AJ West, and Robert Gray. St. Mary's Catholic School is a private school.

Aberdeen is home to Grays Harbor College. It is located in the south part of the city. The college helps students get ready to transfer to a four-year university.

Aberdeen has the biggest public library in Grays Harbor County. It is part of the Timberland Regional Library system. The first library building opened in 1908. The current building opened in 1966 and was updated in 2000.

The city's museum was in a historic armory building. This building was built in 1922. In June 2018, a big fire destroyed the building and the museum's collections. This included an exhibit about the band Nirvana.

Famous People from Aberdeen

Sister Cities

Aberdeen has two sister cities in Japan:

• Hakui, Ishikawa, Japan
• Kanazawa, Ishikawa, Japan

See also

In Spanish: Aberdeen (Washington) para niños