Long Beach Peninsula
Encyclopedia
The Long Beach Peninsula is an arm of land in western Washington
state. It is bounded on the west by the Pacific Ocean
, the south by the Columbia River
, and the east by Willapa Bay
. Leadbetter Point State Park
and Willapa National Wildlife Refuge
are at the northern tip of the peninsula, Cape Disappointment State Park
, formerly known as Fort Canby State Park is at the southern end, and in between is Pacific Pines State Park
.
Cape Disappointment
, part of the Lewis and Clark National and State Historical Parks
west of Ilwaco
, was the westernmost terminus for the Lewis and Clark Expedition
, and a monument designed by Maya Lin
as part of the Confluence Project
was dedicated there in 2005.
The Long Beach Peninsula is remarkable for its continuous sand beach
es on the Pacific Ocean side, 28 miles in extent, claimed to be the longest beach in the United States
and the world's largest drivable beach, however is second to Cox's Bazar
in Bangladesh
. Because of the fine beaches, it is a popular vacation destination for people from Seattle, Washington
, 165 miles distant, and Portland, Oregon
, 115 miles distant.
The peninsula is located entirely within Pacific County, Washington.
, though fishing
, crabbing, oyster farming
, and cranberry
farming are also important components of the local economy. The Long Beach Peninsula is located on the west side of the Willapa Bay, considered the number one producer of farmed oysters in the United States and among the top five producers worldwide.
The Long Beach Peninsula has become one of the most popular tourism destinations in the State of Washington and has attracted visitors from all over North America. As one of the final destinations of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, several television specials have brought publicity to this area. A multitude of events and festivals are held throughout the year including the Washington State International Kite Fesitval, the Sandsations sandcastle sculpting competition, and the annual The Rod Run to the End of the World, which attracts thousands of visitors on the weekend following Labor Day.
Western Washington
Western Washington is a region of the United States defined as that part of Washington west of the Cascade Mountains.It is known as being far wetter in climate than the eastern portion of the state, which...
state. It is bounded on the west by the Pacific Ocean
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
, the south by the Columbia River
Columbia River
The Columbia River is the largest river in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. The river rises in the Rocky Mountains of British Columbia, Canada, flows northwest and then south into the U.S. state of Washington, then turns west to form most of the border between Washington and the state...
, and the east by Willapa Bay
Willapa Bay
Willapa Bay is a bay located on the southwest Pacific coast of Washington state in the United States. The Long Beach Peninsula separates Willapa Bay from the greater expanse of the Pacific Ocean. With over of water surface Willapa Bay is the second largest estuary on the United States Pacific coast...
. Leadbetter Point State Park
Leadbetter Point State Park
Leadbetter Point State Park is a Washington state park on the Long Beach Peninsula northwest of Oysterville, Washington. The park is bounded by Willapa Bay to the north and east and the Pacific Ocean to the west.-External links:*...
and Willapa National Wildlife Refuge
Willapa National Wildlife Refuge
Willapa National Wildlife Refuge is a National Wildlife Refuge located on the shores of Willapa Bay in Washington, USA. It comprises of sand dunes, sand beaches, mud flats, grasslands, saltwater and freshwater marshes, and coniferous forest...
are at the northern tip of the peninsula, Cape Disappointment State Park
Cape Disappointment State Park
Cape Disappointment State Park, formerly known as Fort Canby State Park, is a park located southwest of Ilwaco, Washington. The park is located on the southern part of Long Beach Peninsula, which is fronted by the Pacific Ocean. The park is one of several state parks and sites in Washington and...
, formerly known as Fort Canby State Park is at the southern end, and in between is Pacific Pines State Park
Pacific Pines State Park
Pacific Pines State Park is a small, Washington state park, USA on the Long Beach Peninsula, just north of Ocean Park, Washington. From the main parking area, there is a narrow, sandy footpath that leads through a grove of Pacific Ponderosa pine trees to the beach. The park includes two uncovered...
.
Cape Disappointment
Cape Disappointment (Washington)
Cape Disappointment is a headland located at the extreme southwestern corner of Washington State on the north side of the Columbia River bar, at . The point of the cape is located on the Pacific Ocean in Pacific County, approximately two miles southwest of the town of Ilwaco...
, part of the Lewis and Clark National and State Historical Parks
Lewis and Clark National and State Historical Parks
The Lewis and Clark National and State Historical Parks, in the vicinity of the mouth of the Columbia River, commemorate the Lewis and Clark Expedition...
west of Ilwaco
Ilwaco, Washington
Ilwaco is a city in Pacific County, Washington, United States. The population was 950 at the 2000 census and decreased to 936 at the 2010 census.-History:...
, was the westernmost terminus for the Lewis and Clark Expedition
Lewis and Clark Expedition
The Lewis and Clark Expedition, or ″Corps of Discovery Expedition" was the first transcontinental expedition to the Pacific Coast by the United States. Commissioned by President Thomas Jefferson and led by two Virginia-born veterans of Indian wars in the Ohio Valley, Meriwether Lewis and William...
, and a monument designed by Maya Lin
Maya Lin
Maya Ying Lin is an American artist who is known for her work in sculpture and landscape art. She is the designer of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C.-Personal life:...
as part of the Confluence Project
Confluence Project
The Confluence Project is a series of outdoor installations and interpretive artworks located in public parks along the Columbia River and its tributaries in the U.S. states of Washington and Oregon. Works underway may include both building and landscape designs as well as integrated artwork...
was dedicated there in 2005.
The Long Beach Peninsula is remarkable for its continuous sand beach
Beach
A beach is a geological landform along the shoreline of an ocean, sea, lake or river. It usually consists of loose particles which are often composed of rock, such as sand, gravel, shingle, pebbles or cobblestones...
es on the Pacific Ocean side, 28 miles in extent, claimed to be the longest beach in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and the world's largest drivable beach, however is second to Cox's Bazar
Cox's Bazar
Cox's Bazar is a town, a fishing port and district headquarters in Bangladesh. It is known for its wide sandy beach which is the world's longest natural sandy sea beach. It is an unbroken 125 km sandy sea beach with a gentle slope. It is located 150 km south of Chittagong. Cox’s Bazar...
in Bangladesh
Bangladesh
Bangladesh , officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh is a sovereign state located in South Asia. It is bordered by India on all sides except for a small border with Burma to the far southeast and by the Bay of Bengal to the south...
. Because of the fine beaches, it is a popular vacation destination for people from Seattle, Washington
Seattle, Washington
Seattle is the county seat of King County, Washington. With 608,660 residents as of the 2010 Census, Seattle is the largest city in the Northwestern United States. The Seattle metropolitan area of about 3.4 million inhabitants is the 15th largest metropolitan area in the country...
, 165 miles distant, and Portland, Oregon
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
, 115 miles distant.
The peninsula is located entirely within Pacific County, Washington.
Economy
The principal industry of the Long Beach Peninsula has become tourismTourism
Tourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people "traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes".Tourism has become a...
, though fishing
Fishing
Fishing is the activity of trying to catch wild fish. Fish are normally caught in the wild. Techniques for catching fish include hand gathering, spearing, netting, angling and trapping....
, crabbing, oyster farming
Oyster farming
Oyster farming is an aquaculture practice in which oysters are raised for human consumption. Oyster farming most likely developed in tandem with pearl farming, a similar practice in which oysters are farmed for the purpose of developing pearls...
, and cranberry
Cranberry
Cranberries are a group of evergreen dwarf shrubs or trailing vines in the subgenus Oxycoccus of the genus Vaccinium. In some methods of classification, Oxycoccus is regarded as a genus in its own right...
farming are also important components of the local economy. The Long Beach Peninsula is located on the west side of the Willapa Bay, considered the number one producer of farmed oysters in the United States and among the top five producers worldwide.
The Long Beach Peninsula has become one of the most popular tourism destinations in the State of Washington and has attracted visitors from all over North America. As one of the final destinations of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, several television specials have brought publicity to this area. A multitude of events and festivals are held throughout the year including the Washington State International Kite Fesitval, the Sandsations sandcastle sculpting competition, and the annual The Rod Run to the End of the World, which attracts thousands of visitors on the weekend following Labor Day.
See also
- Willapa BayWillapa BayWillapa Bay is a bay located on the southwest Pacific coast of Washington state in the United States. The Long Beach Peninsula separates Willapa Bay from the greater expanse of the Pacific Ocean. With over of water surface Willapa Bay is the second largest estuary on the United States Pacific coast...
- Steamboats of Willapa BaySteamboats of Willapa BayWillapa Bay is a large shallow body of water near the Pacific Ocean in southwestern Washington. For a number of years before modern roads were built in Pacific County, Washington, the bay was used as the means of travel around the county, by powered and unpowered craft. This article discusses...
- Ilwaco Railway and Navigation CompanyIlwaco Railway and Navigation CompanyThe Ilwaco Railway and Navigation Company operated a narrow gauge railroad ran for over forty years from the bar of the Columbia River up the Long Beach Peninsula to Nahcotta, Washington, on Willapa Bay. The line ran entirely in Pacific County, Washington, and had no connection to any outside rail...
- Astoria-Megler FerryAstoria-Megler FerryThe Astoria–Megler ferry, also called the Astoria–McGowan ferry and the Astoria–North Beach Ferry, ran across the Columbia River between Astoria, Oregon and two ferry docks near the present small community of Megler, Washington from 1921 to 1966....
Cities and towns
- IlwacoIlwaco, WashingtonIlwaco is a city in Pacific County, Washington, United States. The population was 950 at the 2000 census and decreased to 936 at the 2010 census.-History:...
- Long BeachLong Beach, WashingtonLong Beach is a city in Pacific County, Washington, United States. The population was 1,283 at the 2000 census and grew to 1,392 at the 2010 census...
- NahcottaNahcotta, WashingtonNahcotta is an unincorporated community in Pacific County, in the American state of Washington. It is located on Willapa Bay, on the eastern coast of the Long Beach Peninsula.-History:thumb|right|200px|Nahcotta, WA 1893...
- Ocean ParkOcean Park, WashingtonOcean Park is a census-designated place in Pacific County, Washington, United States. The population was 1,573 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Ocean Park is located at...
- OystervilleOysterville, WashingtonOysterville is an unincorporated community in Pacific County, Washington, United States.-History:Oysterville was first settled in 1841 by John Douglas, who married a local Chinook woman. Oysterville was established and named in 1854 by J.A. Clark. It was a hub of oyster farming as the name suggests...
- SeaviewSeaview, WashingtonSeaview is an unincorporated area in Pacific County, Washington. It is part of the Long Beach, Washington urban cluster and had a population for its ZIP code at the 2000 census of 516 people.-Geography:...