Pacific County is a county in Washington, United States, on the Long Beach Peninsula and Willapa Bay along the lower Columbia River. It had a population of 23,365 at the 2020 census and covers 933 square miles (2,420 km2) of land plus 291 square miles (750 km2) of water, centred near 46°34′N 123°47′W.
South Bend is the county seat, and its postal code is 98586; Raymond is the county’s largest city. Pacific County has 4 incorporated cities, 7 census-designated places, and more than a dozen unincorporated communities. The county observes Pacific time and has no civil townships.
Towns & Villages in Pacific County
Settlement here ranges from the working ports of Willapa Bay to the resort towns of the Long Beach Peninsula. The table below covers the 4 cities, 7 CDPs, and the named unincorporated places carried forward from earlier records; population figures are shown only where a reliable 2020 count exists, otherwise —.
| Place | Type | Pop. | ZIP |
|---|---|---|---|
| South Bend | City · seat | 1,746 | 98586 |
| Raymond | City | 3,081 | 98577 |
| Ilwaco | City | 1,087 | 98624 |
| Long Beach | City | 1,688 | 98631 |
| Bay Center | CDP | — | 98527 |
| Chinook | CDP | — | 98614 |
| Lebam | CDP | — | 98554 |
| Naselle | CDP | — | 98638 |
| Ocean Park | CDP | — | 98640 |
| Tokeland | CDP | — | 98590 |
| Willapa | CDP | — | — |
| Seaview | Unincorp. | — | 98644 |
| Menlo | Unincorp. | — | 98561 |
| Oysterville | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Nemah | Unincorp. | — | — |
| North Cove | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Frances | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Holcomb | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Megler | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Firdale | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Oceanside | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Dexter by the Sea | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Surfside | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Brooklyn | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Nahcotta | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Knappton | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Klipsan Beach | Unincorp. | — | — |
| McGowan | Unincorp. | — | — |
Ocean Park and Surfside sit back to back on the peninsula and are sometimes confused; Ocean Park is the older, incorporated-in-spirit commercial center while Surfside is a newer platted subdivision to its north with no post office of its own.
ZIP Codes
- 98586 — South Bend
- 98577 — Raymond
- 98624 — Ilwaco
- 98631 — Long Beach
- 98644 — Seaview (also serves nearby beach approaches)
- 98640 — Ocean Park
- 98614 — Chinook
- 98638 — Naselle
- 98561 — Menlo
- 98527 — Bay Center
- 98590 — Tokeland
- 98554 — Lebam
Smaller unincorporated places such as Oysterville, Surfside, Nemah, and North Cove use a neighboring town’s ZIP code rather than their own.
Geography
Pacific County occupies the southwest corner of Washington, split between the sandy Long Beach Peninsula and the timbered hills draining into Willapa Bay. The Willapa River and Naselle River both empty into the bay, which is fringed by tidal flats that support the county’s oyster industry. U.S. Route 101 loops around the bay and down the peninsula, linking the county’s towns.
Grays Harbor County lies to the north, Lewis County to the east, Wahkiakum County to the southeast, and Clatsop County, Oregon lies across the Columbia River to the south. The Pacific Ocean forms the county’s entire western edge.
Demographics
Pacific County’s 2020 population of 23,365 gives a density of about 25 people per square mile of land. Raymond and South Bend, its two largest communities, anchor the bay side of the county, while Long Beach and Ilwaco anchor the peninsula. Median household income here runs below the Washington median of $94,605, reflecting a rural, resource- and tourism-based economy rather than the Puget Sound job market.
Economy & Local Life
Willapa Bay supplies roughly a quarter of all oysters harvested in the United States, and shellfish farming remains the county’s signature industry alongside commercial fishing and cranberry growing on the peninsula’s bogs. Forestry and wood products still employ workers around Raymond and South Bend, while tourism drives the peninsula economy each summer with beach visitors, razor-clam diggers, and the Long Beach Kite Festival.
History
Pacific County was created in February 1851 by the government of Oregon Territory, before Washington Territory existed, and takes its name from the Pacific Ocean. Oysterville was the original county seat; in 1893, South Bend residents crossed Willapa Harbor by boat and removed the county records to their own town in a dispute still remembered locally as the “county seat war,” and South Bend has held the seat ever since.
Getting There
U.S. Route 101 is the county’s main highway, connecting the peninsula towns to South Bend and Raymond and continuing south across the Astoria–Megler Bridge into Oregon. State Route 6 links Raymond east toward Interstate 5.
- Aberdeen, Grays Harbor County — about 35 miles north
- Longview — about 55 miles southeast
- Astoria, Oregon — about 20 miles south via the Astoria–Megler Bridge
- Olympia — about 75 miles northeast
The nearest commercial airport is Portland International Airport, roughly two hours’ drive south.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Pacific County, Washington?
It sits in the state’s southwest corner, on the Long Beach Peninsula and Willapa Bay, across the Columbia River from Astoria, Oregon.
What is the population of Pacific County?
23,365 at the 2020 census.
How big is Pacific County?
933 square miles (2,420 km2) of land and 291 square miles (750 km2) of water.
What is the county seat of Pacific County?
South Bend is the county seat; Raymond is the largest city.
How many towns are in Pacific County?
Four incorporated cities — Ilwaco, Long Beach, Raymond, and South Bend — plus seven CDPs and more than a dozen unincorporated communities.
What ZIP codes are in Pacific County?
Major ones include 98586 (South Bend), 98577 (Raymond), 98624 (Ilwaco), and 98631 (Long Beach).
Why is South Bend the county seat instead of Oysterville?
South Bend took the county records from Oysterville by boat in 1893 after voters approved moving the seat, ending Oysterville’s decades as county capital.
More counties in this state: Towns and villages in Washington.