Grays Harbor County is a county in Washington, United States, on the Pacific coast at the mouth of the Chehalis River. It had a population of 75,636 at the 2020 census and covers 2,224 square miles (5,760 km2), of which 322 square miles are water, centred near 47\u00b009\u2032N 123\u00b050\u2032W.<\/p>\n
Montesano is the county seat, and its postal code is 98563. The county has 9 incorporated cities, 23 census-designated places, and about two dozen unincorporated communities. Washington has no civil townships, so places here are grouped only as city, town, or CDP. The county sits in the Pacific time zone.<\/p>\n
Grays Harbor County has 9 incorporated cities and dozens of unincorporated places along its coastline, river valleys, and forested interior. Population figures below are 2020 census counts where verified; unincorporated places without an official count are marked —.<\/p>\n
| Place<\/th>\n | Type<\/th>\n | Pop.<\/th>\n | ZIP<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aberdeen<\/td>\n | City · largest<\/td>\n | 16,896<\/td>\n | 98520<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Montesano<\/td>\n | City · seat<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | 98563<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Hoquiam<\/td>\n | City<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | 98550<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Elma<\/td>\n | City<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | 98541<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Ocean Shores<\/td>\n | City<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | 98569<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Westport<\/td>\n | City<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | 98595<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Cosmopolis<\/td>\n | City<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | 98537<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| McCleary<\/td>\n | City<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | 98557<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Oakville<\/td>\n | City<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | 98568<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Amanda Park<\/td>\n | CDP<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | 98526<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Aberdeen Gardens<\/td>\n | CDP<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | 98520<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Brady<\/td>\n | CDP<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Central Park<\/td>\n | CDP<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Cohassett Beach<\/td>\n | CDP<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Copalis Beach<\/td>\n | CDP<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | 98535<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Copalis Crossing<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | 98536<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Grayland<\/td>\n | CDP<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | 98547<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Hogans Corner<\/td>\n | CDP<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Humptulips<\/td>\n | CDP<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | 98552<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Malone<\/td>\n | CDP<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | 98559<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Markham<\/td>\n | CDP<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Moclips<\/td>\n | CDP<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | 98562<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Neilton<\/td>\n | CDP<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | 98566<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Ocean City<\/td>\n | CDP<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Ocosta<\/td>\n | CDP<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Oyehut<\/td>\n | CDP<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Pacific Beach<\/td>\n | CDP<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | 98571<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Porter<\/td>\n | CDP<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Qui-nai-elt Village<\/td>\n | CDP<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Quinault<\/td>\n | CDP<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | 98575<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Santiago<\/td>\n | CDP<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Satsop<\/td>\n | CDP<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | 98583<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Taholah<\/td>\n | CDP<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | 98587<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Aloha<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Artic<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Axford<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Balch<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Bay City<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Bel-Aire<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Burrows<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Carlisle<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Cedarville<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Chehalis Village<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Cohassett<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| East Aberdeen<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| East Hoquiam<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Grisdale<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Junction City<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| North Aberdeen<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| South Aberdeen<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| South Montesano<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Wishkah<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Newton<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Vesta<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Whites<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Seabrook<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n Aberdeen and East\/North\/South Aberdeen, plus Aberdeen Gardens and Aberdeen Junction, are separate neighborhoods and unincorporated places clustered around the city of Aberdeen rather than distinct towns. Similarly, Cohassett and Cohassett Beach, and Copalis Beach and Copalis Crossing, name distinct places a few miles apart on the same stretch of coast.<\/p>\n ZIP Codes<\/h2>\nSmaller unincorporated places without their own post office, such as Bay City, Cedarville, and Wishkah, are served by the ZIP code of the nearest listed town.<\/p>\n Geography<\/h2>\nGrays Harbor County stretches from the Pacific Ocean beaches in the west across the tidal estuary of Grays Harbor to forested foothills of the Olympic Mountains in the east. The Chehalis and Humptulips rivers drain the county into Grays Harbor itself, a large natural bay that gives the county its name. Roughly a seventh of the county’s area is water. It borders Jefferson County to the north, Mason County to the northeast, Thurston County to the east, Lewis County to the southeast, and Pacific County to the south.<\/p>\n Jefferson County<\/a> lies north across the Olympic Peninsula, Mason County<\/a> is northeast, Thurston County<\/a> is east, and Lewis County<\/a> is southeast. Pacific County borders to the south along the coast.<\/p>\n Grays Harbor County had 75,636 residents at the 2020 census, a density of about 40 people per square mile of land. Aberdeen, with 16,896 residents, is by far the largest community, followed by Hoquiam. Median household income in the county runs well below the Washington median of $94,605, reflecting the area’s reliance on timber, fishing, and tourism rather than the tech and metro economies of Puget Sound.<\/p>\n Timber and forest products have anchored the county’s economy since the 19th century, alongside commercial fishing and seafood processing out of the Port of Grays Harbor at Aberdeen and Hoquiam. Tourism is a growing sector, centered on the beach towns of Ocean Shores, Westport, and Copalis Beach, and on Olympic National Park access near Quinault and Lake Quinault. Westport is a base for charter salmon and tuna fishing fleets. Grays Harbor College, in Aberdeen, is the county’s public two-year college.<\/p>\n The county was created April 14, 1854, as Chehalis County, named for the Chehalis people, and was renamed Grays Harbor County on June 9, 1915, after the harbor itself, which British-American sea captain Robert Gray charted in 1792. Aberdeen and Hoquiam grew rapidly in the late 19th century as Pacific Northwest sawmill towns; the harbor was for decades among the busiest lumber-shipping ports in the world. Aberdeen is also known as the hometown of musician Kurt Cobain.<\/p>\n U.S. Route 12 and U.S. Route 101 are the main highways through the county, meeting at Aberdeen; State Route 8 connects the county to Interstate 5 and Olympia to the east.<\/p>\n Bowerman Airport, in Hoquiam, offers general aviation service; the nearest commercial airport is Seattle–Tacoma International Airport.<\/p>\n Where is Grays Harbor County?<\/strong> What is the population of Grays Harbor County?<\/strong> How big is Grays Harbor County?<\/strong> What is the county seat of Grays Harbor County?<\/strong> How many towns are in Grays Harbor County?<\/strong> What ZIP codes are in Grays Harbor County?<\/strong> |