I put eleven years in Aberdeen Wa. Enough is enough

Sunny in Aberdeen? Must be photoshop

I live in aberdeen!

My Grandma lived there and both her and my Grandpa are buried there. Mom grew up there. Didn’t find out till after my Mom had died but my brother in law had gone to Weatherwax High with her.

Say hi to my cousin Jamie for me

That looks like a new sign, it used to say “Lumber Capital of the World” (if I recall) I like this new one with the homage to Kurt Cobain in his hometown!

Come as you are

What's it like out there, I've never been. How does it differ from other places in WA?

There's another sign just before this one that says lumber capital of the world. Which is kinda funny because Aberdeen only has one lumber mill now

I find it ironic you can’t even buy a guitar string in Aberdeen.

Constant drizzle rain. Gray skies and junkies everywhere. Empty buildings upon empty buildings. Sad forgotten town.

Once all the mills closed, there were no jobs. There was already a drug problem 30 years ago, and it’s only gotten worse. Aberdeen is a pass through to the beach, otherwise it’s worthless.

I’d call it the Detroit of Washington.

As you were.

As I want you to be

I was there in 2008 and that sign was up, so it’s not new new.

awesome thrift stores though.

Cool! I’ve never seen it, only the Lumber Capitol Sign. I’ll keep my eye out next time I’m through.

Turn around

YOU WILL NEVER SURVIVE

I'm so sorry

Did Rosevears close?

“My name is Aberdeen Washington and I’m a proud American!”

This is all very accurate. It gets even more depressing when you drive through Hoquiam.

Yeah somewhere in bc is probably the lumber capital now lol

Google says yes.

There must be pawn shops around but no real music stores for miles.

Kurt Cobain and Krist Novoselic (Nirvana) are from Aberdeen and they made "Come as you are" their town motto in honor of them.

BuT aT lEAsT thErE's nO geNtriFicaTIOn

Didn't both those guys want to get out of that town as soon as possible? My recollection is they didn't really enjoy growing up in their hometown.

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Rosevears was a music store back in the day. Not sure anymore

Sometimes there’s sun, it’s true! Nothing like rolling down the hospital hill and watching the sun set over this down-but-not-out timber town. Lots of people pass through for the beach or the Olympic Peninsula, and all they see from their car window is run down, often vacant store fronts, and junkies a-junkin’. But friend, I’m here to tell you this town has heart.

Two solid breweries, Steam Donkey and Mount Olympus Brewing, along with Hoquiam Brewing the next town over. They all host community events including cribbage, trivia, and legit talented live musicians.

Breakwater Seafood has good crab melts, Billy’s and Boxcar for burgers. Salvadorena for papusas, great sushi and yakisoba at Samurai. Go Get the Pho, despite breaking most of Ali Wong’s rules for naming Vietnamese restaurants, delivers banh mi and noodle soup that’s right on par with the food I ate in Hanoi and HCMC.

The good folks working at these places are super friendly with zero pretentiousness.

Lots of local lore is this Town of Missing Men, like the early 20th century serial killer Billy “Ghoul” Gohl who used to drop his victims (140, it’s said) into the Wishkah River through a trap door in what’s now Breakwater. The eponymous restaurant Billy’s keeps his strange story alive with old photos and documents. Spooky shit. Bring on the true crime podcasters.

The whole Nirvana thing is… muddled. It’s strange to see this city embracing their native son when 1. Kurt Cobain loathed this area and the angst of his lyrics reflect that and 2. He wasn’t actually born here. He was born and largely raised elsewhere around Grays Harbor County. He attended high school here briefly, dropped out, and started a band. But it was here that he met Kris Novoselic and King Buzzo of Melvins fame. And there is something about being here and feeling the primordial pulse of the music scene that grew up between here and Olympia in the last 30 years. Drop by Eargasm Records, the owner of that place will tell you some stories.

There are nicer, probably safer places to spend a night, and good luck finding a decent coffee shop open past 3, and yeah the meth, and also we can’t seem to elect anyone who knows how to fix any of this, but there are lots of folks here who work daily to make this a nicer place to live and you should pop in for a beer sometime.

Kurt was vocal about his distain for Aberdeen, Krist however never said much about his opinion on the town, he has been active in politics in WA state and was a proponent of the new motto and was a part of the unveiling, so it seems like, if he had hated it in his youth, he no longer feels the same.

This is good to know, I would like to move to WA in the next 2-3 years and have a few counties marked to explore. Sounds like I can probably cross this one off the list, Skagit & King are the two I'm hoping for

As a friend

Should have used a different Nirvana lyric like “Rape Me”

The ACE hardware in Ocean Shores used to sell them, a lifesaver when Rosevears pretty much shut down.

You are making me want to stop by and try these breweries. Also, I have listened to a podcast about Billy Gohl. I didn't realize this area of Washington had a criminal history like that.

A sad wet little town

I think Krist had more of a decent and stable upbringing, as his mom owned a business.

Some of those Melvins and Nirvana guys talked mad shit about rural Washington, but Dale Crover and Krist seem to like it ok.

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Been here 6 months, planning my escape to Olympia I hope.. not awful though I have found some sweet people here.

King County is not where you should aim either my friend.

Sometimes I miss home 🥹

There's also some Nirvana based historic spots. I found one when I made a wrong turn passing through town. I'm talking marked, accepted designated sites.

MEMORYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYUHHHHHH MEMORRYYYYYYYYYYYYYYUHHHHHH

Island County. Rural, beautiful, close enough to the cities.

Seems a bit ironic as they turned down a statue of him.

Well there’s Seattle and Bellevue in King so idk probably want to check those out considering it’s where most of Washington lives, entertains, and conducts business.

My Aberdeen story. I like to go to ocean shores a few times a year which takes me throught Aberdeen. Last time I decided to stop and visit the Kurt Kobain memorial park. It's a tiny little park on the Wishka River partly under a bridge and is now where the homeless hang out. I went to walk under the bridge, there was the BIGGEST human turd I've ever seen laying in the dead center of the path. I'm familiar with animal scat and I'm certain this was human. Also, garbage everywhere. Welcome to Aberdeen.

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Aberdeen will always make me think of homeless people wearing sturgeon like a feather boa.

Jefferson and Clallam counties are pretty spectacular. Amazing trees and forests covered in moss, hurricane ridge, Ruby Beach. That’s my 2 cents

Only if you like stepping on needles & human shit wherever you walk.

Put the Tucker Carlson down lol. All major cities have homeless people, most neighborhoods are fine in Seattle and it’s beautiful

And a turrist fighter

Something tells me that Kurt would have absolutely despised this sign.

scAberdeen

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Perfect place for a mycologist!

You and everyone else…

Cobain gets all the praise while he owed SO much to Melvins + Buzz Osborne out there who receive little widespread/common knowledge credit for what Nirvana became. Also, for being so obsessed with Nirvana/Cobain, and “come as you are” façade, Seattle is the most overanalytical, judgmental region I have lived in.

Well..... I'm originally from Atlanta Georgia and to be honest the washington coast is like no where else I've ever been .. from the lush temperate rainforest to the jagged grey coast in which the county is named for this is definitely one of the most beautiful places I've ever had the pleasure of being. The town I live in is 15 miles from the olympic national forest which is rich in wild life , elk , deer, cougars, black bear, I'd definitely put this amazing place on my bucket list if I as you

Wow... I'm sorry 😐 but I. Have to say.... Here you are in one of the most beautiful places in the world and don't have one nice thing to say... That is so sad to me. I'd hate to be such a 😡🐕‍🦺. I promise you that it's my experience baths if you ain't part of the solution, your probably the problem 🤢💩

Was raised age 5 to 13 in Aberdeen. McDermoth Elementary and a year at Hopkins Junior High. I remember: The Roller Rink, clam digging at Oyehut, and Moclips, fishing off the dock at Westport, beachcombing (for driftwood, agates, and glass floats), roasting hot dogs and marshmellows on the beach, "grab bags" at Chuck's Chili Bowl, eating salmon berries, "blow me down" gales, visiting the Quinault Reservation beaches, camping on the Wynoochee, swimming at Lake Aberdeen. Got "sand in my soul", because sand gets into everything...

Thought that I'd be a Weatherwax Bobcat, but instead became a Lincoln Lynx in Seattle.

We are in grays harbor county. It boast a population of about 70.000 . I was born and raised in atlanta and I prefer the small town quiet life. I'd say do you research and don't let some miserable 🐕‍🦺 talk ya pit of visiting this beautiful place.

You can see that on the sidewalks of parts of Seattle

Sure, my city has problems too. But Seattle is really screwed in many parts & doesn't seem to be doing anything about it.

Yep. There’s the Kurt Cobain park which you learn pretty quick on your first visit, does not have any municipal funding. Far as I can tell, it’s just a few volunteers that keep it up. It’s a bridge over the Wishkah, a burned up lawn chair, some graffiti and dog turds. I feel like Kurt would’ve wanted it this way. Doesn’t need an interpretive center - the site itself does all the talking.

I’m told there’s also a mural of the band somewhere, but I fear it’s been painted over because I sure haven’t found it.

What was the spot you stumbled on @Hopsblues?

Barf.

Hey thanks for the award! I’m convinced any town can be a nice town so long as there’s a halfway decent brewery.

Whatcom?

The new mayor has done quite a bit recently tho, what do you mean? It sounds like you aren’t very up to date. He’s much tougher on homelessness and has massively increased funding for sweeps and cleaning.

You're right, perhaps I'm out of the loop.

My coworker is actually related to that guy

And now it’s full of homeless. They piss and shit against our building. The underside of the bridge is full of garbage. They stole copper off the train bridge making it in operable and now they’re burning anything and everything they can get.

It’s a shit show

Also, house prices are up, which is happening everywhere else, but at the end of the day you paid a lot…..and now you live in Aberdeen.

You've never been exposed to the back handed compliments in the Midwest I take it.

My though was Snoqualmie, Twin Falls areas

Bellingham was also one I wanted to visit Bellingham & Geneva

Being from Utah and having a large influx, I get that.

As someone who moved to Washington recently after living in two different large east coast cities, I’ve never felt as unsafe at night in a downtown as I have in Seattle and Portland. I’m a fairly large man and I’m constantly looking over my shoulder, especially in Pioneer Square. I like the area for the most part, though.

For sure, I’m not saying it’s not sketchy in some areas after dark. I’m saying if you’re visiting Washington State, King County is definitely a destination worth visiting because of all of the great restaurants, art, landscape, and attractions. The reason so many of us are piled into this area of Washington is not a coincidence.

I’m from AZ and we always drive through to get to moclips WA. Always wondered the kind of life it would be growing up in a town like that. Quite different than arizona

Great song from Macklemore

Do you want to see the remnants of timber barons exploitations?

The idea that there would be timber barons never crossed my mind, not a lot of big-timber in Utah. But I have seen exploitation, that I can understand

Never been. All I’ve heard is that it’s the armpit of Washington.

What is the point of this post?

It was a residence? There was a sign or two mentioning go this way and/or what I was seeing? I wasn't there for the nirvana tour, I like nirvana, but I noticed some signage and such while turning around and getting back on the path. I've been through Aberdeen and (whatever the next town that is just an extension) like ten times now, but couldn't describe where I was, other than fairly close to the main route to go to either Pacific beach or Kalaloch.

> little town

Guess you never heard of Raymond or South Bend, lol. They are way smaller than Aberdeen.

It was a treat to take a day trip to Aberdeen from Pacific County to see the "big" city and check out the big new mall, lol.

You mean to tell me you wouldn’t take one in the butt? For America?

The cruel irony is that Aberdeen is unavoidable if you want to see some of the best scenery in the country. Heaven forbid they capitalize on it.

Will do

That might’ve been the park. There’s a house next door with signage the residents erected, explaining it was never Kurt Cobain’s house, but helpfully explains where one can find it.

Where’s Geneva?