Ocean Shores, Washington
| Ocean Shores, Washington | |
|---|---|
| City | |
Ocean Shores main entrance
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 Location of Ocean Shores, Washington |
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| Coordinates: 46°58′18″N 124°9′17″W / 46.97167°N 124.15472°WCoordinates: 46°58′18″N 124°9′17″W / 46.97167°N 124.15472°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Washington |
| County | Grays Harbor |
| Government | |
| • Type | Mayor-Council |
| • Mayor | Crystal Dingler |
| Area | |
| • Total | 12.40 sq mi (32.12 km2) |
| • Land | 8.51 sq mi (22.04 km2) |
| • Water | 3.89 sq mi (10.08 km2) |
| Elevation | 23 ft (7 m) |
| Population (2010) | |
| • Total | 5,569 |
| • Estimate (2015) | 5,699 |
| • Density | 654.4/sq mi (252.7/km2) |
| Time zone | Pacific (PST) (UTC-8) |
| • Summer (DST) | PDT (UTC-7) |
| ZIP code | 98569 |
| Area code(s) | 360 |
| FIPS code | 53-50570 |
| GNIS feature ID | 1510681 |
| Website | www.osgov.com |
Ocean Shores is a city in Grays Harbor County, Washington, United States. The population was 5,569 at the 2010 census.
The City of Ocean Shores occupies the Point Brown peninsula on the Washington coast. Long before the arrival of European explorers and settlers, the peninsula was used by the various local tribes for trading and other purposes. The Chinook, Chehalis, and Quinault Tribes used the area, as well as others that now make up the Quinault Indian Nation.
On May 7, 1792 Captain Robert Gray sailed into the bay and named the area Bullfinch Harbor. Later, Captain George Vancouver renamed the area after Captain Gray, now called Gray's Harbor. The first white established settler on the Point was Matthew McGee, who settled in the early 1860s. He sold the southern portion of the peninsula to A.O. Damon in 1878 for a trading supply center whose dock extended into the Oyehut channel. A.O. Damon took over the entire peninsula from McGee with the land passed along to his grandson, Ralph Minard, who used the area as a cattle ranch from 1929 until he sold to the Ocean Shores Development Corporation in 1960 for $1,000,000.
At the time the Washington State legislature was considering legalizing some forms of gambling. In expectation of a huge casino development, the Ocean Shores Development Corporation opened their sale of lots in a travel trailer parked in the dunes. Soon the word spread about the California-style development of the place called Ocean Shores. The price of lots began at $595 and were sold sight unseen from the first plat maps. As the numbers of lots sold rose, the prices rose. Property lots were staked and numbered only as the road construction crews began to lay out the massive road system. Even though the first roads were only 20 miles (32 km) in length, the downtown area had mercury vapor lights to show that this was a booming city. In the first year 25 homes were constructed and their owners had charter membership certificates in the Ocean Shores Community Club.
As the development grew, the Ginny Simms Restaurant and Nightclub brought in the Hollywood set. In fact, on Grand Opening night chartered planes flew up a whole contingent of Hollywood stars, and 11,000 people turned out at Bowerman Basin to see the celebrities.
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Wikipedia