HOQUIAM

city, Grays Harbor county, western Washington, U.S., on Grays Harbor at the mouth of the Hoquiam River, a deepwater port 12 mi (19 km) from the Pacific and adjacent to Aberdeen, immediately to its east. The earliest settlement in the Grays Harbor region, it was established in 1859 by pioneers attracted there by the expanse of virgin forest. Hoquiam developed as a lumbering centre, and its manufactures include wood products and machine tools. Fishing and fish canneries are also important. The city's name is derived from an Indian word meaning hungry for wood and refers to the driftwood at the river's mouth. Inc. 1890. Pop. (1990) 8,972.