About Us
Northwest Coast is a quarterly publication dedicated to bringing you entertaining and engaging stories of the people, culture, and landscape of the greater Columbia Pacific region of southwest Washington State and northwest Oregon.
The Northwest Coast is a truly unique piece of the American landscape. It is here that evergreen forests trail off into great rivers and bays that merge with a foaming crash into the Pacific Ocean. For untold generations this setting served as both home and provider for native cultures, which remain strong, active voices in the community. Over the last two centuries people of diverse origins have been drawn to this fertile environment as well. Some came to extract hard-earned livings from the land and water, while others saw in this place artistic inspiration and spiritual renewal.
These rich, inseparable layers have gifted the Northwest Coast with a vibrant history. Yet for a place with such a long and storied past, that history seems only as distant as a look around. Near Astoria, for example, you can take in Lewis and Clark’s Fort Clatsop or fishermen unloading their catch just as their fathers and grandfathers once did. And in Aberdeen you can walk the same streets as Billy Gohl, one of the region’s most prolific murderers, or absorb the atmosphere that helped shape musician Kurt Cobain.
The Northwest Coast means many different things to the many different people who live and visit here. To some it is a laid back place of sandy beaches, cheese factories, and riverfront trolley rides. For many of those lucky enough to live here,the Northwest Coast is part of their being—their home—whether they were reared here or found it later in life. Although rationales vary, most would agree, thisinnate blend of environment and culture has created a one-of-a-kind placeunique unto itself.
It is this distinctive sense of place—this soul—that is at the heart of Northwest Coast.
I hope that you enjoy Northwest Coast, and we’ll keep working hard to bring you more engaging and informative stories that remind us of what a special place this is to visit and to live.
Bryan Penttila
Publisher
Sponsor
