Forks, Washington

How Forks is governed

Form of government not yet listed.

1 of 14 positions listed. Gray dashed boxes are placeholders waiting for a name.

• Mayor

  Executive

  • Tim Fletcher per Wikidata

  The city's chief elected official. Presides over the executive branch, proposes the budget and represents the city.

  • City Manager / Administrator

    Executive

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    The professional administrator who runs day-to-day operations (in some cities appointed by the council instead of the mayor).

    • Police Chief

      Administration & departments

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      Leads the police department.

    • Fire Chief

      Administration & departments

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      Leads the fire and emergency services department.

    • Public Works Director

      Administration & departments

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      Streets, water, sewer, and city buildings.

    • Finance Director

      Administration & departments

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      The budget, taxes, and city accounts.

    • Planning & Zoning Director

      Administration & departments

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      Land use, zoning, building permits.

    • Parks & Recreation Director

      Administration & departments

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      Parks, programs, and public facilities.

• City Council

  Legislative

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  The elected body that passes ordinances, sets the tax rate and approves the budget.

  • City Clerk

    Administration & departments

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    Keeps the official records, runs meeting agendas and, often, local elections.

  • City Attorney

    Administration & departments

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    The city's lawyer; advises officials and prosecutes ordinance violations.

  • Boards & Commissions

    Legislative

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    Citizen advisory bodies, such as planning, zoning appeals and library boards.

• Municipal Court

  Judicial

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  Hears traffic, ordinance and other minor cases.

  • Municipal Judge

    Judicial

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    Presides over the municipal court.

Website

forkswashington.org

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Population over time

From 1,120 in 1950 to 3,335 in 2020 (+197.8%).

History

Indigenous settlement

Forks was once inhabited by the Quileute Native American tribe, before they ceded their territory. In 1889, a reservation was created near Forks; that same year the village was burnt down by settler Daniel Pullen. Forks is 12 miles (19 km) from tribal burning areas that the tribes used to regenerate young ferns. The phrase "prairie upstream" from the Quileute language was translated and became the name Forks Prairie.

Early settlement

The first European American settlers in the modern-day Forks Prairie arrived in the 1860s by following the waterways in and around the Olympic Peninsula due to a lack of overland trails. A proposal to create Quillehuyte County from the western sides of Clallam and Jefferson counties was accepted by the territorial legislature in 1868 but dissolved a year later. The first homestead on the prairie was claimed in January 1878 by Luther and Esther Ford. Their 160-acre (65 ha) property included the first dairy in the area, set up in 1879, and was later joined by other homesteads. In 1884, a post office opened in the cabin of Ole Nelson, a local trapper, and was named "Forks"; their preferred name "Ford's Prairie" had already been taken by another settlement in the territory. The name "Forks" was chosen for the forks of three nearby rivers.

Rudimentary trails and roads were built by settlers in the 1880s and 1890s to create trade routes; the nearest markets were in Port Townsend and later Port Angeles, but the seasonal supply boats were unable to take large cargo. Timber around the prairie was cleared by settlers and small-time loggers in the late 19th century. They were followed by timber companies, including Merrill & Ring around the Pysht River in 1916, until the Olympic Forest Reserve was established in 1897 by the federal government. The forest reserve was gradually reduced in size but later contributed most of the land for Olympic National Monument (now Olympic National Park), which was established in 1909, and the Olympic National Forest. Logging of non-federal land continued, but slowed during the 1907 national recession. The U.S. Army sought to use the region's Sitka spruce to construct airplanes during World War I and built a 36-mile (58 km) railroad to Port Angeles to aid in transport; the railroad was not used due to the end of the war.

The Mora post moved to Forks in the early 1890s which consisted of a general store, hardware store, and a hotel. In the early 1900s, hop growing declined and the Forks Cooperative Creamery was established which operated for 70 years. The town of Forks was platted in 1912 on the homestead of Merrill Whittier, a hop farmer. It served as the economic center of the area between the Hoh River and Quillayute Prairie but only had a single block of buildings in its first decade. A fire on January 10, 1925, destroyed six buildings on the west side of the town; they were replaced later in the year along with plans for a new high school and social halls. A new road passable for automobiles opened from Lake Crescent to Forks in 1927 and was replaced by the Olympic Loop Highway (US 101) in 1931. Another fire on Main Street in 1930 caused further damage.

Modern history

Forks was officially incorporated on August 7, 1945, following an election of the constituents who would become its first town members.

The local timber industry boomed from the 1950s to 1970s, earning Forks the self-proclaimed title of "Logging Capital of the World." Changes in environmental policy led to a significant decline in the timber industry in the 1980s and 1990s. Timber harvesting is still part of the local economy, but at levels far below the peak of the 1970s.

The city gained popularity for being a key setting in Stephenie Meyer's Twilight series (2005 to 2008) and related film adaptations (2008 to 2012).

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Other cities in Washington

• Seattle 737,015
• Spokane 228,989
• Tacoma 219,346
• Vancouver 190,915
• Bellevue 151,854
• Kent 136,588
• Everett 110,629
• Renton 106,785

All Washington cities →