CATHLAMET — After the fall of both logging and commercial fishing in Wahkiakum County, Cathlamet has reinvented itself as a hub for monied retirees, recreators and remote workers.
The change has unfolded slowly over decades, driven by the Columbia River’s beauty and bounty, as well as the relative isolation Washington’s third least-populous county enjoys.
Despite its slow pace, the shift is unmistakable. Between the late 1990s and 2024, the number of logging jobs fell from 160 to just 30, according to the state. During the same period, the labor force in the county fell by nearly 40%.
But data shows that decline isn’t just jobs evaporating.
The percentage of retirement-age residents jumped from one quarter in 2000 to nearly 45% last year. And while part of that is residents growing older, the county also grew wealthier, reflecting the newcomers’ presence.
Home prices have roughly doubled within the last decade and educational attainment is climbing in the county of less than 5,000 — all while fewer residents are actually working.
But not everyone has benefitted. While the median home price in Wahkiakum County sits around $467,500, the state reports its 2024 average annual salary, at about $43,000, was the lowest of any Washington county.
The gap is leaving some longtime residents feeling the pinch for family wage jobs and affordable housing, while newcomers are discovering a pristine oasis.
‘Away from the rat race’
David Nelson, a longtime Wahkiakum County Realtor and lifetime resident, has seen the influx of retirees firsthand.
“They’ve had their hustle and bustle, and made their money. They just want to relax and be safe,” he said.
The child of two fishing families, Nelson spent the first three decades of his adult life in commercial fishing, building wealth by saving, then investing the sometimes huge payouts the industry used to offer. He then pivoted to his current job in the 1990s, getting in just before the county’s slow-burn boom.
During his time in real estate — long enough for him to sell a handful of homes four times over — he’s seen cycles emerge and repeat. None has been more pronounced than retired couples moving to town.
“The Columbia River is a crown jewel,” he said. “And that’s what draws a lot of newly retired folks here.”
The fishing opportunities, views, recreation and simple calm of being by the water — they all contribute, he said.
Add to that the changes COVID-19 brought, when many companies adopted remote work policies. A state report cites federal data showing 59% of county income in 2020 was earned by residents holding jobs outside Wahkiakum.
“Right after the start of COVID, we were just seeking a little bit of peace, tranquility, get away from the rat race,” Garrett Radcliffe said about why he and his wife moved to town from San Jose.
Radcliffe is office coordinator for the Wahkiakum Chamber of Commerce, among a half-dozen other paid and unpaid gigs, including at local schools, restaurants and the fire department. His wife is busy too, working for LinkedIn and volunteering with the local animal advocates group.
The couple and their hunger to get involved found a community equally as excited to welcome them. Nelson said that mentality sets people up for success.
“There is no Starbucks, there is no fast food, there’s no McDonald’s, there’s no — but one thing that’s nice — we don’t have one stoplight in Wahkiakum County,” he said, grinning. “You have to create your own entertainment and love what you see.”
A tourism industry?
Still, nicer amenities for newer and wealthier residents have sprung up in recent years. And that’s no accident.
“We have five cabins, we’ve got two yurts. We have approximately 45 RV/campsites, they all have power and water,” said Todd Souvenir, manager of Wahkiakum Port District No. 1, which runs the Elochoman Slough Marina and RV park.
Souvenir was born and raised in the county, left as a young man and returned a couple decades ago to raise a family. During that time, some things have stayed the same at the marina, which primarily caters to recreational boat fishers in the spring and fall.
But with fishing seasons growing shorter and less predictable, the port has worked to diversify to reduce the roughly one-third of the revenue that comes from fishing.
While fishing is not the economic driver it once was, state data shows in 2023 fishing, hunting, forestry and agriculture was the county’s third largest employer by industry, narrowly behind retail trade.
Aside from offering more amenities for campers, the marina has joined the town at large in welcoming more restaurants.
One of those newer restaurants is Salt and Tomato/River Mile 38 Brewing, located on the river a couple hundred feet from the marina. Souvenir said he’s seen it attract people from out of town.
“Hopefully that draws people with the yachts to stop in and have dinner, as opposed to passing us by and going down river and going to Astoria,” he said. “Hopefully more and more we’ll see those vessels stop in and spend the night and have dinner and hang out in our community.”
That’s exactly what happened when the Portland Yacht Club called the port looking to do a regatta there, said Salt and Tomato co-owner/operator, Rex Czuba.
“One of the things that the Yacht Club wanted to know about was, ‘Are there restaurants and places to eat and things to do here?’ Yeah!” he recalled. “So this will be the second year that we’re doing the regatta.”
Czuba runs the restaurant, brewery and a small farm with his husband of about a dozen years, Javier Sanchez. The two each come from humble beginnings but met in Seattle while working in tech and retail operations. They came to Cathlamet to start the farm a decade ago and, before they knew it, had poured their retirement into the trio of ventures.
The riverfront eatery’s philosophy is something like upscale farm-to-table meals meets an “if-you-build-it-they-will-come” mentality.
“All of our salmon is sourced from the company on the island. Our cheeses and butters are sourced from the creamery here on the islands to as much as we possibly can,” he said. “We try to be as local as we possibly can.”
While that leads to higher prices, the couple feel many customers find it a worthwhile expense.
“We survive on the locals, but we really thrive with the tourists,” he said.
Change begets change
That rising tide of tourists and transplants hasn’t raised all ships, leaving many working-class families struggling to stay in their hometown.
“It is getting harder and harder. I feel sorry for some of the young folks that are trying to come up and want to live here,” longtime county Commissioner Dan Cothren said.
Before politics, he spent nearly four decades in logging and said that, while timber still plays an essential role in the county, most young people need to travel to Longview mills or even Portland for jobs that can support a family.
And with many area homes sitting well north of a half-million dollars, growing real estate values have also made it harder for people to return home without grandfathered property waiting.
Brandi Beedle is local emergency resource coordinator for the county’s Health and Human Services office. She was born and raised on Puget Island before living in Kittitas County with her husband, who works in logging.
“We sold our farm and moved home because (my husband) told me once that Cathlamet feels how Cle Elum used to feel in the ‘90s,” she said, “and that’s what he grew up in, and he wanted that for our kids just like I wanted it for our kids.”
Beedle works in today’s most employed county industry: government.
While she’s troubled that the new money has created problems for her peers, Beedle finds hope in the reinvigorated civic spirit that’s accompanied the change.
Growing up she saw people come together to solve problems — building the library, pool, skatepark and playground, as well as attracting a doctor to town — and she said she’s starting to see that again.
She said some of her former classmates are returning home for county jobs after going to college and gaining experience, and she sees that as a viable future for her own sons, ages 2 and 6.
“My son, he’s only 6, so who knows what he’ll want to do in 20 years. But, as of right now, he thinks he’s gonna be a biologist and a (logging) equipment operator, and I’m like, ‘There’s jobs in government for that, he can do that.’” she said.
