Ocean Park, WA

Tucked along the northern stretch of Washington’s Long Beach Peninsula, Ocean Park sits in a quiet sweet spot between the open Pacific and the calm waters of Willapa Bay. Home to around 1,800 year-round residents, it offers a relaxed, low-key setting compared to the busier tourist hubs to the south. Weathered beach cottages and historic cabins recall its nineteenth-century roots as a seaside getaway, while Pacific Pines State Park provides direct trails through coastal woods right out to the sand.

For everyday needs, Ocean Park serves as the main hub for the northern half of the peninsula. You will find most essentials right in town, including grocery markets, cafes, hardware stores, a public library, and a medical clinic. Families are served locally by Ocean Park Elementary, with older students heading south to schools in Long Beach and Ilwaco. Daily routines here are shaped by the tides, quiet beach walks, weekend clamming, and a close-knit community feel that stays grounded all year long.