BAY CENTER/NEMAH AREA
| The Bay Center and Nemah areas are located on the eastern shore of Willapa Bay. Bay center is on a peninsula which extends into the geographic center of Willapa Bay. The community is home to several oyster seed hatcheries, a finfish and shellfish industry, and cattle ranches. |
| Settlers first came to Bay Center in 1853, but the area was the site of an Indian emcampment and trading ground before and after this date. With a booming oyster and farming industry, the beach front of the peninsula was crowded with homes by 1873. The settlement was called "Palix" meaning slough covered with trees, but this name was latter changed to Bay Center when a post office was established in 1876. The Nemah area has historically been a farming and logging community that developed near the mouth, delta, and the three Nemah rivers (North, Middle and South Forks). Settlers first arrived in Nemah in the 1890s, but as with Bay Center, the area had previously been the site of an Indian village. Access the the Nemah area was by water until the Ocean Beach Highway was constructed in the 1920s. Today, SR 101 travels through the area. |
| Bay Center has traditionally been a residential and commercial community, with natural resource based industries, cattle ranching and hay production. The Nemah area is sparsely developed and has considerable timber resource lands. |