Aberdeen

[North56]

I've lived in Aberdeen a short time. There are lots of people who have lived here their whole lives, but I'm not too impressed. It might be nice to live in Westport or in Ocean Shores, but Aberdeen is pretty much the armpit of Washington. It has two pulp mills which stink up the air every day. Nothing is much cheaper here than anywhere else and, in a lot of cases, more expensive. I work at the hospital and have been horrified with the number of drug overdoses and suicides that come in daily. The incidence of alcoholism is also extremely high with odd things happening like someone driving through the wall of Tobacco Depot. This was a drunk driver who had frequent convictions. Houses are also robbed on a daily basis. I'm looking to leave already. I apologize to all of you who love it here. I don't. If you are an alcoholic or meth adict, though, it's a great place.

[mrkool]

Originally Posted by North56

and odd things happening like someone driving through the wall of Tobacco Depot.

You say that like it's a bad thing...

[stayoutofaberdeen]

The town just has an ugly feel to. people like Fat Freddy will defend it to the end, simply because it is their home. Only one murder, must be okay....shake down of travellers going through town - that's okay, we don't want tourists here anyway....boarded up stors, lack of business - must be the tourist's fault...prosecute drug related crime, domestic violence - why bother? More important to shake down those tourists, they have money!

[jertheber]

I don't know that "defending" Aberdeen is the correct view of Freddy's posts, it certainly is a town in dire straits though. I moved to Elma sometime back and go to Aberdeen to shop and eat once in a while. It is typical of a town that has been "used up", that's to say that the original intent of Aberdeen wasn't farming as it was in the regions and towns of east county, Aberdeen was and is a "company town". The Weyco company was king here for a long time, but logging and farming were/are very different pursuits, on the one hand farmers are independent and can make their living from outside the local economy if they need to, they are also land owners and therefore have some political power, timber towns have produced the kind of class distinctions you'd find in factory towns, wherein the workers are owned, and own nothing themselves.

It isn't the people in a town that rule, it's only certain people, in Aberdeen the region-centric power structure looks like that of a West Virginia coal town, go in, pull the money out, and leave when you can get a better bargain elswhere. My guess is that the area won't be changing much until new blood comes in to challenge the status quo of the political/business group that has profited from the business as usual model. Recent developments in town have shown the desire to change the shabby appearance of the city core, I'm cheering for that change but really don't see any new players in the game, like I said, new blood.

[Fat Freddy]

I don't know how you make your deductions, Stayoutofaberdeen, but I don't live in Aberdeen nor do I defend it.

Aberdeen is where I "go to town". It's where my medical facilities, grocery stores, Home Depot and WalMart are.

Even though I love Aberdeen, I could care less if everything else rotted and fell into the bay.

However, I would like to see a Super Walmart take over the deserted mall where the Sears store is.

I have never "shaken down" the tourists, but as everyone knows, Aberdeen has some of the fattest and ugliest women in the world, so I enjoy lustfully ogling the tourist women.

Unfortunately, most of them are old geezers or breeders surrounded by litters of their spawn.