Our Community

Who are we?

The City of Montesano is centrally located in Grays Harbor in southwest Washington..

It lies at the nexus between the Pacific beaches and Oregon coast on SR 107 and on US Hwy 12 to Westport and to Ocean Shores, Quinault tribe and miles and miles of beautiful oceans.  Montesano is an emerald jewel which holds a community in love with the outdoors.

Montesano’s roots go back to the first settler, Isaiah who arrived in 1852.  He filed a claim on 640 acres along the banks of the Chehalis River.  In 1860 his residence was selected as the county seat and also became the first post office.  In 1883 Montesano officially became a city with a population of 300.

"Montesano is an emerald jewel which holds a community in love with the outdoors."

The city’s logo features three trees which is a nod to both what is important to its citizens now and reflective of a proud history of good stewardship of its environment.

Montesano is the birthplace of the tree farm in America. In 2016, Montesano celebrated the 75th anniversary of the American Tree Farm System of the Clemons tree farm.

Before that point, timber was harvested and the land was left; there was no effort to replant and consider future generations. Today there are over 900 tree farms in Washington state and 80,000 family-owned tree farms in America.

"Montesano is the birthplace of the tree farm in America."

The city continues this tradition by owning and managing its own 5400-acre forest. Our city forester works towards continuing goals for sustainable timber, fish, wildlife, and recreation.

The city forest is home to over 15 miles of interconnected hiking and biking trails.  Anglers throughout the Pacific Northwest are lured to the salmon, steelhead and sturgeon found in the local rivers.  Lake Sylvia State Park is within Montesano city limits and attracts campers, hikers, cyclists and fishermen

Montesano is surrounded by farms that grow and produce a wide variety of food crops such as corn, tomatoes, Finnish yellow potatoes, squash, pumpkins, natural raised beef, yak & buffalo, strawberries, blueberries, dairy products like milk, cheese and butter and Christmas trees.

The city’s position of being the county seat features one of the most beautiful historical courthouses in the state. Build in 1911, the Grays Harbor County Courthouse is a three story structure with dome tower. A testament to historic architecture, it holds a series of murals which depict local history.

"...the citizens of Montesano are committed to making sure our town provides a safe, stable and high quality of life for its inhabitants."

Montesano is a town of 4100 people and another 12,000 outside city limits that recognize it as their hometown. The City is a strong mayor form of government with a City Council of 7 elected positions at large. The city has a staff of 33 people in 7 departments. The citizens are also served by about a 30 member Volunteer Fire Department which has been in place for the past 125 years. The city has 24 hour coverage for police, fire and emergency medical services. While this is a little unusual in a town of this size, the citizens of Montesano are committed to making sure our town provides a safe, stable and high quality of life for its inhabitants.
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