city, Grays Harbor county, western Washington, U.S., on Grays Harbor at the mouth of the Hoquiam River, a deepwater port 12 miles (19 km) from the Pacific Ocean and adjacent to Aberdeen, immediately to its east. The earliest permanent white settlement in the Grays Harbor region, it was established in 1859 by pioneers attracted there by the expanse of virgin forest. Hoquiam developed as a lumbering centre, and its manufactures include wood products and machine tools. Fishing and fish canneries are also important. The city's name is derived from a Chehalis Indian word meaning “hungry for wood” and refers to the driftwood at the river's mouth. Hoquiam Castle, a mansion built in 1897 for sawmill owner Robert Lytle, is on the National Register of Historic Places, as are several other structures in the city. Grays Harbor National Wildlife Refuge (1988), a sanctuary for migratory shorebirds, lies just west of the city. Inc. 1890. Pop. (1990) 8,972; (2000) 9,097.