Bay Center Pacific County, Washington
BAY CENTER: A Willapa Bay/ Palix River fishing village near Highway 101. Bay Center is on a peninsula (the tip is called Goose Point), which extends into the center of Willapa Bay. The point was the site of an Indian encampment and trading ground before and after the arrival of white settlers. Bay Indians called the river and camp Palix (also Palux, Copalux), meaning slough covered with trees. Joel Brown, who took a Donation Land Claim in the area now known as Rhodesia Beach (named for the Rhodes family) in 1853, was the first white settler on the Peninsula. He dreamed of founding a town on the point called Brownsville but died in 1854 on his way to Olympia to serve in the Territorial Legislature. Dr. James R. Johnson and family filed a Donation Land Claim for Goose Point in 1855. For several years Johnson was the only doctor of medicine on the bay and maintained his practice at Bruceport. By 1873 the beachfront on the point was crowded with homes occupied by farmers and oystermen. They called their settlement Palix. In 1875 residents decided they needed a post office (Oysterville, across the bay, was the nearest) and held a contest to name the settlement. Mrs. Leonard (Mattie Goodpasture) Rhoades suggested the name Bay Centre (her spelling) because the community is located near the geographic center of Willapa Bay. A post office was established on May 16, 1876. The spelling of the town name changed to Bay Center in 1877. Around the turn-of-the-century there were so many churches on the point residents referred to the town as either New Jerusalem or Saints Rest. Today, the community is home to several oyster seed hatcheries and a small fleet of boats.
“A Name for Every Place Around Pacific County, from A to Z.” Chinook Observer, 13 May 2013, https://chinookobserver.com/2013/05/13/a-name-for-every-place-around-pacific-county-from-a-to-z/.
Mapped Location
Bay Center: The mapped location is an approximation and should not be used for navigation or wayfinding.
Information
General information on Bay Center
- Feature Type: Place
Official, historical, colloquial and alternative toponyms for Bay Center
A brief list of names that this geographic feature has been named
| Name | Description |
|---|---|
| Bay Center | Official |
| Bay Centre | Historical |
Origin Notes and History of Bay Center
References to Bay Center that document the origin of its place name
BAY CENTER, a town in Pacific County. The name was first spelled Bay Centre. It was suggested by Mrs. Mattie Rhoades, then Miss Mattie Goodpasture, as the village site was about the middle of the landward side of Willapa Harbor. (L. L. Bush, in Names MSS., Letter 97.)
Pacific County
- Balevile (historical)
- Bay Center
- Bay Center Junction
- Bedford
- Breakers
- Brigham City (historical)
- Brooklyn
- Bruceport
- Burt
- Camp Brix (historical)
- Chinook
- Davis
- Dexter by the Sea
- East Raymond
- Elk Creek
- Firdale
- Fort Canby
- Frances
- Frankfort
- Globe
- Heather
- Hilda
- Hines
- Holcomb
- Holman
- City of Ilwaco
- Klipsan Beach
- Knappton
- Lebam
- City of Long Beach
- Loomis
- McGowan
- Megler
- Menlo
- Middle Nemah
- Moores Corner
- Nahcotta
- Nallpee
- Naselle
- Nemah
- Nemah Junction
- North Cove
- North Nemah
- Ocean Park
- Oceanside
- Oceanview
- Oysterville
- Pacific City (historical)
- Pluvius
- City of Raymond
- Rhodesia Beach
- Seahaven (historical)
- Seaport (historical)
- Seaview
- City of South Bend
- Stringtown
- Sutico
- Swem
- Tokeland
- Upper Salmon Junction
- Venice
- Willapa
Political Boundaries
Last updated: 2026-09-27