User blog:Mary-Alice Brandon/Forks

Forks is a city in Clallam County, Washington, United States. The population was 3,120 at the 2000 census. It is named after the forks in the nearbyQuillayute, Bogachiel, Calawah, and Sol Duc rivers.Forks,WA For many years, the city's economy was fueled by the local timber industry. With recent declines in the industry, however, Forks has had to rely on the nearby Clallam Bay Correctional Center and Olympic Corrections Center as a source of jobs. Forks is a popular destination for sport fishers who fish forsalmon and rainbow trout in nearby rivers. It is also supported by visitors to Olympic National Park. In recent years, the city has gained notability for being a key setting in Stephenie Meyer's Twilight series. History ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Forks was officially incorporated on August 28, 1945 following an election of the constituents who would become its first town members. Government ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ The City is organized under Washington State law as a Non-charter Code City. Its structure is that of an elected Mayor and a five member elected City Council. Unlike other cities on the Olympic Peninsula, Forks operates under what is called a "strong Mayor" form of government with the Mayor being the Chief Executive Officer overseeing four department heads (Clerk/Treasurer, Public Works, Police, and Legal/Planning). Tourism ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ On the South end of town is the Forks Timber Museum. Constructed in 1990 by the Forks High School carpentry class, the 3,200-square-foot (300 m2 ) building provides a look back into the local history of the timber industry, loggers of the past and their tools of the trade. The museum has exhibits depicting local history dating back to the 1870s.[8] Depending on the person, there are several things to do in Forks. For the teenage group there is a group called the Rainy Day Gamers. These gamers gather every Friday at the ICN Building located a couple blocks away from the stoplight at 71 North Spartan.[9] For others, Forks serves as the hub for numerous day excursions to the Hoh Rainforest, the Pacific Beaches, and various wilderness trails. A large percentage of Forks visitors are fans of Stephenie Meyer's Twilight series, which is set in the town.[10] As a result, Forks has seen a 600% increase in tourism since the books' publication.[11] Tours are available of locations that resemble the places described in Meyer's books, although the movies were not actually filmed in Forks. Locations include the Cullen house (Miller Tree Inn), the house where Bella moves in, and the hospital where Dr. Cullen is supposed to work. Fishing ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Forks is well known for its winter steelhead trout fishing with the Quillayute river system - the Hoh, Sol Duc, Bogachiel and Calawah rivers. Other nearby Clallam, Sekiu and Hoko rivers are also good for king salmon fishing and steelheading as well. Local guides are available for both native and hatchery runs and for float trips. Fishing gear and clothing is available at local stores.