City takes small steps of change:

The Olympian
Olympia, Washington

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Progress Sunday, March 24, 2002

Mike Salsbury/The Olympian
An Intercity Transit bus awaits customers in downtown Bucoda. There has been little population growth in Bucoda in recent years.

Mike Salsbury/The Olympian
Paul and Joyce Adkins of Centralia wait for chili to be served during a recent visit to Joe's Place, a restaurant/tavern in downtown Bucoda.

Mike Salsbury/The Olympian
Clark

City takes small steps of change

RUTH LONGORIA THE OLYMPIAN

BUCODA -- There's not much recent growth in this town, partly because Bucoda folk prefer the small-town country atmosphere, city administrators say.

"We're sure not growing in leaps and bounds," said Ken Walling, Bucoda's public works employee. Bucoda's population is 628.

"We've had a couple, two or three residents, move in during the past three or four years," Walling said. "But mostly when someone moves in it's replacing someone else numberwise, and so the population numbers don't change much."

The most noticeable change in Bucoda recently is the addition of a small recreational vehicle park, just outside town on Tono Road, said Gee Gee Clark, Bucoda's city clerk.

Although many residents appreciate Bucoda for its uncitified atmosphere, the town might grow a little someday, Clark said.

"Without sewers we're not going to grow much and there's no money for that, so it kind of puts things on hold for now," Clark said.

"But we've applied for a lot of grants for things like updating the water lines and volunteer firefighters," she said. "We have a small amount for matching funds, so our focus right now is to keep applying for grants."

Mayor Alan Carr moved to Bucoda from upstate New York about 20 years ago.

He served as the town's mayor for a term in the 1980s and decided to run for office again in 2001. He ran unopposed and took office in January of this year.

One of the few changes in the past few decades has been for the city to add computers to City Hall, Carr said.

"Otherwise, we're not changing much, just hanging in there and trying to clean up the neighborhood," he said.

"I don't expect much in the way of growth in Bucoda. People like the rural atmosphere," Carr said. "It's no thriving metropolis here, and it won't ever be."

Ruth Longoria writes for The Olympian. She can be reached at 360-754-5435 or rlongori@olympia.gannett.com.

Bucoda by the numbers

- Population: 628

- Demographics in 2000: 92 percent white, 2.1 percent Hispanic, 0.8 percent American Indian or Alaska native, 0 percent black, 2.2 percent Asian, 1.3 percent other race, 3.3 percent two or more races.

- Population growth: Bucoda has seen little population growth in the past several years. The town does not have sewer systems, which limits growth in the town area. There has been some housing development, but very little change in numbers of residents.

- City history: Bucoda was established in 1870 and originally named Seatco, an Indian word meaning ghost or devil. In 1888, the town was renamed Bucoda in honor of three railroad men: William Buckley, Samuel Coulter and John B. David. Bucoda was the site of Washington's first territorial penitentiary. In 1887, after a controversy involving prisoners being used for mining labor, the penitentiary was relocated to Walla Walla.

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