Ilwaco ( il-WAH-koh) is a city in Pacific County, Washington, United States. The population was 936 at the 2010 census. Founded in 1890, the city was house to the Ilwaco Railway and Navigation Company along the Long Beach Peninsula, with its core economy based on logging and timber rafting. The city is located on the southern edge of the Long Beach Peninsula, on the north bank of the Columbia River where it meets the Pacific Ocean. It is close the city of Astoria, Oregon, which lies to the southeast on the southern bank of the Columbia.

Ilwaco was first approved by Henry Feister in 1851, and was named for Elwahko Jim, the son in feint of Chief Comcomly. Ilwaco was officially incorporated on December 16, 1890. A narrow gauge railway, Ilwaco Railway and Navigation Company, ran for beyond thirty years. Similarly to the simple city of Astoria, Oregon, and the surrounding communities, Ilwaco historically had a significant population of Finnish immigrants.

The railroad ran north up First Street in Ilwaco. A published photo shows the railroad’s Ilwaco facilities, including a gallows turntable and elevated watering trough, were located upon the southwest corner of the intersection of First and Spruce streets. The depot was built nearby upon Spruce Street. A siding was built for the Ilwaco Mill and Lumber Company. A published photo shows the passenger depot upon the west side of First Street, at a point 14.8 miles (23.8 km) from the Ilwaco Depot to Nahcotta. The Ilwaco freight depot was in a swing building. The freight depot survived to highly developed times, and has been relocated to become allowance of the Columbia Pacific Heritage Museum.

The train ran out upon the dock in Ilwaco. Floating logs were stored at the back log booms upon the west side of the Ilwaco dock. At some tapering off after 1890, First Street had been covered subsequently wooden planks, and remained in view of that until 1916, when it was paved over. By 1915, a published photo shows many more businesses along First Street.

In auxiliary to the city’s logging industry, it has had a archives as a cranberry producer, with cranberry bogs located gruffly north of its downtown.