By Kathy Chin Leong
SimCity is a video game where players create their own communities. They install streets and landmarks, and plop down schools, hospitals, and houses where they see fit. While developer Casey Roloff never played SimCity, he didn’t have to. He and his wife Laura built their own beach town in real life and called it Seabrook.
Today, visitors are discovering Roloff’s dream escape located on the Washington coast, 2.5 hours from the Sea-Tac International Airport, accessible by car or shuttle. While it does not have its own ZIP code and is not technically an official town, the unincorporated community is over 20 years old but still a newcomer as a travel destination. Many have compared the curated village to Wisteria Lane, a fictional neighborhood in the TV show Desperate Housewives. Just like the series, pastel houses with gabled roofs and wraparound porches line the streets. The lawns and gardens are immaculate, and everyone seems happy.
In 2004, the Roloffs broke ground on a neglected clear-cut forest in Grays Harbor County, one of the state’s poorest regions. They started with 250 acres and now own 730, which is larger than Carmel-by-the-Sea, California. Approximately 60 percent is set aside as natural green space for forests and animals. The plan is to establish Seabrook, then Maker’s Village, and finally a high-end resort area called Pacific Grove. Also part of the plan is to elevate Grays Harbor with employment and advanced opportunities.
Seabrook was created using New Urbanism principles, which tout walkability and bikeability to restaurants, shopping, groceries, and town amenities. It’s ideal for a family reunion or retreat with friends. Over 600 Victorian-like single-family homes and townhouses and twenty-plus parks have been built, with more to come. Most of them are in the rental pool. Like a proud father, Casey beams, “Every little house looks like it could be on a postcard.” Seabrook is made up of nine pedestrian-friendly “micro-neighborhoods,” each with distinct qualities. Its architectural style, Pacific Northwest Vernacular, includes details such as cedar shingles that will gray out in time and Craftsman-style tapered columns and wide porches.
Homes clad in robin’s egg blue and mint green welcome guests as they meander pristine pathways laden with crushed oyster shells. Rentals with names such as “Whim-Sea” or “Tide Together” stand ready for guests. Owners often equip their rental homes with delights such as ice cream makers and pet toys. Garages are situated in the back of the homes so that people can walk safely in front and even stop to chat with others on porches.
Seabrook is set on a scenic bluff overlooking the Pacific Ocean. When the Roloffs were designing their town, they looked to the planned community of Seaside, Florida as a role model. Like Seaside, Seabrook is completely pedestrian-friendly. Streets are narrow, causing cars to slow way, way down. Essential services are within a five-minute walk. Amble to Fresh Foods Market for groceries. Stroll to Koko’s for Mexican cuisine. Skip to Joie des Livres bookstore to browse or play a board game.
In Town Center, sidewalks are extra-wide, with plants and flowers tucked into barrels or tiny gardens. Brooklet’s Toys, Pondr fashion, and Stowaway Wine Bar feature attractive signage and window displays. At the apex of Market Street, the Town Hall building with a bell tower and snowy white clapboard exterior stands proudly. This is where concerts, author talks, and special events take place.
With the Pacific Ocean as its backdrop, vistas are maximized. Houses in the South of Market District tout ocean-facing balconies so folks can gather for sunset views. Market Street is situated on a slope, leading all eyes to the water.
Meanwhile, Seabrook concierges ensure plenty of activities are afoot. The team arranges everything from photo shoots to group mushroom foraging. In the summer, a roster of musicians perform weekly. Autumn brings forth pumpkin carving contests. During holidays, all are invited to hunt for glass floats during the Winter Glass Float Find.
To find out how Seabrook got started, attend the official Seabrook walking tour held several times a week. Guides point out examples of New Urbanism and explain how the Roloffs started off their careers painting houses, then developing custom homes, and eventually building and curating a joyful village with little crime.
Outdoor escapades are plentiful. At nearby Mocrocks Beach, novices signing up for razor clamming learn how to use a clam gun with a local guide from Pacific Edge Adventures. Razor clams are unique to the Pacific Northwest, and lucky guests who capture them can cook them right on the beach.
Alleys, unexpected staircases, and forest paths weave in and out of the neighborhoods. Of note is the Gnome Trail where little explorers are encouraged to contribute leaves and tiny sticks to the gnome homes found among tree roots.
On a rainy day, hit the indoor swimming pool and gym, or create your own scented candle at Lorraine’s Candle Studio. There’s no reason to feel guilty if you want to simply stay in, for residing in one of these new dwellings is like living in a model home. The house design is just as intentional as the town plan. At Play Among the Stars, the three-story house comes with an elevator and a media room with bunk beds and loads of board games. There’s a gumball machine filled with doggy treats and a basket of pet diapers. Thematic in every way, the artwork and décor feature galaxies, astronauts, and books about the cosmos.
Rentals range from one-and two-person cottages, all the way to mansions that can sleep up to 24. Gourmet kitchens with state-of-the-art appliances are standard. Many cottages come with mud rooms so you can take off wet beach gear before entering the living space.
In this slice of Americana, you can stop for a picture at a mural with face cutouts. Snag a selfie on the giant Adirondack Seabrook chair on Market Street. And yes, kids do ride their bikes unchaperoned as parents grab coffee and pastry from Vista Bakery.
Casey, Seabrook CEO and visionary, looks forward to the day Seabrook becomes a household name. For now, it is Washington’s best-kept secret. “Even people who live in Seattle or Portland have been driving past this exit for 100 years to go to Cannon Beach or Seaside, Oregon,” he says. “It’s hard to change travel patterns,” he explains. “Once we get them coming here, they return. Over 80 percent of them do.”
- Head to www.seabrookwa.com to learn more
