Seabrook Is a Little Coastal Utopia

There’s nothing quite like finding an edible mushroom in the forest with a five-year-old. The excitement and pride my son displayed when we found chicken of the woods were contagious, and after battering and frying the mushrooms, our wonderful day got even better. The dark, wet forests in which our mushrooms grew are part of Seabrook, a planned community on the Washington coast, and a sort of utopia that leaves visitors coming back for more.

Seabrook was founded in 2004 by developers Casey and Laura Roloff, who fell in love with the idea of creating a community that was walkable, architecturally pleasing, and built around knowing your neighbors. The idea was inspired by Seaside, Florida, which went from being an undesirable place to live to one of the most coveted haunts on the east coast. The couple developed Seabrook in part out of a selfish desire to create the kind of community they wanted their kids to grow up in. “We were attracted to walkability and independence for our kids,” Casey says.

While Seabrook is a bit off the beaten path (roughly 2.5 hours from Seattle and 30 miles from Aberdeen, the most populous city in Grays Harbor County), once you arrive, it offers nearly everything you need. There is a grocery store, restaurants, retail shops, and even an arcade for kids. Beyond the essentials, the community spaces are what make Seabrook unique. Communal pools, basketball courts, and fire pits dot its 30 parks, and everything is walkable, just as the Roloffs planned.

Four people carrying buckets and backpacks walk in single file along a narrow trail through a dense, green forest filled with tall trees.

Mushroom foraging in the surrounding forests.

Courtesy of Seabrook

My family of four—with two kids under six—loves coming to Seabrook because of how low-key it is. Once you are there, you don’t have to leave or drive anywhere. The streets are safe for walking, and the town offers respite from day-to-day life. Think less Disneyland, more Jersey Shore, without the crowds. Of course, the beach is a big part of Seabrook’s draw. The wild coast is just steps from Town Hall, down a series of paths and boardwalks. The flat sand stretches for miles in either direction, and there is plenty of space to dig in the sand, build driftwood forts, and look for seashells.

Pathway through tall dry grass leads to the ocean under a partly cloudy sky. Driftwood and sand are visible along the shoreline.

A dreamy view of the Washington coast from a beach access trail.

Courtesy of Seabrook

Several people sit around a fire pit, roasting marshmallows on sticks. Stacked firewood is visible in the background, and there is smoke rising from the fire.

Kids roast marshmallows at a community fire pit in one of the town’s many parks.

Courtesy of Seabrook

This past spring, on our third trip to Seabrook, we spent more time in town than at the beach because the weather wasn’t fully cooperating. I took a tour with Casey, who leads many Saturday tours throughout the year for prospective homebuyers and anyone interested in learning about Seabrook. It was fascinating to hear about the key ingredients he believes go into creating a beautiful town: walkability, a variety of houses, a blend of nature and urbanism, and inviting public spaces. “It’s not about the beach,” Casey, who lives in Seabrook full time, says. “It’s about the community.”

There are big plans in store for Seabrook and the surrounding area, led by the Roloffs. Development of Makers Village is underway, a plan that will include 600 homes, with a focus on craftspeople and businesses whose work can’t be found online. There are plans to double the number of shops and restaurants in the next two years, and there is even talk of a five-star luxury hotel being built just down the road.

A coastal neighborhood at sunset with neatly arranged houses, intersecting streets, cars parked along the roads, and the sun setting over the ocean in the background.

Seabrook’s colorful homes line walkable streets in a planned community on the Washington coast.

Courtesy of Seabrook

Beyond the exciting future of Seabrook, the present moment offers a respite from the helter-skelter lifestyle many of us get caught up in. Walking around the streets of Seabrook at first seems a bit like being in the Truman Show, as if it isn’t real. Seabrook feels like a utopia dropped into the middle of nowhere. The further you dig in, and the more I get to know it, the more I feel the pull of spending time in places like these. “It’s a real place, not a movie set,” Casey says. While Seabrook might feel a little too good to be true for some, you won’t know until you check it out yourself.