A fishing village with recreational facilities on Dibkey Slough at the north entrance of Willapa Harbor in northwest Pacific County. The name was chosen by local residents because the town borders on a small cove at the north entrance to the harbor. The town of North Cove was platted by Mrs. Lucy Johnson in February of 1884.

At North Cove, are Coast Guard and Life Saving stations and the Willapa Bay Lighthouse. During the summer, vacationists enjoy the Cove’s sandy beach and sheltered waters.

That sandy beach appears to have been the lighthouse’s undoing. Constructed in 1858 and situated atop a bluff overlooking the Pacific, years of pounding surf wore away at its sandy foundation. By the close of 1940, the lighthouse had toppled from its perch to the beach below. Over the years, much of North Cove met the same fate, including the Coast Guard and Life Saving stations, a post office, a hotel, the local school, and many homes.

Adjoining North Cove is the Shoalwater Indian Reservation, known locally as the Georgetown Reservation, after the George family of Native Americans. It skirts an indentation on the north shore of Willapa Bay and is a popular summer fishing ground for the Shoalwater and Quinault tribes.