South Bend: A new pearl in BLS partnership

Picture of the South Bend waterfront in 1911.
Source: Wikimedia Commons, photo by Asahel Curtis

The self-proclaimed “Oyster Capital of the World” is a pearly new member of the state Business Licensing Service (BLS) network.

Today, BLS welcomes South Bend as its 130th local partner.

Incorporated in 1890 on the shore of Willapa Bay, South Bend's economy has long been kept afloat by fishing, shellfish harvesting, and tourism. A park by the fishing harbor even features a concrete sculpture of the "World Largest Oyster." 

South Bend is the first of 16 cities southwest Washington cities to link up to the streamlined service over the next year. Its neighbor Raymond joins the service later this spring and seven communities in nearby Grays Harbor County will join by early 2021.

Oysters are harvested from Willapa Bay near South Bend. Source: Wikimedia Commons, zak11527.