Why 'Twilight' has become immortal in this former Washington state logging town

At a small pull-off next to scenic Highway 101 recently, “Twilight” fan Katie Baker poses for a photo in front of a large green sign that says, ‘The city of Forks welcomes you.’

This year marks the 20th anniversary of the first “Twilight” book’s release. The fictional story of vampires, werewolves, and teenage love is set in the real town of Forks, Washington.

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Forks was once the self-proclaimed “logging capital of the world” but that industry has waned. Now there’s a booming economy centered on the “Twilight” books and films that's brought many changes to town over the past two decades — the good, the bad, and the glittery.

“I just love the story behind it and how they're together forever because I guess I'm just a hopeless romantic,” says Baker, who has loved the series since her sister gifted her the first book.

In case you’re not familiar, the “Twilight” series is about a teenager who falls in love with an ancient vampire and — spoiler — becomes one herself so she can eternally be with him.

Baker is from Florida and came to visit her uncle who lives in Port Angeles but says it would be a sin if she didn’t make this pilgrimage. She is one of many people who come to Forks each year because of the “Twilight" books and movies. It’s not the only reason, though. The town is on the Olympic Peninsula, which is full of beautiful beaches, a national park, and forests.

Still, there’s been a huge uptick of visitors since “Twilight” came along. The first movie was released in 2008. By the next year, the number of people who stopped by the town’s visitor center jumped by about 50,000.

You can find fans taking photos in front of the Forks sign any time of year. On a recent day, there was a group wearing matching “Twilight” sweatshirts on what they referred to as a “Twication.”

“I’m just excited to live out my 14-year-old dreams of Edward finding me and falling in love finally,” says Jennifer Shannon from New Mexico.

A Google search is responsible for this town’s transformation. “Twilight” author Stephenie Meyer had never visited Forks before writing the books. She turned to the web browser to find the rainiest place in the U.S. when Forks popped up, sealing the town's fate.

Forks has embraced the attention. As you drive into town, you might tune into the local radio station, Twilight 96.7. How about stopping at a local cafe to get a Twilight Tea or a New Moon Mocha?

But it wasn't always this way — Forks was once a logging town. Tom Rosmond is a multi-generational resident of Forks. His family owned a sawmill, and he’s seen the shift from lumber to tourism.

This was a very wealthy town during the peak of logging activity in the 1960s and 1970s, Rosmond says. However, increased regulations, overharvesting, and more milling overseas led to the decline of the industry. The mill Rosmond’s family owned shut down in 1989.

"We had meetings in this town asking what's the future of Forks?" Rosmond says. “It was no longer the wealthy town that it had been.”

Business slowed and many of the storefronts along Highway 101 were left empty with boarded up windows. But then “Twilight" came along.

“When the ‘Twilight’ book was published and then the movie was announced, it just breathed life into the area,” says Lissy Andros, the executive director of the Forks Chamber of Commerce.

Andros is a “Twilight” superfan. She read the first book after her hairdresser suggested it.

“I was 100 pages in [and] my whole life was changed," she says.

She isn’t being hyperbolic. The series influenced her to pack up her home in Tyler, Texas, and move to Forks.

“I read ‘Twilight’ and I was like, ‘Oh, Washington might be nice,’ but never [thought] it would be Forks,” Andros says. “But I came here, I fell in love with it.”

As part of her job, she created the “Forever Twilight in Forks Collection,” a museum of costumes and props from the movies, including a creepy animatronic doll that is melting, and considered by some to be haunted.

In 2023, food, retail, and accommodations made up 32% of Forks’ economy. Two decades before, that figure was 16%.

Even with the overwhelming popularity of “Twilight,” there is one big complaint some locals have about the series: Author Stephenie Meyer based her werewolves on the lore of the neighboring Quileute Tribe.

The website “Truth Versus Twilight,” a collaboration between the Quileute Tribe and the Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture, says Meyer misrepresented the tribe’s culture, and that Quileute people are portrayed in the series as mythic, fantastical characters rather than human beings. The tribe declined KUOW’s request for an interview and Meyer did not respond to requests for comment.

Despite the books being 20 years old, the tourists keep pouring into Forks. 2024 was a record-breaking year with over 78,000 tourists, which the town is on track to beat this year. Andros attributes that to the first generation of fans now sharing the series with their children, and more TikTok influencers sharing their trips to Forks on social media.

Andros believes that “Twilight” has given the town something to be proud of and have fun with. This past weekend was the annual Forks Twilight Festival and Meyer was an honored guest for the series’ 20th anniversary.

For his part, Tom Rosmond is still surprised at this continued love for "Twilight.”

“Many people, including myself [said], ‘Well, this is popular culture — it’ll last for...two or three years and something else will come along and it’ll be forgotten,’” he says. “It hasn't.”

It seems, just like a vampire, the “Twilight” series may live forever.