Like the Scottish city, Aberdeen is a port settlement situated at the mouth of two rivers—the Chehalis and the Wishkah. An earlier name for the settlement was Heraville, which was recorded by Benn. The city was founded by Samuel Benn in 1884 and incorporated on May 12, 1890.

Aberdeen is called the "Gateway to the Olympic Peninsula", because of its proximity to the southern end of the peninsula and to Olympic National Park. Since the late 1980s, Aberdeen has been famous as being the "Birthplace of Grunge", and the hometown of Nirvana members Kurt Cobain and Krist Novoselic.

Kurt Cobain (born February 20, 1967, Aberdeen, Washington, U.S.—died April 5, 1994, Seattle, Washington) was an American rock musician who rose to fame as the lead singer, guitarist, and primary songwriter for the seminal grunge band Nirvana.

Kurt Cobain. Kurt Cobain was born on February 20 1967, in Aberdeen, Washington. Kurt and his family lived in Hoquiam for the first few months of his life then later moved back to Aberdeen, where he had a happy childhood until his parents divorced. The divorce left Kurt's outlook on the world forever scarred.