Where is Kurt Cobain From?

Kurt Cobain grew up in Aberdeen, a rough-and-ready coastal logging town. His childhood was difficult, marked by his parents’ divorce and a lack of stability at home.

He took to using drugs and committing petty vandalism as teenage rebellion. Eventually he formed a band with bassist Krist Novoselic, whose nickname was “Fecal.” They called their group Nirvana.

Aberdeen

The town of Aberdeen is home to the late frontman of grunge rock group Nirvana. Despite his suicide in 1994, Kurt Cobain has gained a loyal following of fans who visit the place where he spent his formative years dreaming about music. A welcome sign in the city reads, “Come As You Are,” reflecting the philosophy that the musician embraced throughout his life.

Located along Grays Harbor, Aberdeen was once a thriving port city but is now a quiet little place with an appealing, if forlorn, downtown. A visit here can take visitors to the places where Cobain slept on doorsteps and used drugs as an outlet for teenage rebellion.

It can also bring them to the school where he worked as a janitor at Weatherwax High School, now called Aberdeen High. The building is now an exhibit dedicated to the rock musician. Its exterior is decorated with graffiti, some of which was written by Kurt himself.

Hoquiam

Kurt Cobain was born in Hoquiam, Washington and spent the first two years of his life there. He moved to Aberdeen after his parents divorced and lived with various relatives. He often slept under bridges and engaged in petty vandalism as a form of rebellion. He also took drugs.

He formed Nirvana in 1987 with bassist Krist Novoselic and the band became a fixture of Seattle’s grunge scene. The band’s hit, “Smells Like Teen Spirit,” helped change the direction of rock music.

The house where he was born still stands in Hoquiam and is now owned by a real estate agent. A visit to the home is like stepping into a time warp. It has a vintage kitchen and orange, black and gold carpeting. There are also plenty of graffiti paying tribute to bands Cobain liked, such as Led Zeppelin and Iron Maiden. Next to the home is Viretta Park, where fans often leave messages on benches about their love for Cobain.

North River

Kurt Cobain was a young and gifted musician who became an icon of Gen-X grunge rock. He was an artistic kid from a broken home who loved rock music and played guitar from a very early age. In 1987 he formed Nirvana, a band that would go on to become a major success in the Seattle music scene and beyond.

Despite his happy childhood, he was troubled and angry. His emotional pain was a subject and catalyst for much of his later music. He often used drugs and engaged in petty vandalism as forms of teenage rebellion.

On April 8, 1994, a contractor found Cobain’s body at his Seattle home with a shotgun in his arms and a suicide note nearby. His mother Wendy and daughter Frances Bean Cobain were both at the house at the time of his death. Both sides of Kurt’s family had a history of suicide, with his great-uncle Burle dying by gunshot in 1913 and his cousin Kenneth killing himself five years later.

Olympia

Cobain’s problems with family, depression and self-destructive behavior were the themes of much of Nirvana’s music. He moved between his own house and relatives’ homes, slept under bridges and used drugs and petty vandalism as forms of teenage rebellion. His relationship with Hole singer Courtney Love, who he married in February 1992, was troubled and volatile. He and Love had a daughter, Frances Bean, that August.

In 1991, Cobain wrote many of the songs on “Nevermind” at 114 Pear Street in Olympia, a small house that was divided into three apartments. Today, the home is available for rent on Airbnb. Cobain also stayed in a few other places around town and paid rent with the income from his rock shows. He also worked at a local scuba diving shop. He took a liking to this work, but it didn’t pay the bills. It was during his time in Olympia that Cobain met a young Evergreen dropout named Slim Moon, who started K Records to help area bands.