FORKS, Wash. -- For millions of die-hard fans, Friday marks the day they’ve been waiting for as Twilight: New Moon debuts in theaters. But for one tiny town on Washington’s Olympic Peninsula, Twilight is a year-round phenomenon.

It’s rainy pretty much all the time in Forks, Washington, a tiny town of 3,000 people sitting in the shadow of the Olympic National Park . Average rainfall is about 100 inches a year. For many years more timber was cut in Forks than anywhere else on Earth, giving birth to Forks' distinction as the Logging Capital of the World. Those days, however, are a distant memory.

“They still would like to be known as the logging capital of the world,” Forks resident Mike Daniels said. “It’s not there anymore, the logging’s gone.”

Thanks to a woman who has never set foot in Forks, the small logging town on the Olympic Peninsula has a new distinction of being the home of Bella Swan, Jacob Black and the Cullen Family of Stephanie Meyer's popular Twilight series of books. The books have sold more than 70 million copies; the first movie has earned more than $400 million.

Now, ever since the books were released, tourists have been flocking to Forks. Before Twilight, Forks saw maybe 6,000 tourists a year. In 2008, 19,000 people came to visit. So far in 2009, 66,000 people have made the pilgrimage to Forks.

The tourists have brought a new way of life to Forks and new twists on some old businesses. Every store sells Twilight souvenirs, even the locksmith. Sully’s Drive-In has a Bella Burger on the menu. The Chinese restaurant in town has life-size cut-outs of Edward and Bella to greet customers who come in for the Chow Mein and Kung Pao Chicken. Every motel in Forks has Twilight-themed rooms for rent.

One woman helped change this tiny town. Annette Root has read each of the Twilight books 15 times. She first came to town to visit and didn’t find the Twilight experience she was looking for. So, she moved her family north from Vancouver, Washington.

“They thought I was nuts,” she said, but she opened two Twilight stores and business took off. Her stores feature everything Twilight, from shirts to sweatpants and from lunchboxes to Twi-lighters. People actually come in to buy the books, even if they already own copies ... just to have a book that came from Forks.

Annette also takes her love of Twilight on the road. She operates a Twilight tour company. For $39, Twi-hards load on a bus to see Twilight sites based on locations in the books. The city has designated certain homes to be the Cullen house and Bella’s house. Forks Hospital has a parking spot reserved for Dr. Cullen, the vampire family's father. There’s a Twilight display at the police station where Bella’s father serves as chief and if you drive by Forks High School on any given day you’ll probably see a tourist taking a picture outside.

The crazy thing is the movies aren’t even shot in Forks. In fact, while the story takes place in and around the Olympic Peninsula the movies aren't in filmed in Washington State. They're actually shot on location in Vancouver, British Columbia and in the Portland, Oregon area. But that's not stopping thousands of people from making the trek to see Forks High School, the Cullen family's home or the Forks Police Department.

Not everyone loves the fame Twilight has brought to Forks. Some longtime residents say the tourists are bringing too much attention and distraction to this once quiet town. They don’t like the traffic that comes along with being part of a cultural phenomenon. Twi-hard queen Annette Root is quick to dismiss the doubters.

“We were given a fabulous gift,” she says. “Something that takes a town that was dying, whether they want to admit it or not. The economy was horrible, people didn’t have jobs. The logging industry is a proud industry and they are proud of that, but it has stopped.”

Most people in Forks admit, Twilight – right now – is keeping this town afloat.

“Not my cup of tea,” Forks resident John Gray said. “But for the people who like it, bring yourselves, bring your money out, open up your wallet … we love you!”

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