It's a rain-soaked hamlet with a population of 3,000 souls, and just one traffic light, as unlikely a tourist hotspot as you'll ever see. But the tiny town of Forks, Wash., has been transformed by Twilight, the wildly popular young adult book series by Stephenie Meyer.

Searching for a setting for her vampire-themed novel, Meyer learned that the Olympic Peninsula in Washington state was the rainiest place in the continental United States -- perfect for sun-shunning vampires. As Meyer writes on her website, she was looking for a town that was ``small, out-of-the way, and surrounded by forest,'' and she discovered Forks. A visit to the area confirmed it: Forks was the right place for her vampire-boy-meets-girl love story to bloom.

Four years after the first book in the series was released, Twilight is a publishing juggernaut, earning comparisons to Harry Potter. The series, now grown to four books, is a perennial presence on The New York Times bestseller list and has sold 70 million copies worldwide. The second Twilight movie, New Moon, hits theaters on Nov. 20. The first, now available on DVD, has earned more than $380 million so far.

Alas, there won't be a movie premiere in Forks, since the closest cinema is more than an hour away. And the Twilight movies weren't even filmed here. But ``Twi-hard'' fans have embraced Forks in a big way, and they're happy to fork over their tourist dollars to capture some of the magic.

VAMPIRE VISITORS

Most residents don't seem to mind that vampire vogue has brought some tourism lifeblood to this former logging town, where the sole tourist attraction had always been the Forks Timber Museum. Travis Belles, a guide with Dazzled by Twilight Tours, says, ``With the logging industry dead, it's been a real blessing for the town.''

When the first Twilight novel came out, the local librarian hosted an event, and about 35 people came, says Diane Schostak of the Olympic Peninsula Visitor Bureau. ``And then the books really took off, and visitor counts started to soar.''

More than 1,500 fans showed up in September for Stephenie Meyer Day/Bella's Birthday Celebration, hosted by the Forks Chamber of Commerce, featuring a Twilight characters look-alike contest and Quileute storytelling. About 5,500 guests (and counting) have taken the Dazzled by Twilight tour (at $39 a pop) since Annette Root launched the business in March. Thanks to Twilight mania, visitation at the Forks Visitor Center was up 770 percent last January, typically an off month for the Pacific Northwest. As of August, more than 67,000 tourists have visited Forks this year.

Not bad for a town that averages 10 to 12 feet of rain per year.

TAKING THE TOUR

Now, it's Twilight time again, and here's what you'll find on your Twilight-themed vacay to Forks.

Entering town, you'll see the ``Welcome to Forks'' sign, which Travis Belles describes as, ``the most famous light-up sign in the world, since the Hollywood sign doesn't light up!'' Everyone scrambles up to take a picture. Why resist?

Next, stop by the Forks Visitor Information Center and pick up a self-guided tour map to several of the locations mentioned in the books. While you're there, check out the replica of Bella's red truck.

On your own, do a drive-by of Forks High School, where Bella goes to school (and 60 actual students graduated last year), Forks Outfitters (where Bella worked with Mike Newton), Forks Hospital (the fictional Dr. Cullen even has a parking spot) and the Forks Police Station, where ``Charlie Swan'' was employed.

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