Key Peninsula

Life with the water

The Key Peninsula—so-named because it's roughly shaped like a key—is a narrow stretch of land between Carr Inlet and Case Inlet at the southern edge of the Salish Sea. Life on the peninsula is life connected to the water— to the tides, to migrating birds, spawning salmon, visiting orcas, resident seals, bellowing sea lions, pods of Dall’s porpoises—and to the changing seasons displayed in the trees—golden maple leaves in fall, blooming dogwood in spring, branches hung with moss all year. Watch the ditches and banks of tree lined roads (and all the roads are tree lined, tree covered, tree shaded) transform with the seasons too: trillium in spring, honeysuckle and foxgloves in summer, mushrooms in autumn, winter apples hanging like ornaments after the frost comes.

Activities & Schools

Made up of several small communities, including Wauna, Minter, Glen Cove, Vaughn, Key Center, Longbranch, and Lakebay, the Key Peninsula is an area that values simple living; one of its towns is literally named Home. The Key Peninsula is home to three public elementary schools (with a newly built Evergreen Elementary) and one public middle school while Peninsula High School is just on the far side of the Purdy Spit, which aids in easy transitions for children growing up. Along with three state parks, you can visit community Key Pen Parks with trails, playgrounds, picnic areas, and even a splash pad at Gateway Park. Camp Seymour is a popular summer camp on the quiet waters of Glen Cove where local kids and city kids learn and play in boats, on the climbing wall, and in the woods.

Groceries & Services

You’ll find groceries, a public library, coffee shop, wine shop, doctor’s office, restaurants, a post office, and even a nursery for your gardening needs in Key Center. For certain errands, many peninsula residents drive across the spit to Gig Harbor where big box chains and other businesses can be found. Many of those amenities are over half an hour away, so support the local grocery first, then make a list to make the most of your trips across the spit.

Community

Visit Home for the Lakebay post office, to wander past country gardens planted and tended with care and creativity, and to put a boat in the water at the public launch on A Street. One of the best parts of living out on the KP is access to innumerable places to “put in” whether you’re leaving land on a kayak, dinghy, sailboat, ski boat, or canoe.

Because of its State Parks, public boat launches, and close proximity to Tacoma, the Key Peninsula is becoming a popular place to camp and boat. The Civic Center with its history museum, The Longbranch Improvement Club, playgrounds, ball fields, and annual festivals like the Key Peninsula Farm Tour and Art Walk all help people find community.

Like its nearby cousin Gig Harbor (related, but not the same!), the Key Peninsula is insulated with forests and surrounded by views of the water. The eastern edge of the peninsula looks over Carr Inlet to Mt. Rainier, while those living on the western side look over Case Inlet to the Olympic Mountains. Homes are often found down private drives, but several lake and beach-front communities are built with more of a next-door neighbor feel.

Sandy beaches skirt the Peninsula on low-tide days, accessible on public beach fronts, and at State Parks, such as Penrose and Joemma.

Sandy beaches skirt the Peninsula on low-tide days, accessible on public beach fronts, and at State Parks, such as Penrose and Joemma.

Use your Pierce County Library Card at the Key Center Library, serving the community from this location since 1981.

Along with waterfront homes, the Key Peninsula is populated by lake communities, modest modular homes, and houses on large acreage where people pasture horses, and raise small numbers of livestock.

Along with waterfront homes, the Key Peninsula is populated by lake communities, modest modular homes, and houses on large acreage where people pasture horses, and raise small numbers of livestock.

The site of a ferry dock in the days of the Mosquito Fleet, Glen Cove is still where you’ll find the YMCA’s Camp Seymour and the historic Glen Cove Hotel.

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HOUSING

Housing on the KP ranges from large, waterfront homes to beach cabins, manufactured homes, single-wides, lakeside communities, and old farmhouses. There’s not much for apartments or multi-family dwellings out here, though there are homes that stay in the family for generations.

Hi, I'm Michael Duggan, a licensed broker with Windermere Abode. I would love to help you through the home buying or selling process. Please contact me to set up a meeting and get things started.