GIG HARBOR

The Maritime City

Cross the Narrows from West Tacoma and you're in the Maritime City, historically a fishing village that also offered opportunities for boat building and lumber work. Now it’s both a destination for boaters, tourists, and people looking for a scenic place to settle down. Known for postcard views of Mt. Rainier, waterfront cafes, pubs, breweries, and local history, Gig Harbor maintains the charm of small, independent businesses in the downtown district, while expanding into new inland shopping areas such as Uptown, Gig Harbor North, and Point Fosdick Square.

Downtown Gig Harbor

Waterfront sidewalks populated with dog-walkers, stroller-pushers, and joggers and are also dotted with Heritage Markers illuminating the history of the harbor. Summertime brings free outdoor concerts, movies in the park, the Waterfront Farmers Market, and the annual 7 Seas Brewing Anniversary Bash, while highly rated public schools, as well as Tacoma Community College's Gig Harbor Campus keep students and families in the harbor year round. 

The harbor may be the hub of the community, with the Harbor History Museum, marinas, public waterfront access, Susanne’s Bakery, beloved cafes and date destinations, and the longstanding Tides Tavern, but the Gig Harbor Peninsula incorporates many other communities, such as Artondale, Rosedale, and Point Fosdick.

Boating & Beaches

Gig Harbor is a place where people who love to boat can access the waters of the Puget Sound without owning waterfront. A series of public boat launches provide entry to the bays, inlets, and passages of this inland sea. How far one goes depends on the boat and boaters—head north and make it all the way up to the San Juan Islands, or west out the Strait of Juan de Fuca to open ocean. That’s the sense of possibility that comes with living by the sound.

What else is good to know? Cross the Fox Island Bridge to visit The Tacoma DeMolay Sandspit Nature Preserve (also known as Bella Bella Beach) on the northern tip of Fox Island. If camping close to home or just getting out on the beach for the day sounds good, head to Kopachuck State Park. Or head for Narrows Park. Bring your kayak to the non-motorized boat launch, or take a picnic and a book. Find a sandy spot on the 1,315 foot public Narrows Passage shoreline and look out to the bridges and across to West Tacoma. 

Harbor History

Gig Harbor maintains its own identity set apart from Tacoma, but with two bridges spanning The Narrows, it’s much more connected than in the days of the system of ferries known as the  Mosquito Fleet. Most people in the area are familiar with the story of Galloping Gertie, our first suspension bridge open to traffic for just four months in 1940 before it collapsed. In 1950 the Current Narrows Bridge opened, followed 57 years later by the eastbound 2007 Narrows Bridge. The days of hopping a ferry from Point Defiance to Gig Harbor for community festivals, a job, or a day away are really not so far in the past. 

Learn more at the museum, or get your Pierce County Library card and delve into some books. The experience of sitting at The Tides for a beer and oyster shooters is deepened by knowing it started as a general store in 1910, that the tavern’s been going (in various forms) since the 1930s, and that your patronage is a continuation of that story. The more you know, the more you wonder.

Marinas, parks, and restaurants, as well as beautiful historic and modern homes skirt the shores of Gig Harbor Bay.

Marinas, parks, and restaurants, as well as beautiful historic and modern homes skirt the shores of Gig Harbor Bay.

Sharing our traditional Tides Tavern order of creamy, herbed clam chowder, and big time cod and chips. Never fails.

Bring your boat, take a tour, or rent a paddle-board. Gig Harbor offers all kinds of ways to get into the water.

Bring your boat, take a tour, or rent a paddle-board. Gig Harbor offers all kinds of ways to get into the water.

Visit 7 Seas Brewing, rebuilt in 2023 at this beautiful waterfront spot with a view of the harbor mouth.

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HOUSING

Waterfront homes and those downtown houses festooned with summer garlands and winter holidays lights, along with Canterwood mansions, may come to mind first, but Gig Harbor also includes more modest single-family dwellings, along with duplexes, condos, and apartment buildings. It’s possible to find more affordable homes further from the water and in newer developments. Demand is high.

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.