Gig Harbor, Washington
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Location of Gig Harbor, Washington |
Gig Harbor is a city in
Pierce County,
Washington,
United States. The population was 5,465 at the 2000 census.
Based on
per capita income, one of the more reliable measures of affluence, Gig Harbor ranks 49th of 522 areas in the state of Washington to be ranked.
Gig Harbor is like the "Newport Beach, California" of the northwest, with its beautiful harbor and many marinas. Gig Harbor is generally known as the "tourist" hub of Pierce County. It is a gateway to the incredible
Olympic Peninsula. With close access to several state and city parks and the
Puget Sound, it is a popular tourist destination. It also has a fairly extensive and historic waterfront, with boutiques and fine dining. The narrows bridge project is close by, so construction watching is popular. Tacoma can be reached in 20 minutes and Seattle in less than an hour.
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Gig Harbor Marina |
Gig Harbor was named by Captain
Charles Wilkes. During a heavy storm, the captain brought his
Gig (small
boat) into the harbor for protection. Later, Captain Wilkes named the sheltered bay Gig Harbor.
1867 brought
fisherman Samuel Jerisich to the Gig Harbor area, along with many other immigrants from
Sweden,
Norway, and
Croatia.
Commercial fishing and boat building dominated the economy until the building of the
Tacoma Narrows Bridge, better known as Galloping Gertie, which collapsed on November 7, 1940, but has since been reconstructed. The increased accessibility that the bridge provided increased both the number of people living in the town and the diversity of the community. It is now considered a developing wealthy suburb of the neighboring
Tacoma.
Gig Harbor was officially incorporated on
July 12,
1946.
Gig Harbor is located at (47.327032, -122.586426).
According to the
United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 11.3
km² (4.4
mi²), all land.
See also Raft Island and Puget Sound.The
Peninsula School District is the district covering the city of Gig Harbor.
As of the
census of 2000, there were 6,465 people, 2,880 households, and 1,765 families residing in the city. The
population density was 573.8/km² (1,485.2/mi²). There were 3,085 housing units at an average density of 273.8/km² (708.7/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 99.17%
Caucasian, 0.11%
African American, 0.63%
Native American, 0.53%
Asian, 0.22%
Pacific Islander, 0.54% from
other races, and 1.79% from two or more races.
Hispanic or
Latino of any race were 0.03% of the population.
There were 2,880 households out of which 25.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 66.0% were
married couples living together. 33.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.16 and the average family size was 2.75.
In the city the population was spread out with 20.3% under the age of 18, 7.1% from 18 to 24, 23.5% from 25 to 44, 25.7% from 45 to 64, and 23.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 45 years. For every 100 females there were 83.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 78.9 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $83,456, and the median income for a family was $157,587. Males had a median income of $56,250 versus $28,487 for females. The
per capita income for the city was $28,318. About 0.5% of families and 0.9% of the population were below the
poverty line, including 0.8% of those under age 18 and 0.1% of those age 65 or over.
Jim Hines (endorsed by Bob Oake former Republican Senate seat member.) a local Gig Harbor resident is running for the 26th district Senate seat. To win the primary he has to beat his long time friend Lois McMahon. Jim has great family and friends supporting him including his girlfriend De Meyers. However, a current Representative of the district named Derek Kilmer (D) seems poised to beat either of them in the general election in November.
The 26th district has been a swing district in Washington State for decades. Larry Seaquist (D) is running for the house seat vacated by Derek Kilmer. His opponents are Ron Boehme and Trent England who are Republicans currently engaged in a primary.
Beckie Krantz (R) is running for the other state house seat against long time incumbent Patricia Lantz (D).
The U.S. Congressmen for the district is Norm Dicks, who is challanged by Doug Cloud once again in the general election.
Gig Harbor has the following
sister city relationship, according to [
1]
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Sakhalin Island,
RussiaSeveral movies have been filmed in the town, including
Enough with
Jennifer Lopez, and possibly the upcoming movie 'Land of No Return'.Actor
Josh Lucas graduated from Gig Harbor High School.
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Gig Harbor WA Info*
Gig Harbor - Peninsula Area Chamber of Commerce*
City of Gig Harbor Website*
Gig Harbor Farmer's Market
