Port Townsend, Washington

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Port Townsend is a city located in Jefferson County, Washington. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 8,334. It is the county seat of Jefferson County Template:GR. The town is known for its many Victorian buildings, and for its many independent boatbuilders and other marine industries.

Port Townsend is known statewide as a centre for hippie culture, as well as liberal politics.

1 History
2 Architectural
3 Culture
4 Geography
5 Demographics
6 Sister city
7 External links
8 References

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History

Image:Port Townsend Washington fog waterfront.jpeg Originally named 'Port Townshend' by Captain George Vancouver (for his friend the Marquis of Townshend) in 1792, Port Townsend was immediately recognized as a good, safe harbor, which it remains to this day. The official settlement of the city took place on the 24th of April, 1851. American Indian tribes located in what is now Jefferson County in the mid-19th century included the Chemakum (or Chimacum), Hoh (a group of the Quileute), Klallam (or Clallam), Quinault and Twana (the Kilcid band — Anglicized: Quilcene).

Port Townsend is also called the "City of Dreams" because of the early speculation that the city would be the largest harbor on the west coast of the United States.

By the late 1800s Port Townsend was a well-known seaport, very active and banking on the future. Many homes and buildings were built during that time, with most of the architecture ornate Victorian.

Railroads were built to reach more areas in the 1870-1890s and Port Townsend was the northwest extension of the rail lines. Its port was large and frequented by overseas vessels, so shipping of goods and timber from the area was a major part of the economy. Much of the buildings were built on the speculation that Port Townsend would become a booming shipping port and major city. When the depression hit, those plans lost the capital to continue and rail lines ended on the east side of Puget Sound, mainly in Tumwater, Tacoma and Seattle. With the other Puget Sound ports growing in size, Port Townsend saw a rapid decline in population when the Northern Pacific Railroad failed to connect the city to the eastern Puget Sound city of Tacoma. By the late 1890s the boom was over. Without the railroad to spur economic growth, the town shrank and investors looked elsewhere to make a good return.

Many people left the area and many buildings were abandoned. Port Townsend's economy was very weak until the 1920s when a paper mill was built on the edge of the town. The town experienced a renaissance beginning in the 1970s as new residents, including many retirees, moved to town. Because of the speed at which the economy fell in the 1890s and the non-existence of any industry or economy to replace it, none of the Victorian buildings were torn down or built over in the intervening period. They were in essence preserved as time capsules for the next 100 years when the value of keeping them intact was appreciated and fostered.

Over the decades that followed, Port Townsend maintained its economic stability in a variety of ways, including the development of artillery fortifications at Fort Worden. Miraculously, the buildings and homes of the city's first boom remained largely intact.

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Architectural

Port Townsend is noted for a vast collection of Victorian homes and signifigant historical buildings. The city has more than a dozen larger buildings that are well preserved, including the Carnegie Library, the Federal Building (now commonly known simply as the city's post office), the Rose Theatre and the Elks Lodge, which now houses Silverwater Cafe.

In 1976, the Downtown waterfront and parts of Uptown were designated a national historic district. Later, Fort Worden (now part of Fort Worden State Park) and the City of Port Townsend were designated national landmarks. The city is further recognized as one of only three Victorian seaports on the National Register of Historic Places.

Image:Bell-Tower.jpgThe Bell Tower on the bluff above downtown is the only known tower of its type in the United States. It was used from 1890 to the 1940s to call volunteer firefighters. It was restored in 2003 by the Jefferson County Historical Society.<ref>Notes from Jefferson County Historical Society</ref>

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Culture

The Rose Theatre is a cinema downtown which shows contemporary American and foreign films.

Centrum is a culture and art organization that hosts a multitude of workshops at Fort Worden State Park.

By and large Port Townsend proclaims itself to be an artist haven, and there are many galleries to view main stream art Gallery Guide- PT Guide, but little room for outsider art. This is probably because the town has gentrified considerably in the last decade History- PT Guide and rents on places with decent traffic are beyond those that are not independently wealthy. Port Townsend is host to several annual events that help maintain the impression that the town is silly at heart, though the events (such as the Kinetic Skulpture Race) are less genuine than in the past, while still a good chance to blow off steam. This small town is a lovely place to visit and a difficult place to live in because food/gas/housing often outpaces income, many people have several jobs at once. The Shed Boy culture <ref>[1] Shed Boy Culture in Seattle Times</ref> has been created because of this phenomenon, people who want to be in the town at all costs, and are willing to live in less-than-desirable circumstances simply to be in the area.

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Geography

Image:WAMap-doton-Port Townsend.pngPort Townsend is located at 48°6'59" North, 122°46'31" West (48.116514, -122.775254)Template:GR. It is situated at the extreme northeastern end of the Olympic Peninsula, on the north end of a large, protected harbor, also called Port Townsend, and is at the entrance from the Strait of Juan de Fuca to Puget Sound.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 24.5 km² (9.4 mi²). 18.1 km² (7.0 mi²) of it is land and 6.4 km² (2.5 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 26.03% water.

In addition to road links to the south and west, Port Townsend is accessible via ferry from the Washington State Ferry system, which links Port Townsend with the Keystone ferry terminal on Whidbey Island, on the east side of Puget Sound.

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Demographics

As of the census Template:GR of 2000, there were 8,334 people, 3,917 households, and 2,201 families residing in the city. The population density was 460.3/km² (1,191.8/mi²). There were 4,250 housing units at an average density of 234.8/km² (607.8/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 93.27% White, 0.58% African American, 1.25% Native American, 1.27% Asian, 0.23% Pacific Islander, 0.89% from other races, and 2.52% from two or more races. 2.30% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 3,917 households out of which 23.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.4% were married couples living together, 11.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 43.8% were non-families. 36.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.09 and the average family size was 2.67.

In the city the population was spread out with 19.6% under the age of 18, 5.5% from 18 to 24, 21.8% from 25 to 44, 32.3% from 45 to 64, and 20.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 47 years. For every 100 females there were 85.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 82.6 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $34,536, and the median income for a family was $47,027. Males had a median income of $38,013 versus $27,753 for females. The per capita income for the city was $22,395. 14.0% of the population and 8.9% of families were below the poverty line. 19.0% of those under the age of 18 and 10.2% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.

Port Townsend operates with a Council/Manager form of government. Administrative offices are located in the recently renovated City Hall Building on Water Street in downtown Port Townsend.

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