Gig Harbor is a neighboring town to Tacoma, Washington, and is located just across the Narrows Bridge from Tacoma’s West End, one the Olympia Peninsula. The two towns are very different even though they are close to each other. Gig Harbor is quiet, laid-back, and very oriented around its maritime culture with a quaint harbor area—feeling more like a seaside village than a town. While the town is small, there are increasingly more things to do here for residents as well as more daily-life amenities.
Gig Harbor Boating
The Gig Harbor Waterfront and harbor area is the heart and soul of this town. If you own your own craft, exploring the harbor and lighthouse at the entrance to the harbor is a cool way to spend a day. There is a public boat launch and a number of places to dock within the harbor. Once you are in the harbor, getting out of the boat and exploring the area on foot is easy and ideal.
If you don’t own a boat, you can find kayaks, peddle boats, or motorboat rentals within the harbor—look to Gig Harbor Rent-A-Boat at 8829 N. Harborview Drive, near Anthony’s.
Things to Do
The harbor is one of the best places to find things to do regardless of season. During Christmas, this area has holiday decorations and many of the boats are decked out in lights. In any time of year, this area is alive with shops, restaurants, and nice areas to walk or sit by the water and watch the boats.
Gallery Row is located here and features several art galleries and antique shops. There are also many restaurants worth trying in the harbor, including an Anthony’s, Kelly’s Diner, Tides Tavern, and Morso wine bar. The Gig Harbor Art Walk goes hand-in-hand with this area and takes place the first Saturday of each month from 1 to 5 p.m.
You can also take tours of the harbor from the Rent-A-Boat dock at Anthony’s. Tours run at noon, 3:30 p.m. and 6 p.m. during warmer months of the year. The Harbor History Museum is also located close to Anthony’s.
There are a number of events that take place in Gig Harbor over the course of a year, too.
Homes and Apartments
Gig Harbor homes are more expensive on average than all of the neighborhoods within Tacoma with an average sale price of $369,000 in 2011 according to Zillow.com. Gig Harbor has many waterfront and view homes and condos, as well as a generally more affluent population than Tacoma. The greatest portion of homes here are 1,800 square feet and up—much larger than Tacoma homes—and over half the homes in Gig Harbor were built after 1980.
Apartments in this area are available, but not as plentiful as in Tacoma since this is a much smaller town. Almost all of the apartments are located close to SR-16, making them great if you commute. Expect to pay $800 and up.
Transportation
Gig Harbor and other areas on the Kitsap Peninsula are served by Pierce Transit, but not extensively. Routes 100, 102, and 601 can take you out to Gig Harbor. There are no transit centers in Gig Harbor, but there are two park and rides—Kimball Drive Park and Ride and another in Purdy where you can connect to Kitsap Transit buses. The closest Tacoma transit center to the peninsula is at Tacoma Community College.
Gig Harbor Schools
Gig Harbor High School - 5101 Rosedale Street NW
Peninsula High School - 14105 Purdy Drive Northwest
Henderson Bay Alternative High School - 8402 Skansie Avenue
Goodman Middle School - 3701 38th Avenue Northwest
Harbor Ridge Middle School - 9010 Prentice Avenue
Key Peninsula Middle School - 5510 Key Peninsula Highway N
Kopachuck Middle School - 10414 56th Street Northwest
Artondale Elementary School - 6219 40th Street Northwest
Discovery Elementary School - 4905 Rosedale Street Northwest
Evergreen Elementary School - 1820 Key Peninsula Highway South
Harbor Heights Elementary School - 4002 36th Street Northwest
Minter Creek Elementary School - 12617 118th Avenue Northwest
Purdy Elementary School - 13815 62nd Avenue Northwest
Voyager Elementary School - 5615 Kopachuck Drive Northwest