Gig Harbor, Washington
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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.
History
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.
Geography
Gig Harbor is located at (47.327032, -122.586426)[Geographic references#1GR1].
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.
Education
The Peninsula School District is the district covering the city of Gig Harbor.Demographics
As of the census[Geographic references#2GR2] 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.
Politics
Jim Hines 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. However, a current Representative of the district named Derek Kilmer seems poised to beat either of them in the general election in November.
Sister City
Gig Harbor has the following sister city relationship, according to [link]
Movies & Entertainment
Several 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.External links
- [Gig Harbor WA Info]
- [Gig Harbor - Peninsula Area Chamber of Commerce]
- [City of Gig Harbor Website]
- [Roy & Sandy Denton's Home Page]
- [Gig Harbor Farmer's Market ... founded in 1991 by Roy & Sandy Denton]
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