North Kitsap Real Estate

The town of Kingston was platted April 24, 1890 by C.C. Calkins, Nellie Calkins, and S.B. Brierly, as a 175 acre village extending in two wings on either side of Central Ave (the present State Route 104). The same spirit of optimism that stimulated the three founders also prompted constriction of the first hotel, and a campaign to attract tourists to the sparsely settled shores of Apple Tree Cove, where logging and small farms has been the principal sources of income since the 1850's. Besides working in several small sawmills and shingle mills, residents of the area had logged off their own homesteads. Many were employed over many decades at the Pope & Talbot Mill in Port Gamble

 

Until World War II, Kingston's fields and orchards supplied strawberries, lettuce and other produce for Seattle markets Although there was a wharf extending to deep water as early as 1890, it was the "mosquito fleet" that provided freight and passenger transport for the area. Passenger ferries began running from Seattle in the 1920's and the Kingston-Edmonds car ferry began as a private venture in 1923. Thereafter, much of Kingston's life has been centered on that ferry link, which makes Kingston a gateway for thousands of annual visitors to the Olympic Peninsula. Population remained small, however, until World War II, although Seattle residents occupied scores of summer homes and vacation cabins during the summer months. Completion of Interstate 5 in the eastern counties of Puget Sound in the 1960's created a new class of commuting Kingstonities. Establishment of the Trident Submarine Base at Bangor swelled growth further in the 1970's. The 1980's have been marked by mushrooming construction of new homes and businesses, and in organization of an array of new community activities.

 

Hansville is located on the northern tip of the Kitsap Peninsula and is bounded by the waters of Puget Sound, Admiralty Inlet and Hood Canal. It is an informal geographic area north of Eglon and Little Boston and includes the communities of Point No Point, Foulweather Bluff, Driftwood Key, Shorewoods, and Cliffside. It is a semi-rural area abounding in open space, and made up mostly of single family full-time residences with a lesser number of recreational vacation homes

 

The predominant features of the area are extensive waterfront beaches and broad vistas of Whidbey Island, the Olympic Peninsula, Cascade Mountains, Olympic Mountains, expansive forest lands, sensitive wetlands, Buck Lake County Park, Point No Point County Park, beaver ponds, Foul Weather Bluff Nature Preserve and extensive marine recreational areas.

 

Greater Hansville is socially vital with well represented and highly active community centers in Hansville, Driftwood Key, Shorewoods and Cliffside communities and the Hansville Chamber of Commerce its citizens are active in many civic and governmental programs throughout the county and state.

 

Basic commercial services include a post office, general store, automotive repair, beauty salon, marine recreational resorts with cabins, RV facilities, and commercial launching facilities for recreational fishing. Many home occupation industries are tucked away in private residences.

 

Point No Point, named by the Wilkes expedition in 1841, was the site of the 1855 treaty with Puget Sound Indians and territorial Governor Isaac Stevens. The first lighthouse on Puget Sound was constructed at Point No Point in 1879 Foulweather Bluff was named by the Vancouver Expedition in 1792.

 

The greater Hansville area is being impacted by increasing population growth and current trends in land development. Cognizant of this, the community and the county are reviewing land use policies with the goal of implementing changes that will insure the preservation and enhancement of the quality of life and the semi-rural small town character of the area through planned, balanced and orderly growth policies.

 

The north facing waterfront areas of Point No Point and along Twin Spits Road, as well as west facing Foul Weather Bluff, provide some spectacular open water views and scenery along Hood Canal and Puget Sound.

 

Indianola is another residential community of homes on a parcel that was formed on the Port Madison Indian Reservation. The allotment of land originally owned by the Suquamish Tribe became through marriage the property of Alpheus Loughrey, whose sons sold parcels of the land through the Indianola Beach Land Company starting in 1916. A large dock and general store with post office served the community and provided a connection to the outside world in the early days. These features continue remain as centerpieces of the community today.

 

Indianola has some wonderful waterfront homes facing south on Puget Sound. More recently the Indianola Sand Spit area was developed with numerous no bank waterfront homes, including some with docks on the protected inlet of Miller Bay.

 

Port Gamble Bay was named by the Wilkes Expedition in 1841 after U.S. Navy Lt. Robert Gamble. The community, originally known as Teekalet, was founded as a company town by Josiah Keller, William Talbot, and Andrew Pope's Puget Mill Company in 1853.

 

Port Gamble continued to operate as a company mill town well into the 20th century. The first school in the county was started at Port Gamble in 1859, and the community took its present name in 1868. In 1966, the town of Port Gamble was designated a National Historic Landmark District. Eventually many of the original homes were sold or moved off the site. In 1985, Pope & Talbot, the successor company to Puget Mill, split into Pope & Talbot and Pope Resources, the latter of which took over the site and the sawmill. In 1995, the mill shut down after 142 years, making it the longest operating sawmill in the country.

 

Olympic Property Group, the real estate subsidiary of Pope Resources, is now embarking on a planning effort that will determine the disposition of our nearly 7,000 acres in North Kitsap.

 

The annual Old Mill Days festival takes place over the course of three days during late September and encompasses the entire downtown area. The event includes craft and food stands, a logging show, fireworks, and various other forms of entertainment.

 

Suquamish is the home of the Suquamish Tribe and is located on the Port Madison Indian Reservation. Popular attractions include the Old Man House Park and the grave site of Chief Seattle, for whom Seattle is named. More recently the Tribe has built the Suquamish Museum and Cultural Center in downtown Suquamish. This museum provides visitors with a wealth of information about the history and customs of the Tribe. The Suquamish Clearwater Casino on State Hwy 305 is a destination entertainment center with casino, restaurants, spa, and hotel on the site.

 

Although Suquamish is located on the reservation, most of the developed residential areas in the town are privately owned and are part of the local real estate market. Suquamish has numerous excellent waterfront properties facing Puget Sound and along Agate Pass.