Gig Harbor may be just a short drive across the Narrows Bridge from Tacoma, but it might as well be a world away. Because of its rather isolated location on the Kitsap Peninsula, Gig Harbor was only reachable by boat or lengthy drive to circumvent Puget Sound until 1940 when the first suspension bridge, nicknamed “Galloping Gertie” for the way it undulated in high winds, was built. There’s been several reconfigurations of the infamous bridge since then, but the wonderful “hidden away” feeling in Gig Harbor remains.

Today, Gig Harbor remains a working waterfront and home port for commercial fishermen as well as a wide variety of pleasure boats, which gives it a decidedly New England feel. In recent years, the area has seen a demographic sea change with young families from nearby big cities like Seattle and Tacoma moving in that are looking for a quieter, more idyllic place to raise their kids, as well as small business owners that embrace the area’s maritime heritage and tightly knit community that supports its own. It’s no surprise that Gig Harbor is often included in “Best Small Towns in America” lists.

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