City is growing, but it's still a small town at heart

By JACK HOPKINS
SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER REPORTER

Gig Harbor is still a place where residents and visitors can take a quiet stroll along the 2.8 miles of waterfront, stopping to shop in unique little stores called The White Whale, Kelly's Laffin Crab, Hide and Sea, and the Beach Basket.

It is a town that has lots of open space, towering fir trees and no high-rise buildings to mar the view. The population -- 6,413 -- is growing, but still manageable.

It is a place where people still look each other in the eye and say hello to strangers they pass on the street.

"This is a great place to live," says Marie Sullivan, executive director of the Gig Harbor/Peninsula Area Chamber of Commerce. "We are surrounded by snowcapped mountains, lush forests, beautiful shorelines and sparkling water. If you are into water sports or any other kind of recreation, we have it."

Mayor Gretchen Wilbert says it's the people who make the town special. "The people in the neighborhoods know and care for each other.

"We have three and four generations of families living here. And for some families there is a fifth generation now. The kids go away, but they always seem to come back. People really never leave Gig Harbor once they've been here."

"There is a sense of intimacy in living here," adds City Administrator Mark Hoppen.

You'd expect to hear that from city and chamber of commerce officials. But Wilbert, Sullivan and Hoppen are telling the truth. And most Gig Harbor residents and business people feel the same way.

"One of our strengths is the incredible natural scenery that is the heritage of the area -- the charm of the harbor itself, the ambience and the slow pace and character of the peninsula in general," says Tom Morfee, immediate past-president of the environmentally oriented Peninsula Neighborhood Association.

"That's God-given. We're just lucky," says Morfee.

Continued:

• This cozy community is relaxed and likes it that way
• Town is safe and increasing in diversity