Welcome to Port Townsend ...
The coastal city of Port Townsend is located at the north end of the Olympic Peninsula (on the Juan De Fuca Strait).
Port Townsend is located in Jefferson County<1> and is the County Seat for Jefferson County.
While we don't have a date for the founding of Port Townsend, you might consider that their post office opened in 1852.
A typical abbreviation for Port Townsend: Prt. Townsend
From the Census Estimates for 2019, Port Townsend has a population of 9,867 people<2> (see below for details).
The community of Port Townsend is 30 feet [9 m] above sea level.<3>.
Time Zone: Port Townsend lies in the Pacific Time Zone (PST/PDT) and observes daylight saving time
Port Townsend is located in the (360) area code.
The ZIP code for Port Townsend: 98368<4>
Websites for Port Townsend ...
Official Website: www.ci.port-townsend.wa.us/
Population Details ...
Taken from the 2019 Census Estimates, Port Townsend had an population of 9,867 people. This is an increase of 8.27% since the 2010 Census (or an increase of 18.39% since the 2000 Census).
At the time of the 2010 Census, Port Townsend had a population of 9,113 people (which is 30.51% of the total population of Jefferson County). This makes Port Townsend the county's most populous community.
The population of Port Townsend represents 0.14% of the population of Washington (which has 6,724,540 people), making it the state's 84th most populous community.
With a 2010 count of 9,113 people, the population of Port Townsend increased 9.35% from the 2000 Census (which had a count of 8,334 people).
More information can be found on the Census Page for Port Townsend.
Communities near Port Townsend ...
We have created a list of 10 communities that are near Port Townsend.
- Oak Harbor
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak Harbor
- Oak Harbor is located in Island County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 23,643 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Oak Harbor <5>
- Sequim
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sequim
- Sequim is located in Clallam County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 7,780 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Sequim <5>
- Stanwood
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stanwood
- Stanwood is located in Snohomish County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 7,571 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Stanwood <5>
- Coupeville
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coupeville
- Coupeville is located in Island County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,994 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Coupeville <5>
- Langley
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Langley
- Langley is located in Island County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,148 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Langley <5>
- Adelma Beach
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Adelma Beach
- Adelma Beach is located in Jefferson County
- Irondale ‑ Historic
(5 miles [8 km] to the south) - Marrowstone
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marrowstone
- Marrowstone is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Marrowstone <5>
- Nordland
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nordland
- Nordland is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Nordland <5>
- Port Hadlock - Irondale
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Port Hadlock - Irondale
- Port Hadlock - Irondale is located in Jefferson County
To Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
We have a couple of sections for those tracing their genealogy.
We created a list of cemeteries that are in the area around Port Townsend. Our list includes the location of those cemeteries and we provide an overhead view. See our Cemetery List for Port Townsend.
Using the information from an 1895 Atlas, we've created a list of communities that were in the area of Port Townsend. Our list includes information such as whether the 1895 community had a post office or railroad service. See our List of 1890's Communities around Port Townsend.
We also have a detailed list of newspapers that have been published in the area around Port Townsend. Our list includes 45 papers. See our Newspapers Page for Port Townsend.
TripAdvisor Tourism Pages for Port Townsend ...
Looking for more information about Port Townsend? A wonderful source is the TripAdvisor website. We always start with the TripAdvisor Tourism page, where you can read an overview with links that will help you find lodging, restaurants and attractions.
In addition to the Tourism page for Port Townsend, there are neighboring communities that also have Tourism pages. More information about those communities can be found on our TripAdvisor Page for Port Townsend.
Adding Port Townsend to Our Gazetteer ...
We originally found mention of Port Townsend in both the FIPS-55 and the GNIS. For more information, see the FIPS and GNIS Codes sections on our Miscellaneous Page.
From our notes, the earliest published mention we've found for Port Townsend was in the document titled List of Post Offices from Cameron Blevins and Richard Helbock.<7>
From that list, the Port Townsend post office opened in 1852.
We also found Port Townsend in the book titled List of Post Offices in the United States (1870).
For more details, see References and Mentions for Port Townsend.
Off-the-Road Links ...
The official website for Port Townsend: www.ci.port-townsend.wa.us/
The official website for Jefferson County: www.co.jefferson.wa.us/
The official website for State of Washington: https://access.wa.gov/
Footnotes ...
| <1> | If you're interested in how the shape of Washington's counties, including Jefferson, have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries. |
| <2> | Population counts have been provided by the U.S. Census Bureau. For more detail, please visit our Census Page for Port Townsend. |
| <3> | The elevation is an estimate for the area around Port Townsend - it will be higher in some places and lower in others. |
| <4> | ZIP Codes have been created by the United States Postal Service (USPS) as a way of grouping addresses to make delivery more efficient. The boundaries of the ZIP Code can be changed, re-assigned, eliminated or overlapped with other ZIP Codes. So keep in mind that any given ZIP Code is only 'loosely' associated with a city (such as Port Townsend). When looking for a ZIP Code, whether Port Townsend or elsewhere, it's always best to check the website of the United States Postal Service (USPS). |
| <5> | While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program. |
| <6> | The location has been supplied by the Geographic Names Information System - which is maintained by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). While these values should be definitive, we found that accuracy can vary and you should double-check the location if accuracy is required. |
| <7> | A copy of their list with background information can be found at: https://cblevins.github.io/us-post-offices/data-biography/ |