On any given weekend, you'll see paddleboards, kayaks, sailboats, and powerboats in Gig Harbor. Look up, and you might see herons or eagles flying overhead.
Gig Harbor got its name in 1841 when the Charles Wilkes expedition came into the bay during a storm in longboats and a "Gig.” The calm waters of the Gig Harbor provided shelter then and are a haven now, drawing people to what has become the fastest growing city in Pierce County.
On a tour of the harbor, the city’s Police Chief Kelly Busey beamed with pride at the signs of preservation that can be seen on shore: Historic net sheds used by commercial fishing families.
“We’re trying to make more space for them,” said Busey, talking about the commercial fisherman who call Gig Harbor home.
At the same time, the city is trying to find a balance – maintain its history and attract new business.
“We need to keep growing and keep economically,” Busey said. “There are about 1,500 commercial and recreational boats in Gig Harbor.”
New businesses and non-profits are also beginning to dot the shoreline.
The waterfront has become a landscape of properties that are old and new. Homes from the 1900’s are tucked in the trees along the shore and in between new construction. No longer can builders construct homes at the waterfront’s edge.
The private Harborview Marina – destroyed by fire in 2005 – has been rebuilt showing off bigger boats. Soon, the Ancich Waterfront Park, now under construction, will be a public gathering place for paddle sports, junior sailing, kayak storage, and more.
This fishing community is a people place where neighbors know each other and people call the police chief by his first name – Kelly.
“It’s the best city, best community the state,” Busey said. “Just great community support. I have the best job in the state.”
