Belfair is a

census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counterparts of incorporated places, such ...

Mason County, Washington Mason County is a county located in the U.S. state of Washington. As of the 2020 census, the population was 65,726. The county seat and only incorporated city is Shelton. The county was formed out of Thurston County on March 13, 1854. Original ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. Located at the mouth of the Union River at

Hood Canal Hood Canal is a fjord forming the western lobe, and one of the four main basins,Olympic Peninsula The Olympic Peninsula is a large arm of land in western Washington that lies across Puget Sound from Seattle, and contains Olympic National Park. It is bounded on the west by the Pacific Ocean, the north by the Strait of Juan de Fuca, and the ...

are popular with tourists. The population was 3,931 as of the 2010 census.

History

Belfair was originally referred to as Clifton, as were several other towns in the state. To avoid confusion, it was renamed in 1925 by Mrs. Murray, then

postmaster A postmaster is the head of an individual post office, responsible for all postal activities in a specific post office. When a postmaster is responsible for an entire mail distribution organization (usually sponsored by a national government), ...

, who submitted the name Belfair from a book that she was then reading.

Geography

Belfair is located on an isthmus connecting the Kitsap and

Olympic Peninsula The Olympic Peninsula is a large arm of land in western Washington that lies across Puget Sound from Seattle, and contains Olympic National Park. It is bounded on the west by the Pacific Ocean, the north by the Strait of Juan de Fuca, and the ...

. It receives an average rainfall of yearly and has a growing season of 212 days with final spring frost around April 20 usually.

Mason Lake Mason Lake is a natural elongated lake south of Belfair, Washington, United States in Mason County. Named for Charles H. Mason, the first secretary of Washington Territory, the lake is on the isthmus of the Kitsap Peninsula between the Hood Ca ...

is southwest of Belfair.

Parks and recreation

Belfair serves as a gateway town for the Hood Canal region, and is the last town with services before visitors reach Tahuya State Forest. The Theler Wetlands have walking trails meandering through of tidal wetlands, offering boardwalks and well-groomed paths with views of Hood Canal, Union River, and a tidal estuary. Other nature trails can be found near Belfair Elementary.

Arts and culture

Belfair is home to "The Taste of Hood Canal", an annual event falling on the second Saturday in August. This festival features local artists, foods, a classic car show and is sponsored by the North Mason Rotary Club. Belfair is also home to the Mary E. Theler Community Center.

Infrastructure

Health care

Belfair is the regional service hub for North Mason County. Harrison Hospital operates an urgent care facility in Belfair, and local doctor offices are in the area along with other professional services. The area has local and chain restaurants, along with two major grocery stores. Local shopping includes gift stores.

Timberland Regional Library Timberland Regional Library (TRL) is a public library system serving the residents of western Washington state, United States including Grays Harbor, Lewis, Mason, Pacific, and Thurston counties. Timberland Regional Library has 27 community lib ...

has a local branch in Belfair. Several public golf courses are nearby, including McCormick Woods, Gold Mountain, Alderbrook, Trophy Lake, Horseshoe Lake, and Lakeland Village.

Roads

Washington State Route 3 State Route 3 (SR 3) is a state highway in the U.S. state of Washington, serving the Kitsap Peninsula in Mason and Kitsap counties. The highway begins at U.S. Route 101 (US 101) south of Shelton and travels northeast onto t ...

is the main road leading into Belfair, from

Bremerton Bremerton is a city in Kitsap County, Washington. The population was 37,729 at the 2010 census and an estimated 41,405 in 2019, making it the largest city on the Kitsap Peninsula. Bremerton is home to Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and the Bremer ...

and Gorst in the north, and

Allyn Allyn is both a unisex given name and a surname. Notable people with the name include: ;Given name: * Leigh-Allyn Baker (born 1972), American actress, director and voice artist * Allyn L. Brown (1883–1973), American judge * Allyn Capron (18 ...

in the south.

Washington State Route 106 State Route 106 (SR 106) is a State highways in Washington, Washington state highway in Mason County, Washington, Mason County, extending from (US 101) in Skokomish, Washington, Skokomish to south of Belfair, Washington, Belfai ...

also starts at the south end of Belfair, leading toward

Union Union commonly refers to: * Trade union, an organization of workers * Union (set theory), in mathematics, a fundamental operation on sets Union may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * Union (band), an American rock group ** ''Un ...

, the next town along the south shore of Hood Canal.

Washington State Route 300 State Route 300 (SR 300) is a short state highway in Mason County, in the U.S. state of Washington. It extends from Belfair State Park to SR 3 in the community of Belfair. The route serves as a connector from Belfair State Park to B ...

begins in Belfair and runs along the north shore of Hood Canal, providing access to Tahuya and Dewatto Bay.

Education

Belfair has two high schools (North Mason High School and James A. Taylor High School, an alternative school), a middle school (Hawkins Middle School), two elementary schools (Sand Hill Elementary and Belfair Elementary), and a co-op preschool.

Notable people

Noah Ashenhurst Noah Ashenhurst (born 1972) is the author of the novel ''Comfort Food'' which won the 2006 Independent Publisher Book Award for Best Regional Fiction (West-Pacific). The novel is set primarily in the Pacific Northwest and deals with six character ...

, former English teacher at North Mason High School and award-winning author of the novel ''

Comfort Food Comfort food is food that provides a nostalgic or sentimental value to someone, and may be characterized by its high caloric nature, high carbohydrate level, or simple preparation. The nostalgia may be specific to an individual, or it may app ...

'' *

Norm Dicks Norman DeValois Dicks (born December 16, 1940) is an American lawyer and politician who served as the U.S. representative for , between 1977 and 2013. He is a member of the Democratic Party. His district was located in the northwestern corner o ...

, politician and former member of the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the Lower house, lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States Senate, Senate being ...

* Daniel Lane, children's book

illustrator An illustrator is an artist who specializes in enhancing writing or elucidating concepts by providing a visual representation that corresponds to the content of the associated text or idea. The illustration may be intended to clarify complicat ...

* Jason Raines, 6 time American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) National Champion

References

External links

Mason County GovernmentMap of AreaNorth Mason ChamberBelfair Farmers Market
{{authority control Census-designated places in Mason County, Washington Census-designated places in Washington (state)