Dungeness is an

unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...

Clallam County Clallam County is a county in the U.S. state of Washington. As of the 2020 census, the population was 77,155, with an estimated population of 78,209 in 2021. The county seat and largest city is Port Angeles; the county as a whole comprises the ...

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...

, United States, located north of Sequim and on the

Strait of Juan de Fuca The Strait of Juan de Fuca (officially named Juan de Fuca Strait in Canada) is a body of water about long that is the Salish Sea's outlet to the Pacific Ocean. The international boundary between Canada and the United States runs down the centre ...

. Dungeness has a number of waterfront residential communities, but also features the

Dungeness Spit Dungeness Spit is a sand spit jutting out approximately from the northern edge of the Olympic Peninsula in northeastern Clallam County, Washington into the Strait of Juan de Fuca. It is the longest natural sand spit in the United States. The spi ...

, a popular destination for locals and tourists. The name "Dungeness" refers to the

Dungeness Dungeness () is a headland on the coast of Kent, England, formed largely of a shingle beach in the form of a cuspate foreland. It shelters a large area of low-lying land, Romney Marsh. Dungeness spans Dungeness Nuclear Power Station, the hamlet ...

headland in

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

. It was given by

George Vancouver Captain George Vancouver (22 June 1757 – 10 May 1798) was a British Royal Navy officer best known for his 1791–1795 expedition, which explored and charted North America's northwestern Pacific Coast regions, including the coasts of what a ...

in 1792, who wrote: "The low sandy point of land, which from its great resemblance to Dungeness in the English Channel, It is called New Dungeness."

Dungeness crab The Dungeness crab (''Metacarcinus magister'') is a species of crab inhabiting eelgrass beds and water bottoms along the west coast of North America. It typically grows to across the carapace and is a popular seafood. Its common name comes from ...

get their name from the area, where the first commercial fishing was done for the species. The Dungeness crab fishery began in 1848 and is said to be the oldest known shellfish fishery of the North Pacific coast. Crab flourish in Dungeness Bay, and crabbing is a popular local pastime. 2009-0606-3crabs-Dungeness

Recreational areas in and near Dungeness include Cline Spit and the Dungeness Recreation Area and Wildlife Refuge which contain many trails. The latter contains the Dungeness Spit, Washington state's longest natural sand spit and home to the New Dungeness Light House. Dungeness is currently home to Nash's Organic Farm, Five Acre School, and Olympic Lavender Heritage Farm. The latter is home of the Olympic Lavender Festival and one of many farms featured during the annual Sequim Lavender Farm Tour in July and annual Tour de Lavender Metric Century Ride in August. Smaller communities within the Dungeness area include Old Town, which is located near the

Cline Spit Cline may refer to: Science * Cline (biology), a measurable gradient in a single trait in a species across its geographical range * Cline (hydrology), a fluid layer with a property that varies * Cline (mathematics) or generalised circle, a circ ...

, and Jamestown, located around Jamestown Road.

References

Unincorporated communities in Washington (state) Unincorporated communities in Clallam County, Washington {{ClallamCountyWA-geo-stub