450px, Looking north from Gardiner Gardiner 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 ...

Jefferson County, Washington Jefferson County is a county located in the U.S. state of Washington. As of the 2020 census, the population was 32,977. The county seat and only incorporated city is Port Townsend. The county is named for Thomas Jefferson. Jefferson County wa ...

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 ...

. (Additionally, part of Clallam County located along the Jefferson County line adjacent to Gardiner is often referred to as being part of Gardiner.) Gardiner is located on the Miller Peninsula, at the northern coast of the

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 ...

Discovery Bay Discovery Bay (DB) is a resort town on Lantau Island, Hong Kong. It consists of mixed, primarily residential, development, in particular upmarket residential development and private and public recreational facilities, including garden houses, ...

, which enters 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 ...

. Gardiner is primarily a rural-residential community, with mostly five- and parcels, plus several large landholders. Gardiner also has a few retail establishments, a community center, and a church, all located on

U.S. Route 101 U.S. Route 101, or U.S. Highway 101 (US 101), is a north–south United States Numbered Highway that runs through the states of California, Oregon, and Washington, on the West Coast of the United States. It is also known as (The Royal Roa ...

. There is still some farming, lumbering, and fishing, but the area is following the Jefferson County trend away from agriculture, as old homesteads and family farms get subdivided into residences. left, 300px, Annual Salmon Derby Gardiner has a public boat ramp that provides access to

; the ramp is maintained by the Port of

Port Townsend Port Townsend is a city on the Quimper Peninsula in Jefferson County, Washington, United States. The population was 10,148 at the 2020 United States Census. It is the county seat and only incorporated city of Jefferson County. In addition to ...

. Popular salmon fishing derbies are held here each February; in the 2011 event, 760 ticket holders fished in an area spanning 500 square miles. The community has roughly 300 people, and is located east of Sequim, just north of

. (

is just a bit further, in the opposite direction.) Timber in the area was originally cleared in the late 19th century, as was much of Discovery Bay, and was planted with fruit trees – primarily apples and pears. Gardiner took the name of the original farmer, Herbert Gardner.Jefferson County Historical Society archives and publications, Port Townsend, Washington The spelling was eventually changed to its current form, due to a conflict with another Gardner, Washington; this was needed to enable mail delivery. (However, Gardiner lost its post office in the 1990s, when Gardiner residents were given mailing addresses in

Sequim, Washington Sequim ( ) is a city in Clallam County, Washington, United States. It is located along the Dungeness River near the base of the Olympic Mountains. The 2010 census counted a population of 6,606. Sequim lies within the rain shadow of the Olympic ...

. The two towns are in different counties, which leads to confusion.)

References

Unincorporated communities in Washington (state) Unincorporated communities in Jefferson County, Washington {{JeffersonCountyWA-geo-stub