Belfair is a

census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a Place (United States Census Bureau), 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 counte ...

Mason County, Washington Mason County is a county (United States), county located in the U.S. state of Washington (state), Washington. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 65,726. The county seat and only incorporated city is Shelton, Wa ...

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. Located at the mouth of the Union River at

Hood Canal Hood Canal is a fjord-like body of water that lies south of Admiralty Inlet in Washington State that some consider to be the western lobe and one of the five main basins of Puget Sound.Olympic Peninsula The Olympic Peninsula is a large peninsula 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 is currently estimated at 5,711 as of 2025.

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 peninsula 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 C ...

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 northern 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 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 highways in Washington, state highway in the U.S. state of Washington (state), Washington, serving the Kitsap Peninsula in Mason County, Washington, Mason and Kitsap County, Washington, Kitsap counties ...

is the main road leading into Belfair, from

Bremerton Bremerton is a city in Kitsap County, Washington, United States. The population was 43,505 at the 2020 census and an estimated 44,122 in 2021, making it the largest city on the Kitsap Peninsula. Bremerton is home to Puget Sound Naval Shipyard ...

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 also starts at the south end of Belfair, leading toward Union, the next town along the south shore of Hood Canal. Washington State Route 300 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, 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 associated with childhood or home cooking. The nostalgia may be specific to an individual or it may apply to a ...

'' * Norm Dicks, politician and former member of the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...

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)