Gardiner is an

unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a parcel of land that is not governed by a local general-purpose municipal corporation. (At p. 178.) They may be governed or serviced by an encompassing unit (such as a county) or another branch of the state (such as th ...

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 ...

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 ...

. Additionally, part of

Clallam County Clallam County is a List of counties in Washington, county in the U.S. state of Washington (state), Washington. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 77,155, with an estimated population of 77,616 in 2023. The cou ...

, located along the Jefferson County line adjacent to Gardiner is often referred to as being part of Gardiner.

History

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. The spelling was eventually changed to its current form, due to a conflict with another Gardner, Washington; this was needed to enable mail delivery. Gardiner lost its post office in the 1990s and residents were given mailing addresses in

Sequim, Washington Sequim ( ) is a city in Clallam County, Washington, United States. It is located on the north side of the Olympic Peninsula between the Dungeness River and Sequim Bay. The city is south of the Strait of Juan de Fuca and north of the Olympic Mount ...

Geography

Gardiner is located on the

Miller Peninsula The Miller Peninsula is a small peninsula in Clallam County, Washington and Jefferson County, Washington surrounded by Discovery Bay on the east, the Strait of Juan de Fuca to the north, and Sequim Bay to the west. Small residential communities on t ...

, at the northern coast of the

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 ...

Discovery Bay Discovery Bay is a picturesque residential community located on Lantau Island. The 2021 census recorded a population of 19,336 residents in DB, with 55% of them being non-Chinese. DB is home to a significant community compared of expatriates ...

, 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 main outlet to the Pacific Ocean. The Canada–United States border, international boundary between Canada and the ...

. 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 major north–south highway that traverses the states of California, Oregon, and Washington on the West Coast of the United States. It is part of the United States Numbered Highway Syst ...

. 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. The community has roughly 300 people, and is located east of Sequim, just north of

Parks and recreation

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 ...

. Popular salmon fishing derbies are held here each February; in the 2011 event, 760 ticket holders fished in an area spanning 500 square miles.

References

{{authority control Unincorporated communities in Washington (state) Unincorporated communities in Jefferson County, Washington