Colorful, Victorian Port
Townsend, Washington Offers History and Recreation in a
Beautiful Setting
Cost of Living: Above the National
Average
This historic, picturesque Victorian seaport
(population 8,900) is located on Washington's Olympic Peninsula at
the entrance to Puget Sound. A prosperous, raucous seaport
during the 1800s, Port Townsend lost much of its population during
the early 20th century when the railroad failed to arrive as city
fathers had hoped. As a result, the town was nearly
forgotten as the new century rushed past. Then several
years ago, Seattle urbanites rediscovered the picturesque town and
brought it back to life. Today, it is a national historic
district, with much of its nineteenth-century flavor intact, and
it attracts educated, successful families, singles and retirees
who are seeking a historically-rich town in a truly beautiful
waterfront setting.
|
|
Port Townsend is an authentic, somewhat funky,
robust place and is known for its array of well-preserved
Victorian homes built on bluffs high above the town harbor.
These tend to be on the expensive side, as does much of the real
estate in this area. We found 13 nineteenth-century homes
for sale; the least expensive of these was a 3 bedroom, 2 bath
classic Victorian dating from 1886 with views of the Bay and the
Cascade Mountains for $459,000. At the top of the scale, for
$1.6 million, was a very large (6 bedrooms and 5 baths), stunning
Victorian home built in 1896. There are also homes
close-in that were built in the 1930s and 1940s; these start in
the mid-$300,000s.
|
For those on a more modest budget, Port Townsend
does have five mobile home parks (including Sea Breeze Mobile Home
Park, Hawkeye Park and Four Corners Olympic Home Park), but none
had homes for sale at this writing. Manufactured homes not
in established parks can be found from about $129,000 (2 bedrooms,
2 baths). These are in an area called Cape George, which is
about eight miles to the west of Port Townsend and located on
Discovery Bay, a community with beach access, a mooring area and
views of Olympic Mountain. Manufactured homes here can
go as high as $299,000 and have acreage.
Modest single family homes in this area start in
the mid to high $200,000s for 2 bedrooms, 2 baths and 1,500 to
1,850 square feet. Larger homes with 3 bedrooms, 2
baths, 2,000 square feet or more, acreage and open floor plans run
$350,000-$500,000.
Another area to consider is Kala Point, a private
waterfront community, six miles south of Port Townsend.
Homes here are a mix of single-family dwellings and condominiums.
Generally, single family homes here start in the $325,000 range.
The least expensive condominium we found was a charming 1,000
square foot, 2 bedroom, 2 bath unit nestled in the woods and with
Bay views for $245,000.
Property is taxed at a rate of $11.31 per $1,000
of assessed value. There is a homestead exemption for people
61 or older who have income of $30,000 or less. Washington
has no state income tax.
Port
Townsend, Washington, Continued....
|