Gig Harbor (Seattle, Tacoma, Bellevue: home, schools, where to live)

[dpf11970]

Has anyone lived in Gig Harbor? We are moving from Colorado in March and are trying to decide where to live. We have 2 small kids and like the outdoors.

Work schedules are flexible - we split working from home, travelling using the airport and visiting customers in Seattle/Bellevue.

Any thought on schools and lifestyles?

[gig harbor]

Hi,
We have lived in Gig Harbor for the last 2 years, its a beautiful town. The views of Mt Rainer and the water make for a beautiful setting.

Shopping here is also great, the plaza's are done gorgeous in the spring, summer and fall with lovely flowers all over.
The schools are also good, all in all I am very happy with it here.
Good Luck

[Tony1790]

Gig Harbor is nice, pricey, but nice, I live in Port Orchard, next town up Hwy 16. One thing to consider if moving to Gig Harbor is the new bridge that opens in August, along with the toll booth that you will pay at to cross it. Something to think about. There's no easy way to get to Seattle without paying a toll, either on the bridge or a very expensive ferry ride.

Tony

[washinton native]

if you have the bankrole, by all means, gig is a wonderful place.

[Kathleenh54]

Does Gig Harbor have any more or less rain than the Pac NW?

[sodwyer]

Hello There,

Beautiful place to live and the closer you are to the Harbor the more that's going on. Lot's of beautiful properties, families and great schools. Plus the atmoshphere just rocks! One of our favorite things to do is boat in to the harbor dock the boat over at the Tides Tavern, have dinner and a cocktail watch a game, the sunset whatever your liking and boat home. Just a great place to experience the northwest! I hope you make the move it's great!

sodwyer

[shaire99]

With small children, you're going to want to be on the West Side of HWY 16 that bi-sects the city. The older part of Gig Harbor has a much older demographic, mostly retired people. There are no real businesses on that side other than souvenir shops, a few restaurants and a high priced grocery store. Still everything is quite picturesque and quaint.

If your kids are outdoor types you might want to consider somewhere else to live. The rain can be very depressing at times and no matter what anyone tells you, you can expect it for 8 months out of the year. It's a near constant drizzle, not many big downpours. Summers are truly beautiful but the winters feel much colder than the temperature indicates because of the dampness that just bites through you.

Unfortunately, it's a fairly conservative area and NO diversity at all. Good Luck!

[Amandine29]

My family and I are also considering a move to the SETAC area this coming fall. We are city folks (from NYC and LA) but truly enjoy smaller cities and would be open to a small town with ample outdoor opportunities. Gig Harbor, or nearby seemed like a good location. The previous poster mentioned NO diversity....are there any areas that have a similar feel that can boast diversity? *We are looking in Olympia, Tacoma/Seattle, and two areas in Portland dependent upon commute.

[rickers]

Originally Posted by Kathleenh54

Does Gig Harbor have any more or less rain than the Pac NW?

Gig harbor IS in the PNW ! Try going to the City-Data home page (Not the forums). Click on Washington, find the link for Gig Harbor and click on it. Almost everything you need to know is right there.

[mthomson]

Amandine, I suppose it depends on what you mean by diversity. Gig Harbor is very diverse in age, life stage, and job situations. Economically there is a pretty wide range as well, though it leans on the upper middle class size. There is not much racial diversity, for that you'd want to head towards Tacoma.
What type of diversity are you looking for?