Hostelling International Port Townsend Olympic

Discover the City

Originally named 'Port Townshend' by Captain George Vancouver (for his friend the Marquis of Townshend) in 1792, Port Townsend was immediately recognized as a good, safe harbor, which it remains to this day. The official settlement of the city took place on the 24th of April, 1851. Called the "City of Dreams" because of the early speculation that the city would be the largest harbor on the west coast.

By the late 1800's Port Townsend was a well-known seaport, very active and banking on the future. Many homes and buildings were built during that time, with most of the architecture ornate Victorian. With the other Puget Sound ports growing in size, Port Townsend saw a rapid decline in population when the Northern Pacific Railroad failed to connect the city to the eastern Puget Sound city of Tacoma. By the late 1890's the boom was over.

Noted for a vast collection of Victorian homes, the city also has more than a dozen larger buildings that are well preserved, the Carnegie Library, the US Post Office, and the Jefferson County Courthouse to name just a few. We've provided a bibliography for teachers, "Teaching with Historic Places" from the National Historical Register. This area truly lends itself to the living history experience and should be explored. View our local museums.

There's so much to do in Port Townsend it's hard to keep up. From the Wooden Boat Festival to arts and crafts shows, music and quilting, it is a year-round smorgasboard of events. Our fair city has more happenings than the rest of the Olympic Peninsula combined and we're always hosting the finest in musicians and artists both nationally and internationally.