Poulsbo, Washington

Poulsbo, Washington
City
Front Street Northeast
Nickname(s): Viking City, Little Norway
Location of Poulsbo, Washington
Coordinates: 47°44′21″N 122°38′21″W / 47.73917°N 122.63917°W / 47.73917; -122.63917Coordinates: 47°44′21″N 122°38′21″W / 47.73917°N 122.63917°W / 47.73917; -122.63917
Country	United States
State	Washington
County	Kitsap
Area[1]
• Total	5.27 sq mi (13.65 km2)
• Land	4.67 sq mi (12.10 km2)
• Water	0.60 sq mi (1.55 km2)
Elevation	30 ft (9 m)
Population (2010)[2]
• Total	9,200
• Estimate (2015)[3]	10,041
• Density	1,970.0/sq mi (760.6/km2)
Time zone	Pacific (PST) (UTC-8)
• Summer (DST)	PDT (UTC-7)
ZIP code	98370
Area code(s)	360
FIPS code	53-55995
GNIS feature ID	1507605[4]
Website	City of Poulsbo

Poulsbo (/ˈpɔːlzboʊ/ PAWLZ-boh) is a city on Liberty Bay in Kitsap County, Washington, United States. It is the fourth largest city in Kitsap County. The population was 9,200 at the 2010 census.

Prior to the arrival of Scandinavian immigrants in the 1880s, the Suquamish people had names for several areas in what is now Poulsbo; one of those names, tcu-tcu-lats, means "place of the maples".^[5] Their ancestors occupied villages on the Liberty Bay shoreline — among them, ho-CHEEB^[6] — for at least 5,000 years, hunted in local forests and floodplains, fished in bays and streams here, and harvested shellfish along the marine shoreline.

After the signing of the Treaty of Point Elliott in 1855, most Suquamish people here relocated to the Port Madison Indian Reservation, although the Suquamish Tribe reserved — and to this day exercises — certain cultural and natural resource rights in their historical territory, including Poulsbo.

The first Scandinavians arrived in the 1880s, after several attempts to establish farms in the Midwest. They were drawn here by the availability of land, by the area's rich resources, and by a landscape similar to their native home. Poulsbo was founded by Jorgen Eliason of Fordefjord, Norway, when the primary method of travel was water. Supplies were brought the 18-mile trip from Seattle by rowboat and later by steamboat. Over a 60-year period, the "Mosquito Fleet", comprising more than a dozen steamboats, served Poulsbo and other locations along Liberty Bay and Puget Sound carrying passengers and freight to and from Poulsbo and delivering farmers' produce to Pike Place Market in Seattle.

As a reminder of the city's early Scandinavian immigrants, downtown Poulsbo maintains a Scandinavian theme and is a popular regional tourist destination. One of its local products is now available worldwide, Poulsbo Bread, originally made in the local bakery. Many visitors arrive by boat; there are three marinas near the town, and the town's harbor is an excellent anchorage.

History

First Lutheran Church of Poulsbo

Founded by Norwegian immigrant Jorgen Eliason in the 1880s, Poulsbo was settled in its early years by a large number of Norwegian and other Scandinavian immigrants because of its similarities to their native countries.^[7] In 1886, I.B. Moe, one of the early Norwegian settlers, suggested that the community should have a post office. Moe suggested the town be named Paulsbo (which translates as "Paul's place"), after the Norwegian village where Moe spent his early years. The community's petition for a post office was granted, and Moe became the first postmaster, but the authorities in Washington D.C. misspelled the town's name, probably because of illegible handwriting, and the community became known as Poulsbo thereafter. Poulsbo was officially incorporated on December 18, 1907.

Until World War II, many Poulsbo residents retained Norwegian as a primary language. However, during World War II, the military constructed about 300 residential units to provide housing for workers at the nearby Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, located in Bremerton, Washington. The population of Poulsbo almost tripled over three years, and the diversification of the population led to the dominance of English as the primary language.

On October 22, 1975, King Olav V of Norway visited Poulsbo as part of the celebration of 150 years of Norwegian settlement in the United States.^[8] His son, Harald, visited 20 years later.

Schools

Poulsbo is home to many different public schools in the North Kitsap School District. North Kitsap High School, Poulsbo Middle School, and Poulsbo Elementary are at the heart of town, while Vinland Elementary and Pearson Elementary schools lie in the surrounding areas. Private schools include Gateway Christian School and West Sound Academy. Post-secondary undergraduate education includes Olympic College Poulsbo.

Geography

Topography

Poulsbo is located on Liberty Bay, a sheltered arm of Puget Sound, at 47°44′21″N 122°38′21″W / 47.739137°N 122.639278°W / 47.739137; -122.639278 (47.739137, -122.639278).^[9]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 5.27 square miles (13.65 km²), of which, 4.67 square miles (12.10 km²) is land and 0.60 square miles (1.55 km²) is water.^[1]

Surrounding Municipalities

Climate

Culture

Media

The North Kitsap Herald has been published in print continuously since 1901, providing local news for Poulsbo as well as the greater Kitsap County area. The Herald was founded by Peter Iverson, who served as mayor of Poulsbo and state legislator. Today, the Herald is owned by Sound Publishing. In Kitsap, Sound also publishes the Bainbridge Island Review, Central Kitsap Reporter, Kitsap Weekly, and Port Orchard Independent (Fridays); Kingston Community News (monthly); and KitsapDailyNews.com, BainbridgeReview.com (daily online).

Landmarks

The Norseman Statue a 12-foot statue by artist Mark Gale of Tacoma stands at Viking Avenue and Lindvig Way.^[11]

The Norseman is 12-foot tall Viking statue by artist Mark Gale of Tacoma made of steel and concrete that sits at the southeast corner of the Viking Avenue-Lindvig Way.

Sister Cities

Poulsbo has the following sister city relationships:^[12][13]

• Namsos, Norway
• Halden, Norway

Demographics

Sons of Norway Hall, Poulsbo

2010 census

As of the census^[2] of 2010, there were 9,200 people, 3,883 households, and 2,310 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,970.0 inhabitants per square mile (760.6/km²). There were 4,115 housing units at an average density of 881.2 per square mile (340.2/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 82.9% White, 9.2% Hispanic or Latino, 5.7% Asian, 1.1% African American, 0.9% Native American, 0.3% Pacific Islander, 3.6% from other races, and 5.4% from two or more races.

There were 3,883 households of which 30.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.9% were married couples living together, 11.4% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.2% had a male householder with no wife present, and 40.5% were non-families. 34.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 17.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.30 and the average family size was 2.97.

The median age in the city was 40.2 years. 23.8% of residents were under the age of 18; 7.8% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 24.7% were from 25 to 44; 24.5% were from 45 to 64; and 19.4% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 45.3% male and 54.7% female.

2000 census

As of the census of 2000, there were 6,813 people, 2,845 households, and 1,772 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,121.5 people per square mile (819.5/km²). There were 2,992 housing units at an average density of 931.7 per square mile (359.9/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 88.10% White, 4.84% Hispanic or Latino, 2.99% Asian, 1.01% African American, 0.97% Native American, 0.43% Pacific Islander, 1.92% from other races, and 4.58% from two or more races. 14.6% were of German, 10.6% Irish, 10.0% English and 9.5% Norwegian ancestry. 95.3% spoke English and 2.6% Spanish as their first language.

There were 2,845 households out of which 30.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.6% were married couples living together, 10.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.7% were non-families. 32.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.30 and the average family size was 2.92.

In the city, the population was spread out with 24.2% under the age of 18, 7.5% from 18 to 24, 26.8% from 25 to 44, 22.1% from 45 to 64, and 19.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 86.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and under, there are 78.7 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $38,875 and the median income for a family was $51,353. Males had a median income of $40,482 versus $27,899 for females. The per capita income for the city was $20,649. 9.1% of the population and 8.2% of families were below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 14.1% of those under the age of 18 and 6.0% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line. A large number of employed individuals work on the east side of Puget Sound, in Seattle or other King County cities, and commute to work by ferry.

Notable Poulsbo natives

• Margaret Olofsson Bergman, weaver
• Shawn Deeds, former Washington State University quarterback ^[16]
• Jason Everman, former member of Nirvana, U.S. Army Special Forces ^[17]
• Richard F. Gordon, Jr., Apollo 12 astronaut^[18]
• Aaron Sele, Major League Baseball pitcher
• Scott Shipley, Olympic canoeing medalist
• Harland Svare, former NFL player and coach
• Ryan Villopoto, pro motocross rider

Major Roads

• SR 3
• SR 305
• SR 307

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Poulsbo, Washington.

Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Poulsbo.

• City of Poulsbo
• Greater Poulsbo Chamber of Commerce
• Kitsap Peninsula Visitor & Convention Bureau
• Annual Viking Fest