Port Orchard, Washington

The first European-Americans to settle in what is now Port Orchard were William Renton and Daniel Howard, who set up a sawmill there in 1854.{{Cite book|last=Majors |first=Harry M. |title=Exploring Washington |publisher=Van Winkle Publishing Co |year=1975 |page=82 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CoWrPQAACAAJ |isbn=978-0-918664-00-6}} The town that was to become Port Orchard was originally platted in 1886 by Frederick Stevens, who named the new location after his father, Sidney. The town of Sidney was incorporated September 15, 1890, and was the first in Kitsap County to be both platted and incorporated. Shortly thereafter, the U.S. Navy sought a suitable location for another installation on the West Coast, and found it with the assistance of Sidney's residents in Orchard Bay (this installation would later become the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard in Bremerton).

The county seat was originally in Port Madison, but moved to Sidney after a popular vote in 1892. In December of that same year, the residents of Sidney petitioned both the state legislature and the Post Office Department to rename the city "Port Orchard". The legislature refused, as Charleston (now West Bremerton) had also requested that name. The Post Office Department, however, went through with the name change, and as a result the Port Orchard post office ended up in Sidney, and the Charleston post office ended up in Port Orchard. It wasn't until 1903 that local politician Will Thompson convinced the state legislature to correct this confusing situation, and relocated the Charleston post office to Charleston, at the same time renaming Sidney "Port Orchard", as it is known today.

A new city hall was opened in May 1999, replacing a seismically vulnerable building constructed in 1947. It was to be a catalyst for new development in the city's downtown.{{cite news|last=Vogel |first=Ann |date=May 20, 1999 |title=New city hall: Suddenly, a skyline |page=A1 |url=https://products.kitsapsun.com/archive/1999/05-20/0093_new_city_hall__suddenly__a_skylin.html |work=The Sun |accessdate=November 5, 2021}}

File:Tornado in Washington Dec 2018 damage 3.jpg]]

On December 18, 2018, a cul-de-sac in Port Orchard was struck by an EF2 tornado with winds between {{convert|120|and|130|mph}}, the strongest tornado in Washington since 1986. The tornado uprooted trees and damaged up to 450 homes and businesses, some of which sustained total roof loss. Some neighborhoods were evacuated due to reported gas leaks.{{cite web |last1= Sistek |first1=Scott |title=Port Orchard tornado confirmed an EF-2, strongest tornado in state since 1986 |date=December 19, 2018 |url=https://komonews.com/news/local/storm-survey-team-heads-to-gauge-damage-from-port-orchard-tornado |publisher=KOMO |access-date=December 19, 2018}}

Port Orchard is located in south-central Kitsap County on the south side of Sinclair Inlet, an arm of the Port Orchard strait connecting to Puget Sound. The city is bordered to the north across Sinclair Inlet by the city of Bremerton.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of {{convert|11.21|sqmi|sqkm|2}}, of which {{convert|9.64|sqmi|sqkm|2}} are land and {{convert|1.57|sqmi|sqkm|2}}, or 15.65%, are water.

The city is home to South Kitsap Regional Park, a {{Convert|209|acre|adj=on}} public park with multiple fields and installations such as hiking trails, a playground, a skate park, and batting cages.{{cite web|url=https://www.kitsapgov.com/parks/Pages/SouthKitsapRegionalPark.aspx|publisher=kitsapgov.com|access-date=April 27, 2023|title=South Kitsap Regional Park}}

Port Orchard Airport, located {{convert|7|mi|0}} south of the city, is a private airport with an industrial park.{{cite news |last=Baker |first=Travis |date=December 17, 2000 |title=Key to industrial park is location |url=https://products.kitsapsun.com/archive/2000/12-17/0063_building_a_future__key_to_industr.html |work=Kitsap Sun |access-date=April 12, 2019}}

{{US Census population

|1890= 226

|1900= 254

|1910= 682

|1920= 1393

|1930= 1145

|1940= 1566

|1950= 2320

|1960= 2778

|1970= 3904

|1980= 4787

|1990= 4984

|2000= 7693

|2010= 11144

|2020= 15587

|estyear=2022

|estimate=17089

|estref={{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/data/tables/time-series/demo/popest/2020s-total-cities-and-towns.html |date=February 21, 2024|title=City and Town Population Totals: 2020–2022|publisher=United States Census Bureau|accessdate=February 21, 2024}}

|align-fn=center

|footnote=U.S. Decennial Census{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html|title=Census of Population and Housing|publisher=United States Census Bureau|accessdate=June 4, 2015}}
2020 Census{{cite web|title=Explore Census Data |url=https://data.census.gov/profile/Port_Orchard_city,_Washington?g=160XX00US5355785 |publisher=United States Census Bureau |access-date=February 21, 2024}}

}}

File:Port Orchard - city hall 02.jpg

As of the 2020 census, there were 15,587 people, 5,840 households, and 3,894 families residing in the city.{{Cite web|title=US Census Bureau, Table P16: Household Type |url=https://data.census.gov/table?q=Port%20Orchard%20city,%20Washington%20p16&y=2020 |access-date=February 21, 2024 |publisher=United States Census Bureau}}

As of the 2010 census, there were 11,144 people, 4,278 households, and 2,726 families residing in the city. The population density was {{convert|1539.2|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|1}}. There were 4,630 housing units at an average density of {{convert|639.5|/sqmi|/km2|1}}. The racial makeup of the city was 80.8% White, 3.4% African American, 1.3% Native American, 5.8% Asian, 1.4% Pacific Islander, 1.0% from other races, and 6.4% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 6.6% of the population.

There were 4,278 households, of which 33.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.7% were married couples living together, 13.3% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.6% had a male householder with no wife present, and 36.3% were non-families. 27.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.43 and the average family size was 2.96.

The median age in the city was 34.5 years. 23.5% of residents were under the age of 18; 10.4% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 29.1% were from 25 to 44; 23.4% were from 45 to 64; and 13.5% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 50.3% male and 49.7% female.

As of 2000 the median income for a household in the city was $34,020, and the median income for a family was $41,946. Males had a median income of $33,610 versus $25,739 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,382. About 10.9% of families and 12.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 17.2% of those under age 18 and 9.1% of those age 65 or over.

{{expand section|date=October 2023}}

The city is in the South Kitsap School District.{{cite map|url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/DC2020/PL20/st53_wa/schooldistrict_maps/c53035_kitsap/DC20SD_C53035.pdf|title=2020 Census – School District Reference Map: Kitsap County, WA|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=August 12, 2023}}

• Willie Bloomquist — Major League Baseball player
• Delilah — syndicated radio personality{{cite web|url=http://www.kitsapsun.com/news/2008/feb/24/yes-that-delilah-lives-in-south-kitsap/#axzz2zfdJ1Ih2|title=Yes, That Delilah Lives in South Kitsap|publisher=Kitsap Sun|access-date=April 22, 2014|archive-date=June 7, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080607120842/http://www.kitsapsun.com/news/2008/feb/24/yes-that-delilah-lives-in-south-kitsap/#axzz2zfdJ1Ih2|url-status=dead}}
• Jason Ellison — Major League Baseball outfielder{{cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/e/ellisja01.shtml|title= Jason Ellison|publisher= Baseball-Reference.Com |access-date= September 14, 2012}}
• Jamie Ford — author
• Karolyn Grimes — actress, It's a Wonderful Life
• Jason Hammel — Major League Baseball pitcher
• Debbie Macomber — author
• Benji Olson — National Football League guard
• Madelaine Petsch — actress
• Jason Wade — Lifehouse lead singer

{{Reflist}}

{{Commons category|Port Orchard, Washington}}

{{wikivoyage|Port Orchard}}

• [http://www.cityofportorchard.us/ City of Port Orchard] official website
• [http://portorchard.com/ The Port Orchard Chamber of Commerce]
• [http://visitkitsap.com/cities.asp?ID=12/ Kitsap Peninsula Visitor & Convention Bureau - Port Orchard Page]{{dead link|date=March 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes}}
• [http://historylink.org/index.cfm?DisplayPage=output.cfm&file_id=9550 History of Port Orchard] at HistoryLink

{{Kitsap County, Washington}}

{{Washington}}

{{Washington (state) county seats}}

{{Authority control}}

Category:Cities in Kitsap County, Washington

Category:County seats in Washington (state)

Category:Cities in Washington (state)

Category:Populated places established in 1886