Port Orchard, Washington

History

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. 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.

On December 18, 2018, a cul-de-sac in Port Orchard was struck by an EF2 tornado with winds between 120 and, 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.

Geography

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 11.21 sqmi, of which 9.64 sqmi are land and 1.57 sqmi, or 15.65%, are water.

The city is home to South Kitsap Regional Park, a 209 acre public park with multiple sports fields, hiking trails, a playground, a skate park, and batting cages.

Demographics

|align-fn=center 2020 Census

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, there were 15,587 people, 5,840 households, and 3,894 families residing in the city.

2010 census

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 1539.2 PD/sqmi. There were 4,630 housing units at an average density of 639.5 /sqmi. 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.

2000 census

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.

Education

The city is in the South Kitsap School District.

Infrastructure

Transportation

Port Orchard Airport, located 7 mi south of the city, is a private airport with an industrial park.

Notable people

• Willie Bloomquist (born 1977), Major League Baseball player
• Delilah (born 1960), syndicated radio personality
• Jason Ellison (born 1978), Major League Baseball outfielder
• Jamie Ford (born 1968), author
• Karolyn Grimes (born 1940), actress, It's a Wonderful Life
• Jason Hammel (born 1982), Major League Baseball pitcher
• Debbie Macomber (born 1948), author
• Benji Olson (born 1975), National Football League guard
• Madelaine Petsch (born 1994), actress
• Emily Randall (born 1985), U.S. representative for Washington
• Jason Wade (born 1980), Lifehouse lead singer

References

References

1. [https://portorchardwa.gov/departments/mayor "Mayor of Port Orchard"] Retrieved November 8, 2025.
2. "2023 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau.
3. {{GNIS. 2411466
4. "Find a County". National Association of Counties.
5. Majors, Harry M.. (1975). "Exploring Washington". Van Winkle Publishing Co.
6. Vogel, Ann. (May 20, 1999). "New city hall: Suddenly, a skyline". [[Kitsap Sun.
7. (December 19, 2018). "Port Orchard tornado confirmed an EF-2, strongest tornado in state since 1986". KOMO.
8. "South Kitsap Regional Park". kitsapgov.com.
9. (February 21, 2024). "City and Town Population Totals: 2020–2022". United States Census Bureau.
10. "Census of Population and Housing". United States Census Bureau.
11. "Explore Census Data". [[United States Census Bureau]].
12. "US Census Bureau, Table P16: Household Type". United States Census Bureau.
13. "2020 Census – School District Reference Map: Kitsap County, WA". United States Census Bureau.
14. Baker, Travis. (December 17, 2000). "Key to industrial park is location". Kitsap Sun.
15. "Yes, That Delilah Lives in South Kitsap". Kitsap Sun.
16. "Jason Ellison". Baseball-Reference.Com.
17. "RANDALL, Emily".