Port Townsend is a city upon the Quimper Peninsula in Jefferson County, Washington, United States. The population was 9,113 at the 2010 United States Census and an estimated 9,704 in 2018. It is the county seat and single-handedly incorporated city of Jefferson County. In auxiliary to its natural scenery at the northeast tip of the Olympic Peninsula, the city is known for the many Victorian buildings remaining from its late 19th-century heyday, numerous annual cultural events, and as a maritime middle for independent boatbuilders and linked industries and crafts. The Port Townsend Historic District is a U.S. National Historic Landmark District. It is after that significantly drier than the surrounding region due to inborn in the rainshadow of the Olympic Mountains, receiving unaided 19 inches or 480 millimeters of rain per year.

The niche was originally named “Port Townshend” by Captain George Vancouver in 1792, for his friend the Marquis of Townshend. It was snappishly recognized as a good safe harbor, although strong south winds and poor holding auditorium often make small-craft anchorage problematic off the town’s waterfront.

The recognized European-American deal of the city of the thesame name took place upon April 24, 1851. American Indian tribes located in what is now Jefferson County in the mid-19th century included the Chimakum (or Chemakum), Hoh (a bureau of the Quileute), Klallam (or Clallam), Quinault, and Twana (the Kilcid band — Anglicized as “Quilcene”).

Port Townsend is called the “City of Dreams” because of the to the lead speculation that the city would be the largest harbor upon the west coast of the United States. Guarding the admittance of Puget Sound, it would become known by its further nickname, the “Key City”, a title that remains to this day.

By the late 19th century, Port Townsend was a well-known seaport, very sprightly and banking upon the future. Many homes and buildings were built during that time, with most of the architecture ornate Victorian. During this period, in 1888, the Port Townsend Police Department was established.