There is Nothing Like Small Towns

I hope you liked my last blog showing pictures of my home town. I think it I one  of the top small towns on the west coast of United States.

Gig Harbor has doubled in population since I was a young child but still far from being a large town. In fact, if it still doubled again which is unlikely it would still be small.

I find it a privilege to grow up in a small town. Of course, most of United States is made up of small towns. If you continue west from Gig Harbor toward the Olympic Mountains you will find a lot of other small towns. Bremerton is the largest city on the Olympic Peninsula. They have the naval ship yard, and you are able to see some ships in their bay. Also, you can take the ferry between Bremerton and Seattle. It is a wonderful and beautiful ride; it is not too expensive either. It is just under a half hour drive from Gig Harbor.

When you continue beyond Bremerton there are many small towns that are unique in their own way. Like any direction from Gig Harbor you can see a lot within two hours. Going east from Tacoma you can see a lot on your way to Mountain Rainier which takes about two hours get to as well. Also, there are many wonderful small towns going south to Portland, Oregon along with north from Seattle to the Canadian Border.

I believe small towns are great places to raise a family. It does not mean that you will not face trouble but they do keep things in good perspective. A good way to have your children spends time in the outdoors. In Gig Harbor I do see a deer on occasion. Also, there are other animals you can see as well. Some people raise horses in the area as well. You can still find some farms around.

When I was growing up in Gig Harbor we had one stop light and a few restaurants. Now we have several stop lights and a lot more restaurants along with coffee shops. We had no coffee shops when I was growing up. In fact, going to a fast food restaurant we had go to Tacoma to do so. Though Gig Harbor has changed a lot since I was a child to visitors it would still have a small town flavor. Many people living in Gig Harbor still work in Seattle, Tacoma, or the Bremerton Ship Yard. We do have some businesses in town as well.

I know that other states have a lot of really good small towns but I can’t think of any that would be any better. I know that on the east coast there are a lot of wonderful small towns as well. I think there is not a better way to spend a vacation but go to as many small towns as you can.