The Key Peninsula lies along

Puget Sound Puget Sound ( ; ) is a complex estuary, estuarine system of interconnected Marine habitat, marine waterways and basins located on the northwest coast of the U.S. state of Washington (state), Washington. As a part of the Salish Sea, the sound ...

to the south of

Kitsap Peninsula The Kitsap Peninsula () lies west of Seattle across Puget Sound, in Washington state in the Pacific Northwest. Hood Canal separates the peninsula from the Olympic Peninsula on its west side. The peninsula, a.k.a. "Kitsap", encompasses all of Kits ...

in the U.S. state of

Washington Washington most commonly refers to: * George Washington (1732–1799), the first president of the United States * Washington (state), a state in the Pacific Northwest of the United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A ...

. It is part of Pierce County and is bordered to the west by

Case Inlet Case Inlet, in southern Puget Sound in the U.S. state of Washington, is an arm of water between Key Peninsula to the east and Harstine Island to the west. Its northern end, called North Bay, reaches nearly to Hood Canal, creating the defining ...

and to the east by Carr Inlet. The peninsula is approximately 16 miles (26 km) long and has two Washington State Parks.

History

The Key Peninsula was originally home to several Native American tribes, including the Squaxin Island and

Nisqually Nisqually, Niskwalli, or Nisqualli may refer to: People * Nisqually people, a Coast Salish ethnic group * Nisqually Indian Tribe of the Nisqually Reservation, federally recognized tribe ** Nisqually Indian Reservation, the tribe's reservation in ...

. Non-indigenous settlers first migrated into the peninsula in the 1830s, which was named Longbranch Peninsula by the

United States Exploring Expedition The United States Exploring Expedition of 1838–1842 was an exploring and surveying expedition of the Pacific Ocean and surrounding lands conducted by the United States. The original appointed commanding officer was Commodore Thomas ap Catesby ...

in 1841. In the 1930s, due to the key-shape of the peninsula, it was officially renamed "Key Peninsula". In the late 19th century, the Key Peninsula attracted more homesteaders and settlers. It later evolved into a rural residential community.

Geography

Communities

There are no incorporated cities on Key Peninsula. Communities on the peninsula include Glen Cove, Herron,

Home A home, or domicile, is a space used as a permanent or semi-permanent residence for one or more human occupants, and sometimes various companion animals. Homes provide sheltered spaces, for instance rooms, where domestic activity can be p ...

, Key Center, Lakebay, Longbranch,

Minter Minter may refer to: Places in the United States * Minter, Alabama, an unincorporated community * Minter Village, California, an unincorporated community * Minter City, Mississippi Other uses * Minter (surname) {{disambiguation, geo ...

, and Vaughn.

Hydrology

The Key Peninsula extends into

, a large inlet of the

Pacific Ocean The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five Borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean, or, depending on the definition, to Antarctica in the south, and is ...

. The peninsula also has several creeks and streams that drain into Puget Sound.

Parks

The Key Peninsula is home to two

state parks State parks are parks or other protected areas managed at the sub-national level within those nations which use "state" as a political subdivision. State parks are typically established by a state to preserve a location on account of its natural ...

: Penrose Point State Park and Joemma Beach State Park. Penrose Point State Park is a 237-acre park, well-known for its camping and shellfishing culture. Joemma Beach State Park also features a marine camping park.

Demographics

The population of the Key Peninsula was projected to grow from 11,016 in 1990 to 16,369 in 2022; however, this number was surpassed by the year 2015. The total population in the Key Peninsula is estimated to be 20,000 people.

Education

The Key Peninsula is served by the Peninsula School District, which has several

elementary school A primary school (in Ireland, India, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, South Africa, and Singapore), elementary school, or grade school (in North America and the Philippines) is a school for primary ...

s and a single

middle school Middle school, also known as intermediate school, junior high school, junior secondary school, or lower secondary school, is an educational stage between primary school and secondary school. Afghanistan In Afghanistan, middle school includes g ...

on the peninsula. High school students in the area attend Peninsula High School in Purdy or Gig Harbor High School in Gig Harbor.

References

External links

Key Peninsula NewsKey Peninsula Historical Society & Museum
{{Coord, 47, 17, 29, N, 122, 46, 31, W, display=title Peninsulas of Washington (state) Landforms of Pierce County, Washington Seattle metropolitan area Landforms of Puget Sound