Kingston

Kingston is located in northeastern Kitsap County at 47°47′56″N 122°29′57″W (47.798764, −122.499071), on the east side of the Kitsap Peninsula. Washington State Route 104 runs through the community from the Washington State Ferry terminal, leading northwest 7 miles (11 km) to Port Gamble. Bremerton is 26 miles (42 km) to the southwest by highway.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the Kingston CDP has a total area of 2.1 square miles (5.4 km2), of which 1.9 square miles (4.8 km2) are land and 0.2 square miles (0.6 km2), or 10.31%, are water.

Founded in 1853 by Benjamin Bannister, the community was originally known as “Appletree Cove”. By 1880 it was a lumber town until the mill closed down in the early 20th century. Known as the “little city by the sea”, Kingston is a northern gateway to the Olympic Peninsula and is the social and economic center of the north end of the Kitsap Peninsula.

King’s Town

In 1869, W.S. Ladd and his wife Caroline built a cabin on Appletree Cove. Michael King then bought the cabin nine years later. He moved in along with ten oxen and ten men. They slowly logged the hills around Appletree Cove. King built many small buildings and shacks along the shore for his men and animals. In 1882, he was done and moved on. The shacks and bunkhouses were left behind and lived in by drifters, squatters and old loggers. People living in the area often referred to this as “King’s Town”, probably as a joke. The name slowly evolved into Kingston and stuck.

Resort town

The Kingston townsite was platted on April 24, 1890, by C.C. Calkins and Samuel B. Brierly. Calkins dreamed of Kingston as a resort town for vacationers from Seattle. Calkins called it “the Monterey of Washington”. Calkins had drawings and designs for a giant hotel on the waterfront, with a boat launch, a church on the hill, and a college. After Calkins and Brierly platted the town, a lower than expected number of people showed up to settle there. Calkins then gave up and left. The town slowly grew, but not at the pace that Calkins had dreamed.

Kingston has a Washington State Ferries terminal for auto/passenger service to Edmonds.

In September 2012, due to financial losses, the Port of Kingston discontinued its SoundRunner Kingston–Seattle passenger-only system. One of the former vessels, the Spirit of Kingston, was transferred to the King County Ferry District on March 18, 2013, for service as part of the King County Water Taxi fleet.

In January 2016 Kingston accepted delivery of a new modern fireboat. The new vessel is 38 feet (12 m) long, can travel at 36 knots (67 km/h), and can pump 2,700 gallons per minute. The Department of Homeland Security has provided small ports with grants to equip themselves with modern fireboats, with sealed cabins, that can also help counter other threats, like oil spills, or attacks by chemical or biological weapons. Two thirds of the cost of this fireboat, $409,813, were paid by a federal grant. The vessel also has modern infrared sensors, which can help in search and rescue missions, and search for the hot spot at the center of a fire. Kingston had a smaller, slower, less capable older 27-foot (8.2 m) fireboat. Both vessels can project fire suppressant foam, less likely to sink flaming vessels, but experience with the older vessel suggests most of the fires the new vessel will fight will be on the shore, near the water.

Kitsap Fast Ferries began service from Kingston to Seattle in November 2018.

Public education is provided by the North Kitsap School District. Kingston’s schools include Kingston Co-op Preschool, Gordon Elementary, Kingston Middle School, Spectrum Community School, Wolfle Elementary and Kingston High School.