Puget Sound
Puget Sound forms Washington State's Pacific Northwestern coastal border. Puget Sound stretches inland some fifty miles from the ocean, through a complex chain of inlets, channels and islands. Puget Sound reaches the Pacific through the Straits of Juan de Fuca, which form a portion of the U.S.-Canada border. These looming rocky bluffs provide excellent bird watching opportunities, and the icy waters often hold spouting orca whales.
Puget Sound is an important saltwater estuary, seasonally fed by incoming freshwater from the Cascades and the Olympic Mountain ranges. Series of fish kills through the last two decades alerted scientists to dissolved oxygen levels in the water, which is vital to fish and plant survival. The Hood Canal Dissolved Oxygen Partners Program formed, thirty-eight organizations coming together to pool resources and knowledge and help the failing waters, a reflection of the Washingtonians' deep relationship with their land.
Puget Sound provides shelter from the often volatile Washington weather. The deep-harbor waters make it the perfect place for shipping. Home to the bustling ports of Olympia, Tacoma and Seattle, the Greater Puget Sound Region holds almost half of Washington State’s population as well as a strong Naval presence. Interstate 5 provides excellent land transportation through the area, and the Washington Ferry System makes for easy crossing back and forth across the Sound, connecting to all the various islands.
South of Puget Sound is the WA Capital city of Olympia. In the center of the Sound lays Seattle, home of the famous Space Needle and ranking as Washington’s largest city. Seattle lies between Lake Washington and Elliot Bay, with the looming Cascade Mountains just to the east.
The 14,410 foot snow-covered peak of Mount Rainier can be seen from much of the Puget Sound Region. This active Cascade Range Volcano becomes a symbol of the rugged and adventurous character of Puget Sound residents, who come from a wide range of ethnic cultures. Across the sound from Seattle are the Kitsap and Olympic Peninsulas and rustic Bainbridge Island. The Olympic Peninsula contains the exotic Hoh Rain Forest and the Olympic Mountain Range.
Puget Sound attracts visitors from all over the world, many who take up residency. Hiking, kayaking, boating and beach-combing form a part of daily life here. Washington State's numerous wilderness areas lie within a short drive. Whether it is island living, city-dwelling or quiet small towns one seeks, Puget Sound offers it all.
