|
ST. ANDREW'S EPISCOPAL CHURCH Port Angeles, Washington |
||
|
|
||
|
|
Port Angeles, Forks and Clallam County
Courtesy Port Angeles Chamber of Commerce
LOCATION: Port Angeles is located in the north central section of the Olympic Peninsula between the Strait of Juan De Fuca and the Olympic Mountains in the State of Washington. It is the county seat of Clallam County. Port Angeles is one of the three incorporated cities in Clallam County; the other two are Sequim and Forks. Unincorporated areas include Clallam Bay, Carlsborg, Joyce, Sekiu and Neah Bay.
Port Angeles is the gateway to Olympic National Park and ferry terminal to Victoria, British Columbia. Transportation is readily available to the greater Seattle and Victoria areas by bus, air, ferry and auto. Kenmore Air provides daily flight service between Seattle and Port Angeles. Ferry service is available between Victoria and Port Angeles. Driving time to Seattle is approximately three hours, including ferry passage. Seattle is 76 miles from Port Angeles (via the Bainbridge ferry). Forks is 57 miles west of Port Angeles. Sequim is 15 miles east of Port Angeles
CLIMATE: Port Angeles has a predominantly mild climate with mild summers and damp winters. Average rainfall is 24.98 inches per year. Forks has average rainfall of 117.38 inches per year.
POPULATION: County population, as of April 2007, is approximately 68,500, with 19,910 living in Port Angeles, 5,330 in Sequim and 3,120 in Forks.
RECREATION: Many types of recreation are found on the peninsula. Both freshwater and saltwater fishing are popular during the open seasons. Many people take advantage of the hiking, camping, picnicking, cross-country and downhill skiing in Olympic National Park and other areas. There are opportunities for botanists, photographers, naturalists and those who just enjoy watching the wildlife that inhabit the region.
Perhaps the crown jewel of the attractions on the peninsula is Olympic National Park, which has been described as "three parks in one, "on the basis that it includes three distinct ecosystems: glacier topped mountains, in excess of 60 miles of Pacific coast line and large strands of old growth and temperate rain forests. The most notable of the mountain areas, Hurricane Ridge, is seventeen miles from Port Angeles. The Pacific beaches are near Forks as is the Hoh Rain Forest.
EVENTS: Port Angeles is a hub of cultural events on the peninsula. The Port Angeles Light Opera Association puts on a summer musical and the Port Angeles Community Players present five theatrical productions throughout the year. Nearby Sequim has the Olympic Theatre Arts which offers four evening and matinee performances each year during the same season. The Port Angeles Symphony Orchestra is one of the oldest and finest small city orchestras in the nation. The orchestra is also noted for its programs that benefit the youth of our community. The symphony collaborates with five Clallam County elementary school districts in bringing live music to students. Another outreach program by the symphony is the North Olympic Youth Symphony, designed to assist students to develop their skills. The symphony holds a yearly competition for high schools musicians, awarding cash prizes.
The Port Angeles Fine Arts Center offers year-round showings of work by Northwest artists and touring shows and is particularly noted for its outdoor displays.
From June through September, Port Angeles offers free concerts at the City Pier.
Another cultural amenity in Port Angeles is Monday Musicale, a group which meets for monthly luncheons and programs and has, since 1965, raised over $65,000 in scholarships for talented local high school students planning music majors in college.
Forks is noted for its traditional Fourth of July celebration, along with being the setting for the current Twilight series of books by Stephanie Meyer.
SERVICES: Library services are provided by the North Olympic Library System, which has branches in Port Angeles, Sequim, Clallam Bay and Forks.
Olympic Medical Center in Port Angeles is a 126 bed facility that serves the entire north central peninsula. The region offers complete health care and ready access to Seattle by ground and air ambulance. Forks Community Hospital is a 35 bed facility. The 2006 Community Profile for Clallam County listed approximately 120 doctors, 60 dentists and over 225 nurses working in the area. Further, there are three assisted living facilities in Port Angeles and six in Sequim. One of the assisted living facilities in Port Angeles is St. Andrews Place, affiliated with us and located south of our church.
Cable TV, satellite and high-speed internet services are available. The Peninsula Daily News provides daily newspaper service to the peninsula. The Sequim Gazette and the Forks Forum are weeklies. Radio is available from KONP in Port Angeles and KVAC/KLLM in Forks.
EDUCATION: Public education in primary and secondary schools is provided by five public school districts in Clallam County. There are also several private and church schools, including Montessori Schools, Olympic Christian School, Queen of Angels School and Mountain View Christian School. In addition, there are various vocational and business schools.
As part of the state community college system, Peninsula College offers opportunities for full-time and part-time students in both academic and technical programs throughout the Olympic Peninsula. While Peninsula College was previously only a two-year institution, it now offers a Bachelor's degree in Applied Management. The University Center at Peninsula College serves students with studies from Peninsula College's Applied Management program, Western Washington University's Huxley College of the Environment and City University/ Elementary Teacher programs.
The University of Washington is located nearby in Seattle. Certain programs of Washington State University in Pullman are available on-line. Other institutions include Evergreen State College in Olympia and Olympic College in Bremerton and Poulsbo.
ECONOMY: Our economic base in Clallam County includes lumber, wood products, logging, aerospace, aviation, fishing, tourism and retirement. The five largest private employers in the county are Wal-Mart, Safeway, Westport Shipyard, Seven Cedars Casino and Nippon Paper. Major public sector employers include Olympic Medical Center, Port Angeles School District, Peninsula College, Clallam Bay Corrections Center, Clallam County, City of Port Angeles and the United States Coast Guard.
Shopping facilities are commensurate with similar communities. In addition to a good selection of local merchants, various national businesses have facilities in either Port Angeles or Sequim, including Wal-Mart, Sears, Staples, Safeway, Albertsons, QFC, Office Depot, Home Depot, JC Penney, Petco, etc.
Our area has experienced moderate growth in the past decade. We strive to retain a "quality of life" that is unique to the north peninsula.
|
|
|
|
© 2008 St. Andrew's Episcopal Church All Rights Reserved |
|
